Background: Although teaching nature of science (NOS) has been continually emphasized in many major reform efforts in science education, researchers claim that students do not possess adequate views of NOS. Insufficient understanding of NOS can be associated with the ineffectiveness of curricular or instructional approaches. Consequently,…

Outlines the history of the relationships for government support for basic and applied science in Britain and describes likely future developments. Considers the possibilities for maintenance of scientists' independence. (AL)

Demonstrates that scientific laws about nature and their representative models, as taught and described by theory, are often different from the method as practiced. Focuses on the use of the Periodic Table as a scientific model. Contains 26 references. (DDR)

Examines the views of a representative sample of experts in physics, physics education, and history and philosophy of science (HPS) on the incorporation of HPS-based materials in physics instruction. Reports on three areas: (1) the rationale to include HPS; (2) the most appropriate ways of doing so; and (3) anticipated difficulties with such a new…

Reports on research designed to discover whether certain conceptual difficulties experienced by present day students in the realm of action at a distance are parallel to the experiences of scientists in previous generations. Contains 60 references. (DDR)

Addresses the problem of relating distance and scale by way of alternative models of perception taken from the history of science. Makes specific suggestions to broaden the scientifically-based actual activity zone of students. (Contains 19 references.) (DDR)

The articles in this feature support the view that history and philosophy are useful to science instruction. Topics include the history of science teaching, the role of science textbooks, the relationship between science and the humanities, and a bibliography on history, philosophy, and science teaching. (IAH)