This document contains 53 plenary and contributed papers presented at the eighth Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME) meeting. Two plenary addresses focused on mathematics research in Australia and Japan, and problem solving and symbolism. Contributed papers were classified under 13 headings including: teaching and learning theory; cognition;…

A study investigated the effectiveness of self-instructional strategies in enhancing the word recognition skills of learning disabled elementary school children. Subjects were 30 students in learning disabilities resource rooms whose word recognition skills were at least one year below expectancy, as measured by a standardized reading test, and…

This paper examines 10 principles of learning and suggests ways in which vocational education teachers may apply them in their classrooms. The following principles are discussed: reductionism, the law of effect, imitation and observational learning, classroom management without punishment, shaping, the law of primacy, token rewards, the law of…

The effects of instruction in critical thinking are investigated, using instructional materials based on a theoretical model of critical thinking. The model emphasized the role of concepts and processes in responding to instances of valid and invalid reasoning, argument, and evidence. Instruction focused on eight cognitive operations:…

This essay considers three areas in Spanish grammar that generally cause difficulty to English-speaking learners: the use of "ser" and "estar," the difference in use between the preterite and imperfect tenses, and the use of the subjunctive. Like most problematic grammatical elements in any language, these points are difficult for non-native…

The amount of time that should be spent on explicit teaching of language patterns and structure is an issue among second language teachers. Those who believe that language learning is a developmental process feel that there is no sense in teaching grammar and syntax explicitly since the learner can be expected to acquire these skills as he…

Physical activities, games, teaching methods, sports, and other topics concerning the physical education of students from kindergarten to eighth grade are discussed in this collection of 33 papers. (CJ)

Presented is a report on a course for undergraduate students which is designed to increase their intellectual abilities early in their college careers. The report gives the characteristics of concrete thought and formal reasoning, followed by an explanation of the process involved in data collecting and the data itself. The authors suggest that…

This publication contains eight papers, selected from papers presented at the Bicentennial Conference on Early Childhood Education, that discuss different aspects of teaching practices. The first two chapters reexamine basic assumptions underlying the organization of curriculum experiences for young children. Chapter 3 discusses the need to…

Originally presented at a symposium on cognition and written language, the 14 papers in this collection discuss research findings regarding reading and writing processes, ways that the development of effective reading and writing can be abetted by instruction, and research needs in the area of cognition and written language. The papers focus on…

The study analyzed teacher-pupil interaction in the classes of nine experimental (E) and eight control (C) teachers and their 167 mentally retarded pupils (mean age = 10.2, mean IQ = 68.76) The E-teachers were given 32 training sessions in an experimental curriculum and the inductive teaching method. Classes were tape recorded for 1 day. Analysis…

This is a description of an instructional method called Counseling-Learning or Counselearning, which combines principles of learning theory with counseling attitudes and techniques. This method can be applied to any learning situation, and when applied to second language learning it is called Community Language Learning. The method is predicated…

Two papers on teaching methods are presented. The first concerns an experiment that tested the relative effectiveness of three teaching methods: an uninterrupted lecture, a tape-recording, and reading a prescribed text. The three-way research design used the three teaching methods, three groups of six student teachers of physical medicine between…

In general, the lower-class student has been considered scholastically inferior to the child of middle-class origins. More specifically, such a child has frequently been explicitly or implicitly denied the benefits of a foreign language learning experience on the basis of his/her inability to cope with the difficulty level assumed to be inherent…

This study investigates the cognitive nature of teacher-pupil questions in "process oriented" and "content oriented" secondary social studies programs. Subjects were five classes selected from a program viewed by both teachers and pupils as process-oriented; five from a program viewed by both teachers and pupils as content…