Recent calls for reform in K-12 science education and the National Academy of Engineering's Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century emphasize improving science teaching, students' engagement, and learning. In this study, we designed and implemented a curriculum unit for sixth-grade students (i = 1305). The curriculum unit integrated…

This study investigated exam achievement and affective characteristics of students in general chemistry in a fully-randomized experimental design, contrasting Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) participation with a control group balanced for time-on-task and study activity. This study population included two independent first-semester courses with…

This longitudinal study examined factors that contribute to the persistence of underrepresented racial minority (URM) undergraduates in STEM fields. The primary source of data came from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program's 2004 "The Freshman Survey" (TFS) and 2008 "College Senior Survey" (CSS). The sample…

This study had the goal of exploring factors associated with elementary students' (N = 585) reports of intellectual risk taking in science. Intellectual risk taking (IRT) was defined as engaging in adaptive learning behaviors (sharing tentative ideas, asking questions, attempting to do and learn new things) that placed the learner at risk of…

Determined that males (N=70) demonstrate higher level of intellectual development than females (N=70), that males mature intellectually earlier than females, and that there appear to be factors other than age and sex that are related to development of formal operational reasoning. Implications of these and other results are discussed. (JN)

This study: (1) tested the effectiveness of the Model of Educational Productivity for predicting the inquiry skill of 17-year-olds; (2) investigated if the prediction of inquiry differed for males and females; and (3) if the prediction of inquiry skill differed for white and nonwhite students. (JN)

Reports on an investigation into the differences in classroom climate and science-related attitudes among junior high school science classes on students in Taiwan. Most of the differences in classroom climate, student attitude, and their interactions were attributed to school location (metropolitan versus rural) rather than student…

Black children were more curious than non-black children when rated by an unobtrusive measure of stimulus-directed motor activity. The motor activity score correlated negatively with curiosity score based student questions. Teachers appear to assess curiosity on the basis of questioning behavior, not motor activity. (AL)

Studied the effects of eighth grade students' cognitive, motivational, personality, and classroom interaction characteristics on their academic achievement, attitudes toward science, and socio-metric measures. Concluded that a specified combination of student traits and teacher attention could lead to different unintential consequences in science…

Examined personality (persistence, future orientation, and the tendency toward reckless/rash behavior) and cognitive factors related to success or failure in college science courses. One finding noted is that both men and women were more apt to attribute their success to effort/ability, and their failure to the difficulty of a task. (JN)

Determined importance of transition between a student's initial collegiate science experience and the decision to continue in science, and whether reasons students give to explain their success or failure in their first course are related to that decision. Results demonstrate a sense of competence for students who continue in science. (Author/JM)

Effect of science instruction on young children's (N=64) concept of Piagetian physical causality was investigated. Results indicate, that pre/concrete-operational children can learn and apply a definition of living when that definition is taught through observable characteristics. Additional results and implications for elementary science…

Describes a study of the academic self-concepts, attributions, and achievements of male and female Asian-American and European-American students who won Westinghouse Awards (n=301). Results showed that fewer European-American female recipients anticipated college majors in technical areas and scored lower on the SAT, self-concept scales, and…

Consolidates information on selected matters reported in two or more separate meta-analyses reported in this issue (SE 533 494-500). Also examines the relationship between results of these meta-analyses and other work of this nature reported in other sources. Indicates high degree of consistency among results of these various meta-analyses.…