PIAGET'S THEORETICAL FORMULATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSERVATION OF CONTINUOUS QUANTITY WAS EXAMINED. CONTROL SUBJECTS IN EACH OF TWO AGE GROUPS (5 AND 6 YEARS) WERE GIVEN A COMPLEX TASK SITUATION THAT IS TYPICAL OF PIAGET'S WORK. THESE SUBJECTS WERE ALSO GIVEN ANOTHER TASK, A MEASURE OF CONSERVATION OF QUANTITY THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF PIAGET'S THEORETICAL FORMULATION. EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS IN EACH OF THE 5- AND 6-YEAR GROUPS RECEIVED A LEARNING EXPERIENCE WHICH FOCUSED ON LOGICAL PERMANENCE PRIOR TO THEIR TAKING THE SAME INITIAL TASK TAKEN BY THE CONTROL GROUP. THE RESULTS WERE THAT CHILDREN 5 AND 6 YEARS OF AGE CONSERVE QUANTITY WHEN GIVEN THE PROPER EXPERIENCE AND THAT THEY SHOW STABILITY ACROSS TIME IN THEIR CONSERVING, THEREBY INDICATING THAT THE OPERATION IS MEANINGFUL TO THEM. THE FINDINGS, WHICH SUPPLY A CORRECTIVE TO PIAGET'S THEORY, HAVE WIDESPREAD EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS SINCE THEY SHOW THAT CHILDREN IN THE KINDERGARTEN, WITH SKILLFUL GUIDANCE, WORK WITH QUANTITY AS A MEANINGFUL CONCEPT. (GD)