Abstracts of 12 mathematics education research reports and critical comments (by the abstractors) about the reports are provided in this issue of Investigations in Mathematics Education. The reports are: "More Precisely Defining and Measuring the Order-Irrelevance Principle" (Arthur Baroody); "Children's Relative Number Judgments:…

Using construed data, it is demonstrated that the commonly-used method of showing mean salary by sex or mean salary by rank by sex can be misleading, and that a more realistic picture can be obtained using multiple regression analysis. Faculty staffing patterns were designed for two simulated institutions and is presented showing means and…

This study addressed: (1) what difference, if any, would calculators make on a typical mathematics assessment instrument; (2) what might occur if students were allowed to use, but were not furnished with, calculators for testing; and (3) what implications do answers to these questions have for future statewide assessment. Eighth-grade students…

The instruction of finger counting and finger calculation, also known as Chisanbop, is promoted as a natural method of introducing and teaching the basic processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to children, particularly to those who are mentally and physically handicapped. The sequential process for teaching finger…

When changes occur in the number of credit hours demanded of a teaching unit, understanding of the sources of change is valuable policy making. Acceptable methods of determining sources of variance are not intuitively obvious, nor are the limitations of the simplest approaches. Sources of variance, not their causes, are discussed. Identification…

Fourteen research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and analyzed. Five of the reports deal with various student characteristics, four with teaching techniques, two with calculators, and one each with placement, open education, and teacher education. Research related to mathematics education which was reported in RIE and CIJE…

A new diagnostic modeling system for automatically synthesizing a deep structure model of a student's misconceptions or bugs in his/her basic mathematics skills provides a mechanism for explaining why a student is making a mistake as opposed to simply identifying the mistake. This report consists of four sections. The first provides examples of…

This is one of a series of reports summarizing the results of the second mathematics assessment conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Nine, 13- and 17-year-olds were assessed during the 1977-78 school year. The assessment measured achievement in various content areas at four levels of cognitive processes (knowledge,…

A survey was conducted to determine: (1) secondary school mathematics teachers' attitudes toward calculator usage in mathematics classes; (2) teacher practices in allowing and/or encouraging the use of calculators; and (3) teachers' perceptions of their schools' policies regarding calculators in the mathematics classroom. The results indicated…

This paper, presented at the 1979 meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in San Francisco, discusses the effects of calculator availability on the elementary school mathematics curriculum. The rationale for a shift from a computationally based curriculum to a conceptually oriented curriculum utilizing the calculator as an…

Widespread concern over the use of calculators by young children prompted a broad year-long study of the impact of calculators on elementary school mathematics learning. Two teachers from each of grades 2-6 from five midwestern states participated in the study, which was designed to approximate a "first use" level of calculators in schools. Pupils…

This technical report attempts to (1) provide information on issues and factors involved in analyzing extended degree costs; (2) provide brief explanation of how cost-related tools have been used in allocation of resources in similar degree programs; (3) indicate the types of information that are needed in making cost analysis of the extended…

Much has been said and written about the need for measuring accurately and improving the investment performance of college and university endowment funds, but little has been written about how colleges and universities should report on the status and performance of the investments of endowment funds. When guidelines for reporting are adopted, a…

The course was developed to instruct students in the use of mechanical and/or electronic printing calculators, electronic display calculators, and rotary calculators to solve special business problems with occupational proficiency. Included in the document are a list of performance objectives, a course content outline, suggested learning…

This study sought to evaluate a measure of dyscalculia to determine its validity and reliability. It also tested use of the instrument with seventh graders and ascertained where errors attributed to dyscalculia were also present in an average sample of seventh graders. Results varied. (MNS)