Reports on a study designed to investigate aspects of young children's knowledge of fractions and partitions of quantities. Findings suggest that although children did not have a deep understanding of the concept of one half, a significant number demonstrated a powerful systematic procedure leading to the creation of accurate equal fractional…

During the first 12 weeks of an applied calculus course, two classes of college students studied calculus concepts using graphical and symbol-manipulation computer programs to perform routine manipulations. Three weeks were spent on skill development. Students showed better understanding of concepts and performed almost as well on routine skills.…

Many black students, female students, and students of low socioeconomic status do not achieve up to their potential in mathematics. A model to explain group differences in performance is presented. Relevant research results are included, along with suggestions for future research to test the model. (PK)

Although many articles in the education literature recommend how to teach statistics more effectively, there is little published research on how students actually learn statistics concepts. The literature reviewed in this paper indicates a need for collaborative, cross-disciplinary research on how students come to think correctly about probability…

Reports on a study to determine the development of children's understanding of seven properties of the arithmetic mean and to assess the effects of material used in the testing and the medium of presentation. Some differences were found in children's reasoning. No significant differences were found for materials or medium of presentation. (PK)

Reports on a study to determine if female high school students scored as high as male high school students on New York State Regents examinations in mathematics. Results indicated that if female students had an instructional history similar to that of male students they performed as well. (PK)

Fourth-grade students' understanding of the order and equivalence of rational numbers was investigated in 132 interviews during an 18-week teaching experiment. Six children were instructed individually and as a group at two sites, with instruction relying heavily on manipulative aids. Strategies used to compare fractions were identified. (MNS)

Eight problems in each of three formats were administered to 854 students in grades three through seven. Readers of high ability chose correct operations more often than low-ability readers. The drawn format was easier than the other two formats; its advantage was greater for low-ability readers than high-ability readers. (MNS)

For 139 students, algebra prognosis test scores and performance in seventh-grade mathematics best predicted algebra grades in grade eight, whereas IQ, problem solving, and prognosis scores best predicted achievement on a standardized algebra test. No sex difference in achievement scores was found, but girls attained higher percentage grades. (MNS)

Reanalysis of data for 13,200 twelfth-grade students indicated that sex has a significant effect on mathematics achievement even after controlling for sex differences in spatial abilities and background and interest in mathematics. Women tend to have less spatial visualization ability, and its effects on mathematics achievement are greater for…

Data on sex differences in rote-counting ability for 4722 first-grade children are presented. How different data-gathering methods and different statistical treatments of the data can yield differing results are indicated. (MNS)

A model of the theories people use to explain social phenomena, based on the traditions of structuralist linguistics and political theory, is presented and discussed. How such a model can be used to analyze the ideological content of the social science curriculum is examined. (Author/RM)

How social studies researchers can use National Assessment of Educational Progress Public Use Data File tapes to delimit the problem of generalizability of research results is described. An example using data from a trend study of a citizenship education project is used to demonstrate the procedure. (Author/RM)

A conceptual framework and teaching guidelines for biographical history, i.e., centering the study of history in individual lives, are presented. Both the framework and guidelines were derived from a group of philosopher-historians representing a full monistic-pluralistic spectrum of theories: Marx, Weber, Toynbee, Ortega y Gasset, and Dilthey.…

Presented is an annual listing of research publications on mathematics education, including 37 summaries, 247 articles, and 300 dissertations. Many of the studies are annotated, and a grade or age level is noted for each entry. A list of journals searched and an index are included. (JN)