Biology in Context ("bik") is a project that aims to improve biology teaching in lower secondary schools in Germany. Based on a theoretical framework derived from the National Educational Standards, four competence areas should be fostered in biology education: subject knowledge; inquiry acquisition; subject-related communication; and…

Teachers who accept" the BSCS rationale are generally more humanistic in their pupil control ideology than those who reject" the program. Acceptors" scored higher on personality scales determining the capacity for independent thought and action. (AL)

This study was an attempt to use a model or a theoretical construct and to find if that model related to an underlying construct teachers might have as they view science teaching decisions. Nine scenes from the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) film, "Don't Tell Me, I'll Find Out," were selected. Statements reflecting three…

A pretest-posttest control group design was used with 20 second- and third-grade teachers to answer questions related to the effectiveness of microteaching as a teacher training procedure. The group was divided into two experimental groups by random assignment. One group of 10 received microteaching training in a specific teaching skill. The other…

Reported is a study to ascertain if experienced science teachers would modify their teaching behavior after observing and studying an instructional model; to ascertain if changes in teacher behavior after this experience would be in the direction of the model; to determine the relative effectiveness of different displays of the instructional model…

RESEARCH STUDIES CONCERNED WITH THE APPROPRIATENESS AND EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM STUDY (BSCS) MATERIALS ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS NEWSLETTER. BSCS TESTS WERE ANALYZED AND RELATED TO OTHER TESTING INSTRUMENTS USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE BSCS PROGRAMS. DATA COLLECTED FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TEST NORMS WERE ALSO USED IN A…

This paper reports a study to develop a measure that would determine behaviors teachers predict they would use while teaching elementary school science. The Predicted Role Measure (PRM) consisted of a motion picture film and a response packet. After observing nine scenes from the film, the participating teachers recorded their predicted behaviors.…

This study involved an inservice education program designed to enhance teacher behavior in the use of Science - A Process Approach. The major method of gaining information on teacher behavior was direct observation and involved the development and utilization of a Classroom Observation Rating Form (CORF). Twenty-three elementary teachers comprised…

This paper contains the report of an investigation to determine what relationships existed between teacher competencies in science mastered via a televised inservice program (LIFT OFF!) and teachers' science-related attitudes, past experiences, and use of a science program (Science - A Process Approach). Evidence was obtained from the number of…

This study discusses the differences in behavior that the open-minded teacher and the closed-minded teacher exhibit in teaching elementary school science. To study dogmatism and classroom behaviors, a group of 43 teachers enrolled in an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in-service program was identified and classified into…

Reports degree of relationship between assessments of teachers' procedural and verbal behavior made independently by teacher self report, student checklists, and the observations of an outside observer. (AL)

The Wisconsin Inventory of Science Processes and the Scientific Attitude Inventory were given as pre- and posttests to 34 junior high school science teachers to determine if changes in knowledge of the processes of science and attitude toward science were produced as a result of a formal training program emphasizing a process oriented approach to…

Reported is a study into the teaching behaviors of elementary science teachers based on the philosophy of Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS). One hundred eighty-four teachers were selected from a large geographical area, having widely differing backgrounds and varying education and/or experience with SCIS programs. The Predicted Role…

This paper focuses on the refinement and articulation of the invitational education concept to science teaching in the classroom, an approach consistent with the underlying philosophy of SCIS. The first section of the paper outlines the nature of invitations and disinvitations and describes the ability of teachers to send formal or informal…

Teacher process variables and student outcomes were examined as they appeared in two settings employing curriculum materials based on alternate psychological learning approaches. The two settings were based on the cognitive restructuring and behavioral approaches described by Bruner and Gagne, respectively. Ten teachers were involved in the study.…