This study examined the relationship between social-cognitive ability and social status in children with and without learning disabilities. Social cognitive mapping was used to determine children?s centrality in the social network in their classroom and accuracy in reporting peer social networks. It was predicted that social cognition, as assessed through the accuracy measure, would mediate differences in social status, as assessed through social network centrality. Although children with learning disabilities had lower social network centrality, they did not differ from children without learning disabilities in terms of accuracy in reporting social networks in the classroom. Therefore, the mediation model was not supported. However, greater accuracy in reporting peer networks was predictive of greater peer involvement across both groups of children. Results are discussed in terms of implications for improving children?s social functioning and future research on the topics of the social functioning and social cognition of children with learning disabilities.

This study examined the evidence for the response process validity of the Stanford Binet, Fifth Edition (Roid, 2003a). Students from introductory psychology classes (n = 101) were randomly assigned to one of five conditions defined by the five cognitive processes the SB5 intends to measure. Participants responded to items from the Verbal and Nonverbal Scale subtests for their condition. Participants explained how they solved the problems and rated the degree to which they used each of the cognitive processes and verbal mediation. Graduate student raters independently assigned participants? descriptions into categories representing the cognitive process and level of verbal mediation. Results generally provide strong evidence for the response processes validity of the SB5, as well as the measures used in this study.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1980. / Typescript. Title from title screen (viewed Mar. 16, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-74). Online version of the print original.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1963. / Typescript. Title from title screen (viewed Mar. 21, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-55). Online version of the print original.

Thesis (M.A.)--Oregon State University, 1983. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 90-95). Also available online.

This study explores the relationships between adults who work at an inclusive preschool setting in the South using Nel Nodding's articulation of caring as a theoretical framework. Through this ethnography I sought to understand [1] the experiences of early childhood staff at an inclusive learning environment as they foster caring-communities and nurture relationships between adults who work at the program; [2] the barriers faced when trying to encourage and engage caring attitudes and approaches; and [3] the ways that the staff respond to these barriers. The thesis explores the ways [1] race and culture differences, ability differences, teaching differences and power differences can be barriers to care; [2] understanding similarities and differences through dialogue, building a common purpose, and modeling caring attitudes supports the nurturing of care; and [3] feeling included, an increase in team work, handling hard times with grace, and trans- reciprocity are experiences of care.

The primary objective of this project was to analyze the change in use of academic science vocabulary and conceptual understanding of erosion by the ELLs participating in the Math, Science and Language (MSL) camp conducted in 2008. The researcher examined archival data in the form of student journals collected during the MSL camp of 2008. Current assessments are not developed to assess both vocabulary development and conceptual understanding. The researcher developed a new assessment tool named JASTO that allowed assessment of both vocabulary and conceptual understanding parallel to one another. JASTO was used to analyze the science journals of the MSL camp of 2008. Data indicate an increase in conceptual understanding of the erosion topic. Some students expressed their understanding using everyday vocabulary and others using academic vocabulary. The type of vocabulary usage was dependent on the English language proficiency of the student.

This qualitative intergenerational study explores the life of the author and his family of educators. The study goes back four generations to look at the influence that family, social norms, opportunity, religion, and other factors played in a disproportionate number of family members entering and spending their careers in Texas public schools. While each participant followed their own unique path into the field of education, family influence remained a signficant factor for each participant. The family of colleagues provided instructional and emotional support to participants once they entered the field as well as serving as a recruiting tool to those who were not yet educators. This study also follows the author's journey toward a greater understanding of himself as the origins of his perceptions and beliefs are uncovered through the storytelling of family members. He is able to explore his thought process as he uses the study's findings about his family to trace back the origins of influences on his ways of thinking, feeling, and decision making. The author also explores how this knowledge will help to guide his future decisions as a public school administrator for the benefit of the students, staffs, and communities he serves.

Many scholars have equated the 20th century with the 17th century as an era that brought forth a new paradigm or pattern of thought and belief. The 17th century saw the emergence of the modern paradigm. It is postulated that placing the innovations and discoveries of the 20th century in proper context results in the emergence of a new framework for thought, understanding and the creation of meaning. This new framework is characterized as the postmodern paradigm. The goal of this Dissertation is to perform a critical examination of the intellectual innovations of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century in order to derive an epistemological basis for the design of learning experiences: curriculum and instruction. The methodology of the Dissertation is influenced by postmodern thought in the sense that it is structured as a heterachy consisting of the analysis of systems of thought in diverse domains, and is relationally connected in the Conclusions chapter in order to create an emergent structure which represents a synthesis of these diverse domains. The methodology also borrows an idea from Einstein of relating not only the conclusions between domains but also relating the frameworks or contexts within which those conclusions were derived. The domains investigated include psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, linguistics, education, physics and mathematics. The Dissertation characterizes human activity as the equilibration of a nonlinear systemic relationship between the motivated goals, mental organizations and behavioral actions of the individual. Goal influences the context in which meaning is created. Context, in turn, controls the nature of the metrics employed in the meaning creation process, the type of relationships that can be created, the nature of the meaning that can be constructed, the depth and breadth of the meaning constructed and the logical level of the meaning. Additionally it was found that context is necessary for the creation of meaning, must allow for an unambiguous description of phenomena, cannot possess the quality of logical necessity and does not control the nature of relationships actually existent within the "thing in and of itself." Context is not a static entity. When elements are placed into relationship, a context is emergent. With phylogenetic and ontogenetic progression, a context can be expressed as an emergent pattern with time. The creation of meaning can be defined as the construction of a stable equilibrated relationship between elements representative of objects and events of consideration. Meaning is imparted by and derived through relationship. Equilibration occurs within the context of the aggregate of an individual's mental organizations. As this is an open system subject to adaptational ontogeny, we can consider these equilibrations as nonlinear self organizations. The structure emergent through the relationship of the aforementioned knowledge domains implies the following: 1) Similarity is the fundamental mental construct. 2) The teleos of human cognitive function is rule (concept, theory) building. 3) The human mind can be characterized as a language-enabled rule builder connected to a statistically driven, associational mechanism. 4) The predicate for human logic and deduction is the semantic expressed in stabilized relational structures. The Dissertation makes the hypothesis that there are four forms of mental representation: connected actions or motor/procedural sequences (algorithms), physical images, connected physical images summarized through concrete rules and words expressing abstract rules or metaphorical forms of relationship. These representations are an articulation of the neurological structures that enable them. The type of representation determines the form of thought and problem-solving process that can be undertaken. While developmental, these forms of representation persist throughout life. They are variously invoked contingent upon the individual's perception of the requirements of a mental task. The Dissertation presents a model for the design of rule-based (concept, theory) learning. It affirms the principles of postmodernism and a constructivist paradigm for teaching. Research, which is felt to support the hypotheses of the Dissertation, is cited. The Dissertation also concludes that the most effective instructional strategies will be the ones most congruent with and supportive of the mind's natural and inherent mechanisms for creating meaning from experience.

Throughout history science and religion have been in conflict. Many of the theories of science do not agree with the religious beliefs of pre-service teachers. Those teachers who will be teaching in the science classroom, must be able to present science without prejudice of personal religious beliefs. Are pre-service teachers prepared for science/religion conflicts? How much conflict do pre-service teachers have between science and religion? This study suggests that pre-service teachers may have a high degree of conflict between science and religion, and that they have received no educational experience on how to deal with this conflict. Such conflict poses a potential problem when presenting science in the classroom, in that non-science information may not be separated from the science presented.