Definition in science teaching

Summary Definitions, I have suggested, have both a function and a form. The function pursued and the form used should depend on the situation and on the term being defined. In the situation described at the outset, Mr. Beta should probably have seen to it that a stipulation of some sort was given-just in order to get on with the task at hand. The stipulation might have been based upon a true reported definition-or it might not-depending on political considerations and the linguistic flexibility of the people concerned. Since no one involved could plausibly have been trying to embody a program in a definition of dough, a programmatic definition was not appropriate in that situation.Several different forms for a definition of dough might reasonably have been used, but in this case the old reliable classification form was probably best, because of its completeness, neatness, and brevity. Two reasonable alternatives are the equivalent-expression form and the range form. The synonym, example-nonexample, and operational forms were probably not appropriate.My main point is that there is not just one way to define. I hope that my delineation of some major possibilities and variations will help those who read this article to be flexible in handling problems of definition when they arise; and they arise more often than most people realize.An ealier draft of this article was presented at a colloquium at the University of Illinois in honor of Professor B. Othanel Smith at his retirement.     

Factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised,Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test,and Peabody Individual Achievement Test in a psychiatric sample

This study analyzed the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) in a psychiatric sample that ranged in age from 6 to 16 years (mean age = 11.1 years; SD = 3.0). The resultant factor structure of this sample was compared with patterns reported on normal and learning-disabled children. The subjects were 329 children under inpatient and outpatient care who had been referred for emotional disturbances. The results were similar to previous factor analytic studies of the WISC-R and PIAT, showing four factors: Verbal Comprehension, Verbal Achievement, Perceptual Organization, and Number Facility. The implications for the interpretation of these tests in a psychiatric sample and the appropriateness of a maximum likelihood technique in analysis of psychometric data are discussed.     

Acceleration of cognitive development of kindergartners

A curriculum modification was designed to increase the general reasoning ability of kindergarten children who were lagging in cognitive development. The new instructional program was tested with 22 kindergarters who scored in the lowest 9% on the EAS measure of general learning and reasoning ability taken from SRA's Survey of Basic Skills. The experimental children were given “learning set” instruction on unidimensional classification, unidimensional seriation, and number conservation for four months. They received the instruction in groups of six for 15 minutes two or three times per week during the time usually reserved for mathematics. Control children received the normal mathematics instruction, also in groups of six, for matched sessions. The experimental children made twice the gains of the control children on the EAS measure, and matched their gains on reading and mathematics achievement. It appears that integrated “learning set” training on these three Piagetian concepts may be a potent tool for aiding kindergartners who are falling behind their peers in cognitive development.