A study of 88 students in a problem-based surgery clerkship found significant gain in knowledge level, found to be linked to improved clinical performance. Additional findings included peers were good judges of students' knowledge and skills; faculty were not good judges of changes in student skills or ability to apply them. (MSE)

Cognitive and metacognitive demands of initial information gathering for elementary school research assignments were studied for 23 6th graders during think-aloud/concurrent interviews. Results support the view that information retrieval and use in libraries is a problem solving task requiring flexible application of various forms of knowledge.…

A new approach to introductory accounting at the University of Southern California teaches students to view issues from varied perspectives, broadens exposure to unstructured problems with more than one solution approach, and places accounting in real-world context. It has increased enrollment and persistence and attracted new students to the…

Advice for stretching the capacity of the small college public relations office includes planning well; using strategy; searching out creative ideas; choosing quality over quantity in press releases; using student and volunteer workers; developing strong media relations; accepting advice; and anticipating problems. (MSE)

Describes a study investigating the effects of instruction in probability theory on student abilities to estimate probability and solve common problems. Reports no effects. Indicates that certain psychological approaches for solving probability are common in diverse groups and are resistant to change even under formal instruction. (MAB)

Analyzed students' reasoning with fractions. Found that skilled students applied strategies specifically tailored to restricted classes of fractions and produced reliable solutions with a minimum of computation effort. Results suggest that competent reasoning depends on a knowledge base that includes numerically specific and invented strategies,…

Analysis of Anglo or Hispanic ninth-graders' (n=244) reports on coping strategies showed that females engaged in social relationships and creating change, either in actual or cognitive terms, more frequently than males. Boys tended to rely on stress reduction activities or diversions. Ethnicity tactics were also noted. (RJM)

Presents seven activity structures for Internet-based problem solving projects to aid teachers in designing effective educational telecomputing experiences that can be curriculum-based and adapted to learning needs and preferences of students. These projects include information searches; electronic process writing; sequential creations; parallel…

Describes an instructional framework for teaching advanced cognitive skills in postsecondary education, highlighting specific teaching strategies that community and technical college educators may use to encourage critical thinking among students. Includes a description of content, teaching methodologies, and sequence of student development.…

Interviewers asked (n=10) 6th- and (n=10) 10th-grade students to solve nonroutine number problems. Task analysis of perseverers, those students who continued after reaching "dead-ends," found that students who were ultimately successful were more inclined to be flexible in their strategies. (28 references) (MKR)

Reports on how a school-university partnership used Virginia's Public Education Network to help third graders learn about metamorphosis in insects and the scientific method of experimentation, observation, and data collection. (MKR)

Argues that expanding the policy infrastructure for resolving family-related disputes provides potential advantages at both the micro- and macrosystemic levels. Mediation, as a collaborative model, has proven effective in resolving family conflicts. Recommends that policies incorporate mediation into family-related disputes and into the…

Investigated the power strategies used to resolve conflict by two groups of black South African children. Showed that the use of power strategies was highly influenced by the children's sociometric status: popular children chose more bilateral strategies, while rejected children favored unilateral power strategies. Gender is an important predictor…

Observed behaviors of 37 female and 23 male Australian preschoolers. Found that only 20% engaged in thematic pretend play (linked to perspective taking, language development, impulse control, divergent problem solving) whereas 24% used cooperative social play (linked to divergent problem solving). Results suggest need for assistance in the…

Proposes analogy as the central mechanism of knowledge acquisition in formal domains. Discusses experimental data on preschoolers' knowledge of one-to-one correspondence and college students' understanding of force decomposition. Suggests that a knowledge base domain is a thematically organized knowledge structure and that thematic relations in a…