Educational strategies have evolved over the years, due to research breakthroughs and the application of technology. By using the latest learning innovations, curriculum and instructional design can be enhanced and strengthened. The "Handbook of Research on Driving STEM Learning with Educational Technologies" is an authoritative…

Over the last three decades, many studies have been conducted to identify students' preconceptions on various science topics. It is time now for a synthetic study of preconceptions to enhance our understanding of students' everyday cognition and to benefit our effort in developing effective instructional inventions for conceptual change. Through a…

Researchers and practitioners alike express concerns about the conceptual difficulties associated with the concepts of momentum and kinetic energy currently taught in school physics. This article presents an in-depth analysis of the treatment given to them in 44 published textbooks written for UK secondary school certificate courses. This is set…

"Black Men in College" provides vital information about how to effectively support, retain, and graduate Black male undergraduates. This edited collection centers on the notion that Black male collegians are not a homogenous group; rather, they are representative of rarely acknowledged differences that exist among them. This valuable text suggests…

Described are responses of first-year college students to questions regarding acceleration. Responses regarding acceleration and possible reasons for student errors are discussed. (RH)

Discusses the theory and history behind an experiment that will be performed to measure the gravitational forces that effect antimatter. Describes conditions under which the principle of equivalence would be violated or supported. Reviews historical tests of equivalence, current theory and experiments. Presents the design of the new experiment.…

This study was part of a continuing exploration of the naive misconceptions of students in the physical sciences conducted within the context of current literature in alternative frameworks. The sample was selected from among those students registered for a liberal education physical science class at a small private college. The method used was a…

Reviews the history of pulsars generally and the 1974 discovery of the binary pulsar by Joe Taylor and Russell Hulse specifically. Details the data collection and analysis used by Taylor and Hulse. Uses this discussion as support for Albert Einstein's theory of gravitational waves. (CW)

Develops a manostat which is simple and inexpensive to construct and operate, compact and rugged in design, useful over a wide pressure range, and well adapted for practical usage. Provides methodology, a diagram, and some operating suggestions. (MVL)

The misconceptions related to the concepts of force and acceleration among college students are explored. Misconceptions are identified and their occurrence among a large percentage of students are observed. Provided are some implications for physics teaching and an eight-item test. (Author/YP)

An analogy from the game of baseball can be used to examine the philosophy involved in statistics surrounding quantum mechanical events. The "Strong Baseball Principle" is proposed and discussed. (CW)

The objectives of this exploratory study were to determine: (1) the approach to learning of physics students (N=142) at John Abbott College (Quebec, Canada) as determined by the Study Process Questionnaire; (2) the intellectual demands of quizzes, tests, and final exams in physics using a scheme derived from Bloom's taxonomy; and (3) the…

Described are the natural trace radionuclides in ground water. Indicates the geologic origin of these radionuclides. Discusses the importance of these radionuclides. Suggests future uses of a number of additional radionuclides. (CW)

Reports various misconceptions of Newton's third law obtained from interviews and written tests of high school students. Suggests putting emphasis on the third law in physics teaching. Ten references are listed. (YP)

One approach to the study of cognitive processes highlights the distinctions between expert and novice problem solvers. This approach attempts to discover how experts and novices differ in the way they organize, retain and use domain related knowledge. It appears to some that what is learned from expert-novice research can help teachers to teach…