This document reports on the first year of the STACI (Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation) project, a two-year project which is examining the cognitive demands and consequences of using the STELLA (Structural Thinking Experimental Learning Laboratory with Animation) software to teach systems thinking, content knowledge, and problem solving.…

The Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation (STACI) project is a multi-year research effort intended to examine the cognitive demands and consequences of learning from a systems thinking approach to instruction and from using simulation-modeling software. This study tests the potentials and effects of integrating the systems approach into…

Discusses the systems thinking approach that uses microcomputer-based simulations and modeling to enhance teaching and learning activities in middle school and high school instruction. Particular focus is placed on the Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation Network project, part of a longitudinal study managed by Educational Testing Service.…

Describes the Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation (STACI) Project, which is examining the impact of a technology-based curriculum innovation on teaching and learning outcomes in high school science and social studies. Systems thinking is discussed, simulation-modeling software is described, and implications for technology in educational…

This paper examines the effect of using a systems thinking approach in existing secondary school curricula to teach content-specific knowledge as well as general problem solving skills, and the effect of using STELLA (Structural Thinking Experimental Learning Laboratory with Animation), a simulation-modeling software program, as a tool by which to…

This is the second of two reports on the first year activities and results of the Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation Project (STACI), a two-year project which is examining the cognitive demands and consequences of using the STELLA (Structural Thinking Experimental Learning Laboratory with Animation) software to teach systems thinking,…

The present research addresses the issues of whether there exist certain cognitive skills that facilitate transfer, and whether such skills are themselves transferable across domains. Of primary concern is the instructability of such skills. The Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation Project (STACI) is a two-year research project testing the…

The Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation (STACI) Project is a multi-year research effort intended to examine the cognitive demands and consequences of learning from a systems thinking approach to instruction and from using simulation-modeling software. The purpose of the study is to test the potentials and effects of integrating the systems…

This book is a preliminary report on a technology innovation project. The objective of the overall research project is to introduce change in schools using a computer-based curriculum innovation for teaching higher order thinking skills to middle- and high-school students. Chapter 1 presents a historical account of the design and implementation of…

Examines how systems thinking, simulation, and modeling affect secondary school teachers' classroom processes. Highlights include a two-dimensional matrix to show patterns of adaptation, teacher proficiency with technology, curriculum development, time constraints, teacher training, expertise, accountability, administrative issues, and the…

This paper describes a theoretical perspective in which teacher performance and classroom procedures in technology-based settings can be observed and compared. The paper uses as an example the Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation Network (STACIN) Project, which implements a simulation-modeling software package as an analytic problem solving…

This chapter describes the corruption of research design and explains why and how a computer-based curriculum innovation project was transformed from a quasi-experimental design to a comparative case study. The first section introduces the Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation Network (STACI) that examined the impact of technology on teaching…

Computers provide particularly powerful environments in which to examine individual differences in cognitive processing and learning outcomes. The computer's capacity to collect and record response protocols facilitates detailed process analysis. Such analyses contribute to increased understanding of how individuals differ in their ability to…