Two experiments investigated children's strategies for solving geometric matrices that were correctly or incorrectly completed and that varied in number of elements and number of transformations. Examining the relationship between working memory and item complexity, the first experiment tested 90 boys and girls of 7, 10, and 13 years of age for…

The writing done in a biology class has a great deal in common with the writing done in the humanities and the social sciences. Because the scientific method of investigation requires the student to examine and understand the physical world by asking questions and then answering them through empirical investigation, clear and concise writing is…

This paper is the third in an Education Commission of the States (ECS) series focusing on the problems of youth at risk of not successfully making the transition to adulthood. The topic of this paper is the use of both existing and new information to understand the magnitude, scope, and future of students who are educationally at risk. The first…

The relationship between teacher empowerment and the knowledge bases in teacher education is discussed. Assuming that students are not standardized and teaching is not routine, teachers must be capable of making judgments using learning theory and pedagogy, child development and cognition, curriculum and assessment. Teachers must know their…

Through individual interviews with remedial and precalculus university students, five characteristics of the student were identified that influence whether a diagram is used in solving a problem and whether its use is successful. The interviews also suggested a set of subskills that contribute to the overall ability to draw effective diagrams.…

Results of empirical research relating computer programming instruction and understanding of the concept of mathematical variables is unclear. While some studies have found a positive relationship, others have reported nonsignificant results. The purpose of this study was to investigate high school students' (n=36) understanding of the concept of…

Numerous reasons can be given for the low quality of teaching in the social studies. Teachers may be improperly certified, or they may teach to maintain employment rather than to do a good job. To teach peace studies courses requires the cream of the crop in terms of quality instruction. Teachers should be well above the minimum requirements for…

Numerous studies suggest that field experiences focus student attention on short-term survival strategies; they do not provide a systematic investigation of alternative theories of learning and instruction. Students attend to management techniques but do not develop a more reflective approach to instruction. If this is so, students at different…

Contributing to research delineating the cognitive processes of writers who are revising their own texts after feedback from members of their intended audience, a study (1) determined whether more able writers would be more responsive to their readers' feedback than would less able writers; and (2) verified results of a previous study indicating a…

This study examined the science process skill of prediction problem solving using naturalistic research methodology and information-processing theory. The think-aloud interview led to the identification of several specific program exploration and prediction behaviors. A total of 14 high school biology students made predictions concerning the…

Two groups of high risk students that deserve more attention from school reformists are: (1) disconnected youth who are alienated from basic American values, economic opportunities, and educational opportunities; and (2) semi-skilled students who are able to succeed in the basic programs assigned to them, but who cannot read, write, or solve…

A literature review is presented on four alternative models of delivering special services to learning-disabled students. The literature search was conducted to identify pedagogically sound, effective, and efficient program approaches as alternatives to resource room programs. The four models identified from a search of the Canadian, American, and…

Children's development of social problem-solving skills and the relationships of those skills to social adjustment were longitudinally investigated from kindergarten through fourth grade. Social problem-solving skills of 300 subjects from three suburban elementary schools in a middle class community in northern California were assessed each year…

Most physics problem-solving studies provide data that indicate problem representation is different between experts and novices. This paper presents "cognitive aids" guiding the process of elaboration of a problem representation through intermediate representations. Intermediate means that the representation is situated somewhere between…

This handbook provides General Educational Development (GED) teachers with information on critical thinking and teaching ideas to support a commitment to the idea of critical thinking as an essential tool for adult basic education (ABE) students. The importance of critical thinking skills for GED students is emphasized. Sample questions from the…