Toward a Cognitive Theory of Instruction

Abstract

This chapter considers the characteristics of current cognitive science research as they bear on the instructionally relevant tasks in order to suggest directions for a cognitive science of instruction. It begins by characterizing the current state of cognitive task analysis and then turns to the implications of information-processing theories for cognitive theories of acquisition and intervention. The process of equilibration is sparked by cognitive conflict, or the noting of contradictions. A central concern of cognitive science today is the analysis of complex task performances. One can hardly consider the possibilities for a cognitive instructional theory without attending to Piaget. A central core of Piaget's work has been concerned with characterizing the emergence in children of the general logical deductive capacities that are the structural bases of thinking. As a result, Piagetian theory provides a very weak guide for instructional efforts. The chapter focuses on three domains from the school curriculum—reading comprehension, science, and mathematics.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 92 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.