Prospective elementary school teachers presented with a persuasive article advocating the use of discovery techniques in science teaching and presenting science as a "dynamic, analytical, flexible way" of problem solving scored higher on a post-test science attitude instrument than a control group who read an unrelated passage. Role playing did…

The development of autoinstructional science kits by students in science methods courses (is) a viable self-instructional technique, useful in fostering an awareness and understanding of science-teaching methods and their application." (Author/AL)

Surveys some predictions for the 21st century and presents data which stress the need for improving education. Cites inadequacies in present science course improvement projects and advocates changing the emphasis of science education to foster curiosity, creativity, competence, and compassion. (CP)

Investigated was the influence of instruction in process skills on preservice teacher achievement, attitude toward process skills, and their use of process objectives and activities in lesson plans. Results indicated preservice teachers receiving process skill instruction improved in all areas relating to process education. (SL)

Describes a program employed for teaching a science methods course. The goal of individualized instruction may be achieved by adopting a learning contract system. The appendix includes examples of contracts used in this program. (PS)

This document presents a description of a science education program which provides experiences in the affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains. The methods course has no required textbook and is an activity-oriented course, requiring students to become acquainted with three of the national elementary science projects: Elementary Science Study…

Describes a course, taught in Jamaica, for prospective high school physics teachers that stresses concepts which are difficult to teach and easily misunderstood by students. Also stresses preparing high school students to take national exams and teaching physics in poorly equipped laboratories. (MLH)

This paper presents the procedures, findings, and conclusions of a study designed to determine the effects of a modified elementary science education methods course on students' creative thinking, self evaluation, and achievement. While lecture-discussions were essentially the same for both experimental and control groups, the laboratory sessions…

This study, using selected activities from the "Students Toward Environmental Participation" (STEP) program, compared the attitudes of forty-one preservice science and social studies teachers toward activities in environmental/ecological field trips. No significant differences existed between the attitudes of perspective science and social studies…