The construction of cognitive tests is largely based on a Thurstonian model of the structure of the intellect, with test content described in terms of loadings on broad constructs called factors. Knowledge of factorial content of a test does not necessarily correspond to knowledge of mental activities elicited by test performance. Modern cognitive…

Two important developments have occurred in the field of history education that have had important implications for elementary school teachers. First, our understanding of history as a discipline reflects a new understanding about the nature and purpose of history teaching. Second, we have a better understanding of the cognitive capacities of…

The cognitive learning theories of Bruner and Gagne and the developmental psychology of Piaget play a central role in the development of curriculum models and instructional strategies to better serve the needs of bilingual children or those whose native language is not English. Each theory has components that may be useful to certain stages in…

Examines issues in broad-based training in the context of transfer of training. Classical research findings on transfer are summarized and training policy implications are drawn. Transfer is reexamined relative to recent ideas in cognitive psychology, training methods to enhance transfer are suggested, and future research needs are addressed.…

This paper charts a cognitive history of the concepts of quantity and quality from three inter-related and inter-dependent perspectives of mathematics, logic, and physics. In so doing, other notions associated with the evolution of these concepts are identified and explicated. It is argued that the concepts of quantity and quality, considered in…

Examines the need for integrating assumptions about learning processes with the decisions typically made when designing instructional systems. The relationships between learning theory and instructional design are discussed, and suggestions offered for improving the design process. Extensive references are included. (Author/BK)

Provides references that relate mostly to educational constructivism and to articles that address epistemological and philosophical matters in science education. Topics include children's learning, cognitive development, curriculum development, classroom practices, and teacher education. Contains 109 references. (DDR)

This article selectively reviews cognitive research on computer programing and suggests how it could be used to open new avenues of research in the fields of teacher education and instructional supervision. (Author/IAH)

Argues that science students often perceive physical events, the nature of scientific knowledge, and the nature of learning processes in different ways from science teachers and scientists, and that science teachers need to account for these differences in planning their science teaching. Contains 40 references. (WRM)

Attempts to find connections and bridges between social constructivism and Piagetian constructivism so that both may be enriched, to the benefit of science teaching. (Contains 95 references.) (Author/WRM)

This paper recognizes current interest in "the practical," particularly in research on teaching, and it explores similarities or distinctions between underlying conceptions of the practical across several programs, research projects, and scholarly reflections on teaching. Following an introduction, the paper reviews three research…

A study of learning strategies in second language learning, of both English and other languages, presents a theory of the role learning strategies play and uses it to examine specific studies and to integrate research results. The research and theory described here are based on a cognitive information processing perspective of human thought and…

An overview of current theories of reading and the acquisition of literacy skills by children is presented. A research framework in which reading can be described in terms of the processes employed in other language uses is introduced and used to explain the failure of some children to learn to read. An ongoing research program is described that…

Basic research into the mechanisms and functions of the brain carried out in the past 25 years has provided evidence that humans do, indeed, experience two ways of knowing. More recent research has explored the nature of the apparent perceptual bias--or way of knowing--of each brain hemisphere, and this information, which has changed thinking…

Intended for elementary school language arts teachers, this paper outlines some recent work in the area of cognitive functioning and shows how this highlights the necessity for great care in fostering a child's language competence at two different stages: very early childhood and early to middle primary school. Following an introduction, the paper…