Public participation in scientific research (PPSR) within the natural sciences has been demonstrated as an effective strategy to expand cognitive knowledge and understanding of ecology, with implications regarding individual perspectives, attitudes, and behaviors about the environment and feelings about the personal relevance of science. Yet the…

There is international concern about young people's participation in science. This study investigated the relevant importance of various issues in 1628 Norwegian upper secondary students' choices of postcompulsory subject combinations: natural science and mathematics (henceforth Science) or languages, social science and economics (henceforth…

Examines the position of students' understanding of natural phenomena as being theoretical. Reviews philosophical and cognitive arguments presented by G. Hills in support of such a position. Advances alternate viewpoints. (Author/MKR)

This study focused on informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues. It sought to explore how content knowledge influenced the negotiation and resolution of contentious and complex scenarios based on genetic engineering. Two hundred and sixty-nine students drawn from undergraduate natural science and nonnatural science courses completed a…

Reviewed are the contributions of Gerald Spellman Craig to the field of elementary school science. Included are Craig's viewpoints on criteria to be used in selecting natural science objectives, examples of general and specific objectives that fit each of the criteria, and his ideas about content, its organization, and sequencing. (CS)

Interviews conducted with a group of Lebanese children showed that they give physical rather than animistic interpretations to natural phenomena such as rain, clouds, and falling bodies. (MLH)

Discussed is Bertha Morris Parker's contribution to elementary school science curriculum in terms of her development of science curriculum, her insights and ideas about elementary school science, and elementary school books she wrote. (DS)

In this article, the environmental content of the textbooks used for the teaching of natural sciences in Greek primary schools was examined. Specifically, by employing the method of content analysis, both representational (metaphors, depictions, values, etc.) and cognitive ecological concepts) elements, building images of nature, and shaping our…

Describes the contributions of Anna Botsford Comstock to the development of elementary-school science. She played a major role as one of the developers of the nature-study program for children at Cornell University. Her biography and a list of her publications are also included. (HM)

This essay is the third in a series on innovators in the teaching of elementary-school science. Palmer's ideas and work on nature study and their relevance to children's education are described. His resume and a list of his publications are also included. (HM)

Responding to the increasing math and science teacher shortage in the United States, this study intended to determine which science, engineering, and math (SEM) majors during which years in their undergraduate education and from which academic performance levels are most interested in K-12 teaching. Results may aid policymakers and practitioners…