Exhibits in informal science institutions, like science centers and museums, are often designed to help people learn, but research showing the immediate impact of experiences with exhibits on understanding is limited. This dissertation tested the hypothesis that the value of first-hand experience with an exhibit is not necessarily in its immediate…

This brief reviews previous research related to the development of science knowledge and academic language in English language learners as well as the role of English language proficiency, learning in a second language, and first language knowledge in science learning. It also describes two successful CREATE interventions that build academic and…

A multidimensional study examines both the dimensions of school counselors' involvement in school-family-community partnerships and the factors related to their involvement in partnerships. The School Counselor Involvement in Partnerships Survey was revised and its factor structure examined. Principal factor analyses revealed three dimensions of…

This qualitative multiple case study explored the conceptual frameworks of two congenitally blind male adolescents on the nature of matter. We examined participants' responses on four tactile investigations focused on concepts and processes associated with matter changes. The matter changes investigated were dissolution, chemical change,…

According to the spatial registration hypothesis, the representation of stimulus location is automatically encoded during perception and it can interact with a more abstract linguistic representation. We tested this hypothesis in two experiments, using the semantic judgements of words. In the first experiment, words for animals that either fly or…

Joseph Coencas shows scenes from films to help special education students improve their visual and auditory skills, build confidence in their abilities to talk about and analyze the components of a narrative, and feel comfortable engaging in class discussion and writing. He also encourages students to pursue their interests in subjects they have…

Limits of graphic display design component variation based on cognitive tolerance for imprecision were investigated using compatibility functions. The compatibility function is an empirical definition of a perceptual category representing the grade of membership of an implied physical attribute into a corresponding conceptual category, measuring…

A sample of college students was used to determine whether there was a correlation between Lowenfeld's visual-haptic continuum and Piaget's concrete-formal continuum. Three instruments were administered--a questionnaire, the Successive Perception Test I (Gibson) which identified an individual's location on the visual-haptic continuum, and the…

The visual-auditory integrative ability of 12 language delayed children with nonspecific etiologies was compared with that of 12 normal children matched for age, sex, and IQ. A battery of tests measured auditory-visual integrative ability, visual motor ability, and perception of frequency distorted speech. Significant differences were found…

To determine whether interrelationships existed among visual motor perception, linguistic skills, academic achievement, and the audiological status of deaf children, 199 subjects functioning from dull normal to superior in intelligence (aged 5.6 to 11) were studied. The results of the testing revealed that visual-motor-perceptual dysfunction is…

This bulletin is a compilation of papers dealing with the role of perceptual functions in reading and reading difficulties that were delivered at the 1966-67 Convention of the International Reading Association. Various sections are devoted to discussions of and reports of research on such matters as the auditory and visual modalities in reading,…

Methods for teaching pupils to use their senses to explore colors, shapes, textures, and sounds of the great outdoors are described. Ideas include: (1) having children hug their own special tree; (2) looking for geometric shapes in nature; (3) taking nocturnal nature walks; (4) building a track for racing insects; and (5) collecting objects with…

Five first-hand Web page accounts of unusual sensory perceptual experiences written by persons with high-functioning autism were selected for qualitative analysis. Four core categories emerged: turbulent sensory perceptual experiences; coping mechanisms; enjoyable sensory perceptual experiences; and awareness of being different, suggesting they…

For many years, most scientists believed that the physical structure of our brains, and by definition the people we had become, was set after the initial developmental period of early childhood and adolescence. New research in the area of neurology and neuropsychology is revealing that our brain is a much more open system than ever thought…

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of key stakeholders, including teachers, board members, administrators, community members and parents in a larger suburban, formerly comprehensive high school that adopted a schools-within-a-school reform model (SWAS). The research illuminated similarities and differences in perceptions…