Examines the development and refinement of a classification system of family problem-solving interaction in families (N=38) with adolescents. Results indicate that family problem-solving interaction could be classified into one of four family locus of control: individualistic, collaborative, authoritarian, and external. Compares these four types…

Details an investigation concerned with the composition of a grape to illustrate how food and nutrition topics can drive inquiry-oriented science learning. Students design experiments that surround the development of a fictitious new beverage. (DDR)

Attempts to shed some light on the relationship between parents and mathematics teachers by examining the role that parents play in mathematics education reform at eight high schools and one laboratory school. (DDR)

Reports on the winning tool creations by 1,300 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students in the 1997 Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program. Students had to use mechanical and science process skills to design and build tools to meet their needs in solving a problem. The winning entry was a calibrated angle and depth scissors. (AIM)

Two experiments involving 67 elementary school and 439 high school students show that students present solutions to many unsolvable problems without showing realistic reactions. Results are discussed with respect to the quality of word problems in teaching mathematics, the culture of teaching and learning, and the issue of social rationality in…

The Observation Procedure for Technology Education Mental Processes, a computerized assessment tool, was based on duration and frequency of mental processes needed for problem solving. Videotapes of students completing problem-solving activities were used to identify the processes. Interrater reliability tests validated the program. (SK)

In engineering companies administered by standard procedures, role playing can develop and measure competences in junior managers. Describes a role-playing exercise that develops and assesses competence in communication skills used in problem solving. Outlines the simulation's aims, resources, scenario, exercise inputs and outputs, operation,…

Tested three models of children's mathematics word-problem solving based on developmental differences in quantitative conceptual structures: (1) quantitative relations represented as ordered array of mental objects; (2) numbers represented on two tentatively coordinated mental number lines; and (3) numerical operations represented as objects on…

This study compared two teachers' levels of implementation of the DISCOVER approach to gifted education and the resulting effects on number of students identified as gifted and on problem-solving behaviors. Significant relationships were found between level of implementation and positive changes in mathematics problem solving and numbers of…

A study investigated student use of a collection of self-directed anatomy learning modules designed to help students prepare for tutorial discussions of health care problems. The surveyed students (n=80) reported that module use depended on program level and premedical background in biology, not on tutor or preceptor requirements. Students who…

Examined relations between algebraic word-problem attributes and students' strategies, errors, and problem difficulty. Found that constructed responses capture strategy formulation and high-level planning--as do traditional measures of quantitative reasoning--but are more sensitive to individual problem characteristics and procedural errors that…

Describes the educational programs at the Argonne National Laboratory that contribute to the development of a technically trained and diverse national workforce. Discusses precollege and college/university programs. (JRH)

Investigated relation between development of understanding principles that govern a problem and of mathematical strategies used to solve it. Subjects were college students and 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th graders. The pattern of estimated answers provided a measure of intuitive understanding of task principles. Understanding an intuitive principle was…

Describes a study that compares the performance of introductory physics students on two examination problems. One problem is qualitative and similar to those used in an inquiry approach. The second problem is a typical quantitative problem. Those students enrolled in the inquiry-based introductory course performed significantly better than those…

Presents a project that explored student choice of a solution method for quadratic inequalities. Students were first instructed in the use of the case, critical-number, and graphical methods using the graphing calculator. The majority of students chose graphical methods of solution. (DDR)