This study thoroughly explores the relationships between the challenges faced by students and the alternative problem-solving strategies employed. By analyzing these connections, the research aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of how students address difficulties in science learning and the adaptive strategies they apply. Through this…

The first of Ofsted's research reviews focused on science education. It is broad in scope, including content on school systems, the science curriculum, teaching, learning, assessment and materials -- with implications for practice. However, the review's scope does not provide much detail of the research on which it is based. I agree with many of…

School-based curriculum innovations, including those in science education, are usually not adequately evaluated, if at all. Furthermore, current procedures and instruments for programme evaluations are often unable to support evidence-based decision-making. We suggest that adopting fidelity of implementation (FOI) criteria from healthcare research…

This study focuses on how the treatment effects of a teacher professional development initiative in science differed by school capacity. In other words, the authors are primarily concerned with treatment effect heterogeneity. As such, this paper complements ongoing evaluation of the average treatment effects of the initiative over time. The…

Even the best program in education will fail to have the intended impact if its essential elements are not implemented properly. Degree of implementation is, then, critical to draw valid conclusions on program outcomes (e.g., Scheirer & Rezmovic, 1983). Especially important is the information on the fidelity with which a program is implemented.…

The effectiveness of lecture-integrated and web-supported case studies in supporting a large and academically diverse group of undergraduate students was evaluated in the present study. Case studies and resource (web)-based learning were incorporated as two complementary interactive learning strategies into the traditional curriculum. A truncated…

In response to national reform movements, an introductory biology content science course specifically designed for elementary education majors has been developed and implemented for 3 years in a collaborative manner between the School of Biological Sciences and the Teachers College. Preliminary and ongoing quantitative survey analysis of teacher…

Described is an evaluation instrument designed for individual or group use for assessing an overall science curricula. Specific items within seven broad topics (foundations for local planning; curriculum; teaching-learning; staff; facilities, equipment, and materials; evaluation; and finances) are scaled zero (totally lacking) to four (excellent).…

This evaluation report describes the process by which a large urban-suburban school system evaluated a locally developed, systemwide, kindergarten through grade 12 science program and the results of the evaluation. The evaluation was based upon a set of broad evaluation questions related to three components of the science program: (1) the science…

Complete your review of where science education in the U.S. is heading with this wide-ranging look at secondary-level science curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Through lively examples of classroom practice, interviews with award-winning science teachers and science education experts, and a thorough review of the research, discover how…

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of three different approaches to professional development in Earth science education: preparing teachers to "adopt" expert-"design" curricula; preparing teachers to use a principled approach to design curricula; and preparing teachers to use a principled approach to "adapt" curricula. The claims…

Outlines a sociocultural perspective on program evaluation consistent with sociocultural views of knowing and learning. Perspective is characterized by rigorous use of multiple-choice tests, performance assessments, and event-based analyses; a dialectical approach to conflicting conclusions from individual assessments and between individual and…

A checklist is provided as a tool for an informal overview of the environmental education programs found in schools. The checklist includes the topics of administration, instructional activities, and the school system. Guidelines for development and use of environmental education materials, programs, and activities are also provided. (KR)

A stakeholder approach was used in the evaluation of the basic science courses of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. The stakeholder approach attempted to structure the working relationship between the evaluator and the program stakeholders so that they participated in choosing issues, data to be collected, and ways to organize and…

A 3-YEAR PROJECT DEVELOPED PROGRAMED MATERIALS AND DEVICES FOR THEIR PRESENTATION, AND OBSERVED THEIR EFFECTS UPON THE CURRICULUM. SPECIFIC COURSES WERE PROGRAMED AND TESTED AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL. THEY WERE (1) MATHEMATICS, (2) RUSSIAN, (3) MUSIC, (4) CHEMISTRY, (5) BIOLOGY, (6) RELIGION, (7) GEOLOGY, (8) SPANISH, AND (9) PHYSICS. REPORTS OF…