These background papers are written to provide information for the teacher on technical problems that might arise as students carry on various USMES investigations. Background papers are also written which include information about the types of investigations which may provide good opportunities for learning in specific areas. This set includes…

This report summarizes the theoretic background, rationale, and development of 14 simulated cases useful in comparing the problem-solving behaviors of clinicians as they diagnose the same case under the same conditions and in supplementing field experiences in teacher preparation programs. The first section of the report presents a theoretic…

An examination of the impact that process instructions have on jury deliberations was conducted using ten juries of six members each. Five of the juries were given standard jury instructions, while the remaining five were given step-by-step instructions in the deliberation process designed especially for that trial. The results indicated that…

This bulletin for kindergarten teachers comprises five papers about the use and value of play in the kindergarten curriculum. Topics discussed include the values of various pieces of indoor and outdoor play equipment commonly found in the kindergarten; the nature of young children and their learning; the definition of play; the teacher's role as…

The inservice teacher education course described is intended for the use of elementary and junior high school teachers, both preservice and inservice, who wish to update teaching of social studies. The contents of the modules are outlined. Activities and resources involved in use of the modules are described, and ordering information is provided.…

Different groups of college students wrote one solution or many solutions to problems, like the plot-title problem, of verbal, numerical, and pictorial material. Instructions to write many solutions yielded solutions of lower mean quality, but more superior solutions. Information about criteria for good solutions raised quality. Large quantity was…

THIS PAPER INVESTIGATES VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR SOLVING EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS--(1) THE SYSTEMS CONCEPT, (2) THE RELIABILITY OF THE ASSUMPTIONS ON WHICH THE SYSTEMS APPROACH IS BASED, (3) THE LIMITATIONS INHERENT IN THE SYSTEMS APPROACH, (4) THE HUMAN ELEMENT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SYSTEMS APPROACH, (5) THE WAYS THE…

This report describes an amendment to a simulation program for the training of practicing and prospective educational administrators. The amendment was designed to operationalize and test game theory formats that provide students with feedback on decisions made in the gamed simulations. Game theory instruments used in the amendment are described…

An experiment was conducted to determine which of three modes of instruction controlling the "density" of simulation training was most effective in terms of transfer and most efficient in terms of the learning rate of preservice teachers. Four goals of the classroom simulation were identified and practiced in three training modes: (1)…

This report contains a summary of research done at Alfred P. Sloan School of Management to study the information requirements associated with research and development activity under the headings: parallel projects, laboratory communication networks, characteristic costs of information channels, and interorganizational transfer of information.…

Planned Experiences for Effective Relating (PEER), a 10-session audio-tape program for self-directed personal growth groups, was tested with two experimental populations, county labor camp inmates and university students. There were approximately eight persons in each group. Participants conducted their own sessions, using the PEER Program tapes…

Sensing a need for change in the dentistry curriculum, faculty members from the School of Dentistry of the University of Louisville met with educational and psychological consultants with the purpose of updating the present didactic and organizational program. A Discrepancy Analysis System (DAS), also called Cognitive Dissonance, was chosen to…

This study examines the extent to which modeling facilitates transformational problem solving in mathematics for children in kindergarten and first grade. Subjects were 20 children selected from each level. They responded to two problems for each of four problem types (counting on, story problems, quantitative comparisons, and ordination) under…

The concepts of cognitive development and objectivity are explored preparatory to a discussion of a suitable theory of development to be used as the foundation for developmentally-based standardized tests. It is hypothesized that Piagetian theory is the most appropriate basis for such tests and two possible approaches for constructing…

This paper, the first in a series of five on the current state of citizen education, focuses on citizen participation in decision making. After a brief introduction to citizen participation, the authors discuss the involvement of citizens in decision making viewed as a problem-solving process. The five problem-solving steps covered are: define the…