Investigated various factors related to a project designed to increase scientific literacy of two age groups by simultaneously exposing middle school children and their parents to short science courses. Findings, among others, show that parents and children made significant gains in learning and that they found the experience enjoyable and…

The Iowa-Scope, Sequence, and Coordination (SS&C) Program assists schools with reform of their entire middle school programs, grades 6-8, and features the science, technology, and society (STS) instructional approach. This reform translates to the creation of new frameworks for the school program and aims to produce "constructivist"…

This is a checklist for use by science coordinators, school principals, science supervisors, and teachers in identifying strengths and weaknesses of science programs in grades five through eight. It can also be used by science coordinators during school visits. This guide contains space for recording information concerning: school name and…

Trying to change the predictive rule for the sinking and floating phenomena, students have a great difficulty in understanding density and they are insensitive to empirical counter-examples designed to challenge their own rule. The purpose of this study is to examine the process whereby students from sixth and seventh grades relinquish their…

The purpose of this study was to explore middle school students' perceptions of what factors facilitated their learning of science. Between 50 and 60 high-achieving middle school students were in residence on the University of South Florida campus for 12 consecutive days of study in the "World of Water" program. There were two sessions per summer…