Afterschool programs have garnered much attention as promising environments for learning where children can engage in rich science activities. Yet, little is known about the kinds of instructional materials used in typical, large-scale afterschool programs that implement science with diverse populations of children. In this study, we investigated…

Providing preservice teachers with opportunities to engage with parents and begin to see them as collaborators in their children's education is a persistent challenge in mathematics methods courses and teacher preparation programs more broadly. We describe the use of family mathematics nights as a model for engaging parents and preservice…

The new standards for K-12 science education suggest that student learning should be more integrated and should focus on crosscutting concepts and core ideas from the areas of physical science, life science, Earth/space science, and engineering/technology. This paper describes large-scale, urban elementary-focused science, technology, engineering,…

As part of a study on the effects of teaching with a Modified Moore Method (MMM), a survey containing 20 items from Schoenfeld's (1989) investigation of attitudes and beliefs about mathematics was administered to students in undergraduate precalculus classes. The study included one section of precalculus taught with an MMM, a student-centered and…

Science teaching in elementary schools, or the lack thereof, continues to be an area of concern and criticism. Preservice elementary teachers' lack of confidence in teaching science is a major part of this problem. In this mixed-methods study, we report the impacts of an inquiry-based science course on preservice elementary teachers' self-efficacy…

The purpose of this study was to compare changes in beliefs of two groups of preservice teachers involved in two types of opportunities to immediately apply methods for teaching accompanying an elementary mathematics methods course. Students in one group applied the methods learned in class through weekly 30-minute peer-teaching sessions, while…

Preservice teachers (PSTs) participated in Family Science Learning Events (FSLEs) at a university designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. PSTs were required by the instructor to conceive and design culturally relevant science activities as well as implement these activities with K-8 students and their families during three separate FSLEs…

The nation's middle schools suffer from a shortage of qualified science and mathematics teachers. To address this need, one university in the southwest has developed the Modeling Institute, a master's degree program for in-service elementary educators interested in teaching science and mathematics at the middle school level. Identifying the…

The purpose of the study was to examine what science views were accepted or rejected by the Chinese university students. We administered the Thinking about Science Survey Instrument (TSSI) to 75 Chinese students in the Sichuan province who were enrolled in Science and Technology English classes. The TSSI focuses on nine key areas of science and…

Data are presented from a study made, 1972-73, using a direct-mail questionnaire. Seventy-nine percent return was indicated. Found that most teachers needed background improvement, that facilities and materials were not considered adequate and that enrollment has increased greatly from 1961 to 1972. (EB)

The results of a survey of ten groups of individuals concerned about education are discussed. (SD)

Junior and senior high school science teachers in six school districts were asked to rank 80 classroom-teacher behavior items in order of importance. Three basic types of teachers were found from the rankings. (MP)

Fourteen science educators were asked to list the criteria they believed could be used in differentiating between process- and content-centered objectives, and to classify forty statements as being process-centered, content-centered, both, or not an instructional objective. Results showed a lack of agreement in classification among the…

Discusses an opinion survey of concerned citizens undertaken in 1976, 1980, and 1984, regarding the relative importance of various sources of information used by science teachers. Results reflect changes in perceptions as indicated by greater importance of written materials, of human resources, and direct student experiences. (ML)

Presents the results of a survey of 922 Alabama secondary mathematics teachers' perceived needs for in-service training. Factor analysis produced six factors, with the factors New Knowledge, Teaching Marginal Students, and Computer Use and Knowledge containing the eight most significant needs. The most significant need was for more parent-student…