A dialogue between Socrates and a researcher who claims to know what constitutes effective teaching is used to critique the implicit assumptions held by researchers. Teacher effectiveness research is criticized, and potential bridges for communication suggested. (MNS)

Confrey's article is criticized on the basis of unbalanced content coverage, distortions in the treatment of the content that is covered, and the lack of readiness to come to grips with the realities of classroom teaching. (MNS)

Fifth graders performed better than third graders on discovering the function rule relating two number pairs. Task difficulty and mode of presentation (graphic or symbolic) varied by function. The children seemed ready to relinquish a hypothesis in the face of disconfirming evidence. (MNS)

Eleven retarded children with mental ages (MA) less than 4.5 years were examined to evaluate whether there is a critical MA for learning basic counting principles and how an understanding of counting develops. Results are discussed in terms of individual needs. (MNS)

Lists 20 articles summarizing research, one listing of research papers, 203 journal articles, and 342 doctoral dissertations on mathematics education, each with a short annotation. All are dated 1985. (JM)

Reports developments in mathematics education research for 1985. Items discussed are: (1) establishment of the Mathematical Sciences Education Board; (2) Journal for Research in Mathematics Education monograph series; (3) National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Research Advisory Committee Research Award Program; (4) Research Agenda Project;…

Considers curriculum evaluation studies in which perceived classroom environment characteristics were included among criteria of curricular effectiveness. Also reports several investigations in differences between students and teachers in their perceptions of actual and preferred classroom environments and draws together a diverse set of studies…

Examines the engaged rates of children in kindergarten to fourth grade for differences and makes some assessment of attention span as it relates to engaged rate and achievement. (HOD)

Tests the validity and reliability of a scale (Mental Development Scales: Birth to Three Years) designed to assess developmental levels of children from birth to three years. (HOD)

Assesses the performance of bilingual children on two language tasks in both the children's languages in order to determine whether the profile of skills in the first language was replicated in the second language. (HOD)

Findings of 79 research reports were analyzed to assess the effects of calculators on student achievement and attitudes. Except in grade four, use of calculators in concert with traditional mathematics instruction improved average students' basic skills with paper and pencil, both in working exercises and in problem solving. (MNS)

Different uses of numbers in natural language and mathematics is argued to have consequences for children's learning of numbers and for primary-grade textbooks. A study using particular properties of Hebrew indicates a crossing of the two language systems in children's reading of an arithmetic textbook. (MNS)

A hierarchical-clustering technique was used to examine relationships among computation-related skills by pupils in grades one to four in two Irish schools. A clear hierarchical ordering of skills was obtained at each grade. (MNS)

A geometric task was designed to investigate the effect of the frequency of irrelevant features in learning a conjunctive concept. One hundred algebra students were assigned to one of four treatment groups. Frequency of irrelevant features affected the usefulness of negative instances. (MNS)

Two-hundred forty-seven students in AP Calculus BC classes in 15 schools were compared to 229 students in college calculus courses in nine colleges, using a testing instrument valid for both groups. The AP Calculus BC students achieved as well as, or better than, their college counterparts. (MNS)