Critical or creative thinking is simply thinking of a higher order by persons informed by fact and logic, insight and empathy. It is necessary for problem solving, invention, and achievement. Every child has the ability to be a thinker. Thinking is an act and, as such, improves with practice. The curriculum and the teacher can help student…

This study was designed to investigate whether the implementation and integration of the use of the Explorer Calculator into the curriculum influenced students in grades three through six. The sample consisted of approximately 440 students who were assigned to the treatment group or the control group. Achievement scores from the Iowa Test of Basic…

The pedagogical strategies of human tutors in problem solving domains are described and the possibility of incorporating these techniques into computerized tutors is examined. GIL (Graphical Instruction in LISP), an intelligent tutoring system for LISP programming, is compared to human tutors teaching the same material in order to identify how the…

This paper examined a problem-solving partnership where both partners actively participated and where there were conflicting points of view. After several weeks of observation of an entire fifth grade class working in small groups, a dyad of two boys was selected for closer examination. Nonroutine mathematics problems were used as tasks. A…

These units were developed during the summer of 1987 as one component of a project on "Integrating Problem Solving Into Mathematics Teaching." Each unit has the objective of developing students' thinking abilities in mathematics. These units have been revised subsequent to field try-outs prior to dissemination. The summaries of 56 different…

The effectiveness of specfic dimensions of adult mediation on preschoolers' self-regulation of a model-consultation strategy was evaluated in a microcomputer-based problem-solving task. Two trained tutors taught 61 children who were pretested and randomly assigned to one of four treatments devised to test two factors of mediation: access and…

Two adults (ages 37 and 57) with severe mental retardation in a supported employment setting (a janatorial supply company) were taught to use self-instruction in combination with multiple exemplar training to solve work-related problems. The combined strategy resulted in generalization to nontrained problems.The use of the strategy to promote…

This paper presents the Hypothesis Testing Theory/Model and the Information Processing Model developed by M. Parrill-Bernstein in relation to the field of behavior disorders. The models provide a framework for (1) studying both problem solving skills and social behavior and (2) developing intervention programs for behavior disordered adolescents.…

The purpose of this study--which was a part of the Flexible Learning Environment project at the University School of Nova University in Florida--was to determine if there was a difference in learning to solve mathematics word problems between groups using computer assisted instruction and groups taught by teachers. Fifth-grade students (N=31) were…

Fifty-five college students participated in a study investigating the effect of field dependence and time limitations on the solution of mathematics word problems and visual interpretation problems. Field-independent (n=25) and field-dependent (n=30) subjects represented the upper and lower thirds on the Hidden Figures Test. Field-independent…

The present structure of the multi-disciplinary team in crisis centers for adolescents lacks training for youth workers in the decision-making process. This report discusses the development of a youth worker position on a multi-disciplinary team in a short-term residential crisis center for adolescents. Three youth workers, for a period of 3.5…

Some ideas are presented about the ways in which the three domains of metacognition, affective factors, and beliefs influence the cognitive activities of seventh graders as they solve mathematics problems. The research project, initiated in 1981, is first described. Theoretical considerations are then discussed, with sections on affects, beliefs,…

Over the past few years a substantial body of research has yielded evidence that the semantic structure of elementary arithmetic word problems influences children's strategies to solve them. The study reported in this document considered three other task characteristics in addition to semantic structure: (1) the order of presentation of the two…

This bibliography identifies reports of research on correlates, causes, effects, and treatment of test anxiety. The listing was developed for a synthesis of research, performed by meta-analysis at Adrian College, Michigan in 1986-87. Guidelines for including studies were applied as follows: (1) the research concerned academic test anxiety, using…

Performance on standardized figural analogy tests is considered highly predictive of academic success. While information-processing models of analogy solution attribute performance differences to quantitative differences in processing parameters, the problem-solving literature suggests that qualitative differences in problem representation and…