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Discusses a study which compared differences in ratio construction made by high school freshman and junior students. Reports that more freshmen than juniors selected solutions involving one variable, whereas juniors chose solutions that coordinated two variables in a mathematical or verbal rule. Reviews implications in problem solving and concept formation tasks. (ML)

The article discusses the logical operations of Jean Piaget in science instruction that may enhance the learning and comprehension of science concept among children. The study reveals that achievement on cognitive tasks using these logical operations can be helped by the use of programmed instruction techniques. It also presents various levels of intellectual development in understanding the sets of logical operations including the sensory-motor stage, the pre-operational stage and the concrete operations stage. It suggests that knowing the concept starts when information processed using logical operations. The study shows that additional exercise of the abilities in understanding the content is beneficial and the child's interests in the content achievement needs stimulation and focus.

The article discusses the study on the effects of a process-oriented elementary school science program on the achievement of a test of Piaget's operative comprehension. It was participated by sixth and eighth grade pupils from six parochial elementary schools that are using the Science-A-Process Approach program in Erie County, New York. After thorough analysis and calculations, the result shows that eighth grade students in the process-oriented program attain higher scores on operative comprehension items than eighth grade students in a more traditional science program. Hence, it suggests that the design of school science texts incorporate Piaget's process of operative comprehension with the use of concrete referents.

The article discusses the relative physics achievement at three levels of cognitive complexity between Thai and American 10 and 13 year old children. An assessment of the cognitive comprehension level of a concept allows the prediction of what content achievement capabilities the student is capable of attaining in a series of related concepts. The comprehension of a concept at the compensatory level may be sufficient for general scientific literacy purposes. The pictorial test used in the study is called Test of Elementary Physical Science Cognitive Structure (TEPSCS). Older children of both cultures performed better than did the younger children at all logical complexity levels.

The article discusses a study aimed at determining the effects of an exploratory teaching program on the development of attitudes toward teaching and related educational concepts. Eleven concepts were chosen to be tested including individualized learning, being a science teacher, teaching secondary students, interaction with individual students, content-oriented approach to teaching science, classroom management and record keeping, science teaching materials, teaching elementary student, process-oriented approach to teaching science, importance of discipline and exploratory teaching. Ten pairs of polar adjectives determined the evaluative concepts. It is evident that the exploratory teaching program had a positive effect on the prospective teachers.

The article provides a historical analysis of the development of concepts and bodies of knowledge. The historical development of the concept of motion illustrates that there is a hierarchal progression in the development of complex concepts. This progression contains the following two dimensions. The first dimension is concerned with the progressive step-by-step dependency of one concept on another concept. The second dimension of the progression pertains to the increasing degree of complexity in the arrangement or ordering of the concept.

The article comments on the philosophical basis for selecting science curriculum content. The formation of a curriculum must take into account the statement of educational objectives, theories about the structure of knowledge, the nature of the learning process and the methods appropriate to them. The central ideas of a science and the relationships among these ideas make up the structure of the discipline. The requirement of logical fertility demands that the concept must be capable of being manipulated according to the laws of logic. The web of concepts and connections must fit into some kind of coherent pattern. The final structure depends on the ability of the students to make the observations needed to connect the concepts with reality and their ability to comprehend and construct the connections among concepts.