Research experience is increasingly considered an important component of science education at the secondary school and undergraduate levels. This paper presents a case study of students learning in a unique apprenticeship model in which students are engaged in long-term (18 month) open-ended research projects in physics that are done at the…

This special issue of "Journal of Research in Science Teaching" reflects conclusions and recommendations in the "Discipline-Based Education Research" (DBER) report and makes a substantial contribution to advancing the field. Research on undergraduate science learning is currently a loose affiliation of related fields. The…

Understanding the energy changes that occur as atoms and molecules interact forms the foundation for understanding the macroscopic energy changes that accompany chemical processes. In order to identify ways to scaffold students' understanding of the connections between atomic-molecular and macroscopic energy perspectives, we conducted a…

The connection between the molecular-level structure of a substance and its macroscopic properties is a fundamental concept in chemistry. Students in college-level general and organic chemistry courses were interviewed to investigate how they used structure-property relationships to predict properties such as melting and boiling points. Although…

This quasi-experimental, mixed methods study examined the transfer of a well-established pedagogical strategy, Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), to an online workshop environment (cPLTL) in a general chemistry course at a research university in the Midwest. The null hypothesis guiding the study was that no substantive differences would emerge between…

Differences in problem-solving ability among organic chemistry graduate students and faculty were studied within the domain of problems that involved the determination of the structure of a molecule from the molecular formula of the compound and a combination of IR and [to the first power]H NMR spectra. The participants' performance on these tasks…

This study aims to add to the growing research related to the implementation of non-traditional writing tasks in classrooms to encourage science literacy. A secondary reanalysis methodology was employed to review student interviews collected as a part of several individual studies during a ten year research program. This method established an…

Contains recommendations for research priorities of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) Study Committee. Promising areas in science education involving antecedent conditions; transactions, and outcomes are identified. Research styles and methodologies are also discussed. (CP)

Research papers (N=111) published in Vols. 11-13 of "Journal of Research in Science Teaching" were used in this study to validate areas of productivity in science educational research. Questions were answered regarding research area interests, stability of priorities for research, and omissions of research in high-priority areas. (CS)

Examined is how research informs and influences the practice of science education. Discussed are past focuses on treatments, present focuses on students' ideas, and developing styles of research. (YP)

Reports on procedures utilized by the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) between 1974 and 1977 to define priorities for research in science education. (CP)

Although a well-corroborated scientific theory, the theory of evolution has continued to cause dilemmas for some individuals who have not easily been able to accommodate the concepts of this theory within their cognitive culture. The reason lies in the overlap of some ideas that the theory advocates with other social, epistemological, and…

Discusses the problem of choosing the proper unit (e.g., class or individual student) for the statistical analysis of educational research. Describes a study that was statistically analyzed eight different ways and discusses the various results and implications. Suggests that the problem of selecting the proper experimental unit may be less…

This article offers five research criteria and their rationale to help researchers avoid problems and to help them improve research. Improving research should improve the quality of science teaching. The treatment of causal hypotheses is stressed. (Author/CW)

The use of the expert-novice technique in science education is examined critically. Discussed are four techniques including their methodological limitations. Improvements and alternatives in experimental design are suggested. (Author/CW)