Different concepts of the terms problem, problem solving, and social problem have created philosophical confusion in the social studies movement. The three approaches in social studies history--social science, citizenship transmission, and reflective inquiry--exemplify the incompatibility of the terms. A brief examination of the history of social…

This paper explores research on problem solving and suggests a problem-solving approach to elementary school social studies, using a culture study of the ancient Egyptians and King Tut as a sample unit. The premise is that problem solving is particularly effective in dealing with problems which do not have one simple and correct answer but rather…

Thirteen research reports related to mathematics education are abstracted and critiqued in this publication. The topics of the research include counting, addition, subtraction, ratio, proportion, geometry, problem solving, and teaching strategies. Also included is an editorial comment by T. Kieren on mathematics education research. Research…

Recent studies have shown perceptual instability to be related to visual creativity as reflected in career choice. In general, those who display greater perceptual instability perceive themselves to be more creative and tend to choose careers related to visual creativity, regardless of their gender. To test the hypothesis that field independents…

Presented is a collection of materials developed and used with teachers in western Kentucky in workshops on the teaching of basic skills. The material is particularly concerned with methods teachers can use to provide motivation for students to learn and enjoy mathematics. Included are activities for problem solving, graphing, addition,…

An exploratory study was undertaken to provide a means of quantifying some of the components of the problem solving process. The focus was on actual problem solving behaviors and strategies as they occurred in relation to different cognitive tasks and subject characteristics. Cognitive tasks included items from Wechsler and Binet intelligence…

A collaborative project in a college freshman technical writing class produced multiple benefits to those involved. The project, designed to be an experiential and investigatory writing assignment rather than a perfunctory one, challenged students to identify a campus problem regarding enrollment procedures and to work through the problem-solving…

This paper is an account of the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the Decision-Proposal Modification Coding System (DPM), which allows researchers to study more accurately the many aspects of group decision making in organizations. Following an introduction that reviews and supports arguments for process-oriented research on decision…

Kindergarten children were exposed to a behavior modification training activity involving perceptual scanning, which was designed to increase the field-independent mode of perception. The training was evaluated, based upon a group of 18 experimental subjects and a control group of 17 children. Subjects in the training group were individually…

To ascertain if children's use of manipulatives and/or the teacher's presentation of the problem in parts (chunking) affect children's ability to model and/or solve addition and/or subtraction problems, 146 first-grade subjects were administered the Houston Addition and Subtraction Problem-Solving Test which provided accuracy and modeling scores…

This brief report describes an exploratory pilot project in which sixth-grade students used hand-held calculators throughout the school year. The report includes guidelines on the purchase and use of calculators as well as advice on gaining community support for such a project. Issues related to classroom management are discussed; in particular,…

The basic problems faced by those implementing a project of assessing school needs and initiating change are discussed. An example of a teacher corps project funded for such an endeavor is summarized. How the initial problems of assessing needs to determine project goals and establishing a credible change relationship with school personnel were…

Behavioral and perceptual differences among maritally distressed and nondistressed husbands and wives were investigated. Distressed couples beginning marital therapy and nondistressed couples solicited through community newspapers comprised the criterion groups which were matched for major demographic variables. Couples first enacted and then…

This paper proposes viewing students as full-fledged organizational members who participate in school planning, problem-solving, and decision-making about school curriculum, grading policies, teacher evaluation procedures, budget, and the like. Three tested strategies are described that help students increase their understanding of how the school…

This paper is a distillation of research findings on clinical problem-solving over the past decade. These findings are summarized by means of three basic concepts which describe a rudimentary theory of clinical problem-solving performance and instruction: (1) the principle of case simulation--valid clinical problem-solving behavior can be induced…