Your search found 12217 results.

Descriptors:
Stimuli; Conditioning; Concept Formation; Pictorial Stimuli; Transfer of Training; Comparative Analysis; Role; Learning Processes

Abstract:
The present two studies investigated whether semantic as well as evaluative stimulus aspects can be conditioned to neutral stimuli. In Study 1, pictures of large and small objects were paired with neutral stimuli (conditioned stimuli (CSs)). The subsequently assessed size and likeability ratings indicated that valence as well as size was transferred to the CSs. CSs paired with pictures showing large objects were judged as larger and more positive compared to CSs paired with pictures of small objects. Interestingly, however, concept conditioning did not depend on valence transfer, whereas the EC effect was driven by concept conditioning. This pattern was replicated in a second study in which the concept of softness was used as the to-be-conditioned concept. (Contains 4 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Geometric Concepts; Elementary School Mathematics; Misconceptions; Elementary School Students; Grade 3; Grade 4; Concept Formation; Mathematics Instruction; Comparative Analysis

Abstract:
This paper reports classroom research dealing with the difficulties encountered by schoolchildren in the acquisition of angle concept. Two obstacles were pointed out in previous studies: the side-length obstacle and the salience of the prototypical right angle. The first aim of the present study is to determine the extent to which a teaching sequence based on a concrete situation in the meso-space can enable pupils to progress in their conceptualization of angles. This problem situation is based on the notion of visual field. The angle appears in real space between two infinite directions that correspond to two lines of sight. The specificity of this situation is to confront pupils with an angle between two infinite directions in space. The second goal of this research is to study the links between the two obstacles. To answer these research questions, we compared two versions of the teaching sequence, one dynamic (the angle varies) and one static (the angle does not vary) in 3rd and 4th grade classes. The unfolding of the sequence was analyzed and pupils were tested individually before and after the sequence. They were requested to draw angles and angle variations. The results showed that (1) the sequence helped the pupils progress (2) the obstacle of side-length is not the only difficulty faced by pupils; the salience of the prototypical right angle constitutes a real learning obstacle and (3) the type of angle produced and the ability to change its size are linked. In conclusion, the implications for teaching are presented. (Contains 7 tables and 8 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Semantics; Professional Development; Educational Research; Linguistic Theory; Teaching Methods; Biology; History; Discourse Analysis; Lesson Plans; Secondary Education; Concept Formation

Abstract:
The paper begins by arguing that knowledge-blindness in educational research represents a serious obstacle to understanding knowledge-building. It then offers sociological concepts from Legitimation Code Theory--"semantic gravity" and "semantic density"--that systematically conceptualize one set of organizing principles underlying knowledge practices. Brought together as "semantic profiles", these allow changes in the context-dependence and condensation of meaning of knowledge practices to be traced over time. These concepts are used to analyze passages of classroom practice from secondary school lessons in Biology and History. The analysis suggests that "semantic waves", where knowledge is transformed between relatively decontextualized, condensed meanings and context-dependent, simplified meanings, offer a means of enabling cumulative classroom practice. How these concepts are being widely used to explore organizing principles of diverse practices in education and beyond is discussed, revealing the widespread, complex and suggestive nature of "semantic waves" and their implications for cumulative knowledge-building. (Contains 9 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Ecology; High School Students; Biology; Quasiexperimental Design; Long Term Memory; Foreign Countries; Outdoor Education; Mathematics Instruction; Interviews; Essay Tests; Concept Formation; Scientific Concepts; Classification; Neurosciences

Abstract:
This research suggests that learning biology in an outdoor environment has a positive cognitive and affective impact on 13-15-year-old, Swedish high school pupils. Eighty-five pupils in four classes participated in a quasi-experimental design. Half the pupils, taking a biology course in ecology or diversity of life, had several lessons outdoors and the other half were taught indoors. All of the classes, but one, also had mathematics lessons outdoors once a week. Twenty-one pupils were interviewed five months after the course and all were positive towards the new learning environment they had experienced outdoors in biology and/or mathematics. They also valued the higher degree of interaction among the pupils. Other findings from the interviews were that the pupils from the outdoor classes showed a higher degree of long-term knowledge retention. They remembered both activities and contents better than the pupils in the indoor classes. An essay-type question assessing their biological understanding qualitatively according to the Structure of Observed Learning Outcome taxonomy revealed no differences between the groups. The results are discussed in the light of neurocognitive models of long-term memory. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Abstract Reasoning; Chemistry; Figurative Language; Cognitive Processes; Scientific Concepts; Problem Solving; Intuition; Science Instruction; Teaching Methods; Graduate Students; Doctoral Programs; College Science; Thermodynamics; Concept Formation; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
A growing body of research has examined the experiential grounding of scientific thought and the role of experiential intuitive knowledge in science learning. Meanwhile, research in cognitive linguistics has identified many "conceptual metaphors" (CMs), metaphorical mappings between abstract concepts and experiential source domains, implicit in everyday and scientific language. However, the contributions of CMs to scientific understanding and reasoning are still not clear. This study explores the roles that CMs play in scientific problem-solving through a detailed analysis of two physical chemistry PhD students solving problems on entropy. We report evidence in support of three claims: a range of CMs are used in problem-solving enabling flexible, experiential construals of abstract scientific concepts; CMs are coordinated with one another and other resources supporting the alignment of qualitative and quantitative reasoning; use of CMs grounds abstract reasoning in a "narrative" discourse incorporating conceptions of paths, agents, and movement. We conclude that CMs should be added to the set of intuitive resources others have suggested contribute to expertise in science. This proposal is consistent with two assumptions: that cognition is embodied and that internal cognitive structures and processes interact with semiotic systems. The implications of the findings for learning and instruction are discussed. (Contains 1 table, 6 figures and 9 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Preservice Teachers; Ability; Recognition (Psychology); Knowledge Base for Teaching; Children; Concept Formation; Mathematical Concepts; Mathematics Instruction; Intervention; Misconceptions; Preservice Teacher Education

Abstract:
This study examined prospective teachers' (PSTs) ability to recognize evidence of children's conceptual understanding of mathematics in three content areas before and after an instructional intervention designed to support this ability. It also investigates the role PSTs' content knowledge plays in their ability to recognize children's mathematical understanding. Results of content knowledge assessments administered at the beginning of the study revealed that content knowledge did seem to support PSTs' analyses of children's understanding when the child's response demonstrated understanding or demonstrated a misconception. Content knowledge did not seem to support PSTs' analyses of children's procedural responses, as many PSTs with good content knowledge initially characterized procedural solutions as evidence of conceptual understanding. Similarly, content knowledge did not seem to support PSTs' analyses of children's responses with features commonly associated with understanding but not evidence of understanding. After the instructional intervention consisting of three multifaceted lessons in which PSTs examined many examples of student thinking, they showed improved ability to analyze responses with conceptual features and no evidence of conceptual understanding and responses demonstrating procedural knowledge. Results suggest that content knowledge is not sufficient for supporting PSTs' analysis of children's thinking, and that building activities such as the intervention into content courses may help develop this ability. Implications for teacher education programs and future research are considered. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Geometric Concepts; Mathematics Instruction; Secondary School Mathematics; Middle Schools; Comprehension; Concept Formation; Interviews; Early Adolescents; Mathematical Logic; Numeracy; Visual Perception; Urban Schools

Abstract:
The mathematical idea of similarity is typically taught to students across the middle school years between ages 11 and 14. In this study, students' understanding of presimilarity is examined based on a set of clinical interviews of 21 students aged 12-13 years. Students were asked to scale a series of geometric figures and were found to use a variety of strategies including some that incorporated both geometric and numeric reasoning. Tasks were developed that manipulated the characteristics of figures that students were required to attend to in order to explore the boundaries of numeric reasoning and to maximize the degree to which visual reasoning could be brought to bear on the task. Contrary to the literature, student use of visual reasoning did not indicate less developed conceptions of similarity. In fact, visually-based strategies supported students as they reflected on and sought to improve wholly numeric strategies. Analysis of the interview data indicated that providing students with tasks that required them to scale more complex geometric figures improved their capability to attend to the quantifiable features of shape and to the numeric relationships between them. (Contains 7 figures, 5 tables, and 1 footnote.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Teaching Methods; Conferences (Gatherings); Journal Articles; Interpersonal Communication; Interpersonal Competence; Literature Reviews; Higher Education; Concept Formation; Theories; Communications

Abstract:
Great Ideas for Teaching Students (GIFTS) are among the most popular and well-attended panel sessions at many academic conferences. This article describes the process by which current research in the "Western Journal of Communication" can be transferred into GIFTS for lower division communication classrooms. The goal is to provide an entree for people who consider themselves teachers, either primarily or exclusively, to read the latest scholarship and incorporate it into their teaching. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Thinking Skills; Spatial Ability; Geography; Novices; Graduate Students; Expertise; Student Evaluation; Geography Instruction; Performance; Scores; Measures (Individuals); Classification; Benchmarking; Concept Formation

Abstract:
Spatial thinking is fundamental to the practice and theory of geography, however there are few valid and reliable assessment methods in geography to measure student performance in spatial thinking. This article presents the development and evaluation of a geospatial thinking assessment instrument to measure participant understanding of spatial relations within a geographic context. The instrument is a test consisting of thirty question items, with the purpose to help identify the knowledge sets, thinking skills, and characteristics typical at different levels of competency. The performance score is used to classify participants along an expertise continuum, novice to expert. Generally, students performing at the expert level consist of graduate students while novices are at the grade nine level, although several anomalies are discussed. The broad instructional application of this assessment is to benchmark student performance and the level of understanding of geospatial concepts. (Contains 5 tables, 3 figures, and 4 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website

Descriptors:
Brain Hemisphere Functions; Diagnostic Tests; Linguistic Theory; Verbs; Validity; Models; Pragmatics; Discourse Analysis; Reading Processes; Concept Formation; Language Processing; Statistical Analysis

Abstract:
We used ERP methodology to investigate how readers validate discourse concepts and update situation models when those concepts followed factive (e.g., knew) and nonfactive (e.g., "guessed") verbs, and also when they were true, false, or indeterminate with reference to previous discourse. Following factive verbs, early (P2) and later brain components (N400 and late frontal positivity) revealed that relative to true concepts, both false and indeterminate concepts were more difficult to validate, and only indeterminate concepts were ultimately updated into the situation model. Following nonfactive verbs, there was no evidence of situational model updating for any condition. However, there was a clear N400 gradient that suggests the lower commitment of nonfactive verbs leads to less incongruence with discourse context for the indeterminate condition than the false condition. These results provide novel insight into how pragmatic constraints afforded by verbs influence discourse validation and the updating of situation models. (Contains 2 tables, 3 figures, and 2 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

Related Items: Show Related Items

Full-Text Availability Options:

More Info:
Help | Tutorial Help Finding Full Text |  More Info:
Help Find in a Library |  Publisher's website