It was hypothesized that the acquisition of conservation behavior would be facilitated when stimuli were more concrete than abstract. Eighty white second graders were randomly assigned to four groups and presented with three conservation-of-weight problems. Clay balls and the conservation transformations were either shown, demonstrated, and…

The relationship between scores on three area conservation tasks and scores on two area measurement tasks, as affected by two sequences of presentation of Piagetian tasks to children in grades one through three, was investigated. The five area tasks were administered individually to 168 children ranging in age from six years five months to nine…

A Piagetian-based early childhood education program is compared with the Lavatelli program and the Weikart program. Interpretation and application of Piaget's theory are examined on a number of levels: conceptualization of curriculum objectives, methods of teaching, principles of teaching, and the role of the teacher. Lavatelli's program is…

First-grade students' understanding of several basic measurement processes was examined. Twenty randomly selected students from five first-grade classes in two different schools were individually examined on 11 measurement tasks. Seven of the tasks were adapted from items reported in the Gal'perin and Georgiev study, designed to test understanding…

The purpose was to test portions of Piaget's model for the development of operational conservation and measurement of length. A random selection of 102 second grade students from three different cities was used; one group had participated in the AAAS "Science - A Process Approach" science program in grades K-2, one group had received…

Examines which conservation type (identity or equivalence), if any, is attained at an earlier age. Findings support Piaget's position that identity and equivalence are concomitant developments. (CP)

This is a detailed review of studies of extinction of Piagetian concepts, stressing that interpretation of such research is complicated by methodological problems, some avoidable, some intrinsic to the extinction paradigm; and that this paradigm retains the potential for contributing important information about the nature of concrete-operational…

Describes two experiments on conservation of weight and volume based on Piaget's experiments. These experiments showed that some college students were unable to operate at the formal operations level. (PS)

Support for the contention that the empirical specification of the Piagetian concept of reversibility during training is not a requirement for conservation induction is presented in this experimental study. (Author/JKS)

Studies of the hierarchical attainment of conservation of physics concepts revealed significant differences with respect to age, sex, and grade level in a random sample of seventh and eighth grade students. Conservation of a quantity did not necessarily depend on the prior conservation of its constituent fundamental quantities. (MLH)

Preservice teachers administered Piagetian tasks to elementary students. On the whole data collected compared favorably with the findings of Renner (EJ 044 727) in showing that students achieved conservation of substance (liquids and solids), length, area, and weight at later ages than stated by Piaget. No significant sex differences were found.…

In a study, few subjects accepted empirical evidence of nonconservation of discontinuous quantity and weight. These findings were interpreted as support for the organismic-developmental claim that lower forms of reasoning are transformed into structurally more advanced forms. (Author/ED)

The present study was designed to explore the relationship between the theoretical models of cognitive development proposed by L. S. Vygotsky and J. Piaget. One hundred and four subjects aged four to sixteen years were selected. All subjects were in the average range of intelligence, were in the usual school grade for their age, and had no history…

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between the acquisition of conservation skills and achievement in mathematics. The conservation skills measured were numbered, mass, area and volume. Mathematics achievement was measured by the Computation, Concepts, Problem-Solving and Total Mathematics scores on the Metropolitan…