Challenged by a National Science Foundation-funded conference, 2020 Vision: The Next Generation of STEM Learning Research, in which participants were asked to recognize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning as lifelong, life-wide, and life-deep, we draw upon 20 years of research across the lifespan to propose a new way…

This study investigated the representations of a select group of scientists (n = 10) in a sample of Canadian high school and college textbooks. Drawing on semiotic and cultural-historical activity theoretical frameworks, we conducted two analyses. A coarse-grained, quantitative analysis of the prevalence and structure of these representations…

Investigated were the effects of interactive computer-generated homework on unit tests, a final examination, and a comprehensive test given near the end of a Physical Science I course. The results indicated that the use of the homework reduced the effectiveness of the American College Test scores as a predictor of course achievement. (YP)

Over the past several years, an increasing number of educators have come to believe that teaching should acknowledge the transactional nature of knowledge and suggest that a shift be made to focus on social practice, meaning, and patterns. This style of teaching proposes that it is important to permit students to construct knowledge meaningfully…

Examines the relationship of the amount of available short-term memory with the complexity of tasks the subjects mastered. Presents some hints for a better design of instruction. (YP)

Examined is the predictive value of the cognitive variables of developmental level, mental capacity, cognitive style, short-term storage space, and numerical inductive reasoning for student achievement in college science. Included is a strategy for the development of materials which would allow students to develop problem-solving skills. (KR)

Describes a study of factors in the development of reasoning on the balance beam (n=34 nonscience majors in a Physical Science class). From this study and others, the author developed a model of problem solving and problem-solving behaviors. The implications of this model for instruction are discussed. (PR)

The present study was designed to test how well the measures of the cognitive constructs of M-space, cognitive style, and short-term storage space (STSS) could predict the amount of practice needed to induce successful problem solving behaviors, the ability to transfer behaviors to different contexts, and the readiness to abandon unsuccessful…