One of the core practices of science is constructing scientific explanations. However, numerous studies have shown that constructing scientific explanations poses significant challenges to students. Proper assessment of scientific explanations is costly and time-consuming, and teachers often do not have a clear definition of the educational goals…

Science as an enterprise has been and continues to be exclusionary, perpetuating inequities among whose voice is heard as well as what/whose knowledge is recognized as valid. Women, people of color, and persons with disabilities are still vastly outnumbered in science and engineering by their White, male counterparts. These types of imbalances…

Based on quantitative survey data collected from an inquiry-based general chemistry laboratory course, the current study used marginal models to evaluate changes in students' teamwork and problem-solving skills, attitudes to teamwork, and willingness to explore new issues before and after the course. The results suggest that introductory-level…

Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities (SCD) are the 1% of the total student population who have a disability or multiple disabilities that significantly impact intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviors and who require individualized instruction and substantial supports. Historically, these students have received little…

Investigated the appropriateness of audiotutorial instruction for a wide spectrum of students. Questions whether there are significant relationships between personal traits of variables of achievement and success, whether there is a different set of personal traits for high and low achievers, and how well a battery makes ex post facto predictions.…

This study focuses on the transmission stage of curriculum implementation, specifically at the interaction level of curriculum developer and teacher. Level of agreement regarding objectives and priorities between evaluators, teachers, and developers was determined for a unit on "colors" developed for primary school children and partially…

Analyzes ways in which biology is taught by experienced teachers and discusses contexts in which specific teaching strategies seemed successful. Analyses of teachers' responses reveals complex relationships among their perception of what was distinctive about their biology program and students, allocation of class time, efforts to individualize…

Determined was the effect of autotutorial instruction in the laboratory portion of a general biology course designed for nonbiology majors. Results indicate positive effects in enrollment, increased retention, and improved student achievement. (CS)

Reports on effects of Individualized Goal Setting (IGS) Audio Tutorial (AT) instruction compared to classic AT instruction and effects of pretesting compared to no pretesting on students' locus of control. Indicates no significant effect on students' locus of control between IGS-AT v AT or between pretesting v no pretesting. (DS)

Supports prediction of success in self-paced, individualized science classes by measuring student self-image by means of the Q-sort test. Alternative school students who had completed an acceptable number of minicourses by the end of the year scored higher on the Q-sort. (CS)

Ascertained were the effects of an individualized instruction method, audiotutorial (AT), on the cognitive achievement in biology of prospective general primary grade teachers. Used as a control was a conventional lecture-laboratory format of instruction. Results indicate that the prospective teachers appeared to gain more from AT instruction than…

Examined are the effects of testing on the achievement of students using self-instructional materials to learn science process skills. Results indicated that frequent quizzes did not differentially affect process skill acquisition. (Author/CW)

Determined whether small groups would stimulate creativity more than individualized learning environments for fifth- and sixth-grade students (N=111). Results indicated that small groups were more creative with electrical circuits and that this grouping format should be used in elementary classes. (Author/DH)

Compared detailed (favoring field dependence and induction) and nondetailed (favoring field dependence and deduction) assignments on biology achievement of grade 10 male students (N=95) over a seven-month period. Detailed assignments, employing pictorial and verbal block diagrams and high structure, significantly enhanced learning among some…

Relationships between levels of classroom individualization (personalization, participation, independence, investigation, and differentiation) and seven science-related attitudes of junior high school students (N=712) were examined. The study also provided support for the reliability and validity of the two instruments used and for their general…