The concept of fractions is perceived as one of the most difficult areas in school mathematics to learn and teach. The most frequently mentioned factors contributing to the complexity is fractions having five interrelated constructs: part-whole, ratio, operator, quotient, and measure. In this study, we used this framework to investigate the…

In many Western countries, there has been an emphasis on ways in which to support teachers to shift practice from traditional mathematics instruction to inquiry-based classrooms. As a form of professional learning and development, lesson study offers the potential for teachers to develop their ability to respond to students' thinking through…

We encounter ratios on a daily basis. They also play an important role as a basic construct of thinking in many areas of school mathematics. For example, a fraction can be interpreted as the ratio of a part to the respective whole. Many children appear to have difficulties with fractions and although the concept of ratios is crucial for this…

The dimensionality of original thinking in gifted children was investigated using measures designed to control for the ideational fluency/originality confounding and for task ambiguity in 315 gifted fourth to sixth graders. Ss were instructed to give only one response on each originality task rather than to give as many as possible and were…

The study is described which compared school-related self-perceptions of ability of 29 gifted and 71 average-achieving intermediate students over a 2-year period. The Student's Perception of Ability Scale was administered at the beginning and end of grade 6 and at the end of grade 7. The scale contains six subscales: perception of general ability,…

Canonical correlation analysis is the most general linear model subsuming all other univariate and multivariate cases (N. Kerlinger & E. Pedhazur, 1973; B. Thompson, 1985, 1991). Because "reality" is a complex place, a multivariate analysis such as canonical correlation analysis is demanded to match the research design. The purpose…

The effects of a 14 week creativity training program (the Purdue Creative Thinking Program) on the creativity in written expression of 25 learning disabled (LD) students (11 to 12 years old) was measured. The program consisted of 28 audio tapes and printed exercises designed to foster divergent thinking in areas of verbal and figural fluency,…

The Alice/Collaborative Inquiry Testbed ("Alice Testbed") is one of four testbeds designed to demonstrate the educational potential of telecommunications. Their long term goal is to establish the effectiveness of Network Science and to develop key aspects of the technical, human, and conceptual infrastructure necessary to scale up…

The report describes accomplishments of a program designed to promote abilities of 75 potentially gifted culturally different students in grades 3-4. Student selection procedures included the Basic Structure of Intellect (SOI) Learning Abilities Test and teacher interviews. The curriculum emphasized SOI materials and cultural arts. Detailed data…

An experiment involving 30 sixth graders with learning disabilities in mathematics tested the hypothesis that participation in goal setting enhances achievement outcomes. Ss received subtraction training that included instruction and practice opportunities over several sessions. Some Ss set proximal performance goals each session, others had goals…

To investigate how behavioral disordered (BD) children conceptualize moral, conventional, and personal issues, 20 BD and 22 normal fourth graders were asked to respond to a set of cartoon strips in which actions were depicted that violated either an explicitly stated rule or generally held cultural expectation. Ss were asked to rank the acts from…

The paper describes procedures designed to increase active academic responding in reading by intermediate level learning disabled students in an inner city school. The study investigated a home tutoring program applied by parents and teachers. The program increased the amount of reading time for selected students while providing parents with a…

This paper illustrates the value of applying the law of parsimony to canonical correlation analysis solutions. The primary purpose of parsimony is that the more parsimonious the solution, the more replicable the model will be. The ultimate goal is to estimate an equal or reasonable amount of variance with the smallest variable set possible. A…

Even though we live in an age of advancing technology and changing structure of science, especially in genetics engineering, there appears to be a great lack of understanding of these basic concepts by society in general. Society carries responsibilities to both living and non-living things; this lack of understanding may result in combined…

This study examined the theory asserting that partitioning a unit is basic in developing understanding of the different rational number constructs. A fraction sequence was developed in which early experiences with partitioning units were provided. An alternative fraction sequence was designed to include initial activities with pattern blocks in…