Described is an experiment for measuring the coefficient of restitution with a meter stick, balls of different types, and scraps of material for the plates. Provides the experimental procedure and an apparatus diagram. (YP)

Reports on the development and evaluation of a two-component mnemonic strategy for teaching hierarchical and specific botanical concepts. Reports that compared to traditional instruction, mnemonic instruction facilitates learning of both classification and characteristic information, as well as inferential thinking on a problem-solving task. (RS)

Describes an application of methodology based on the Information Integration Theory to study intuitive mastery by 13-14 year-olds of Archimedes' Effect in physics. (Author/YP)

Discusses an astronomy simulation activity introducing the concepts of rotation, revolution, and retrograde motion. Describes the activity procedures in classrooms. (YP)

Conceptions of (n=13) grade-11 chemistry students via interviews were grouped into 6 categories related to students' preferred explanations for solubility phenomena. Argues that an understanding of the typical conceptions used by students should form an integral component of chemistry teaching, both as points of origin for lesson planning and for…

Describes a south Tucson elementary school's efforts to keep its Hispanic and Native American student population actively engaged through the Educational and Community Change Project. Teachers are reinventing their own beliefs and expectations while constructing class dialog around children's interests and personal theories. A pumpkin…

The experimental/analogy group scored significantly higher than the control group on a posttest question that required the definition of diffusion (n=77 community college students). Hypothetico-deductive reasoning skill was significantly related to correct application of the diffusion concept to a change from the misapplication of the polarity and…

Involves secondary students in a study designed to allow investigation into how different levels of information presented by various technologies (chemical indicators, pH meters, and microcomputer-based laboratories-MBLs) affected students' understanding of acid, base, and pH concepts. Results showed that students using MBLs exhibited a greater…

Describes a model-centered, computer-supported semester-long science curriculum (Model-based Analysis and Reasoning in Science) for middle school students designed to encourage conceptual understanding and to foster the development of model-based reasoning skills. (ZWH)

Involves 321 preservice elementary teacher education students in a study designed to investigate their intuitive scientific ideas and understandings. Results reveal that the majority of subjects, with the exception of a high proportion of those who has a successful high school background in physics and chemistry, have misunderstandings regarding…

Describes a long-term project, Moonwatch, which introduces the relationships between the earth, sun, and moon, highlighting the broad conceptual themes of patterns and change. (MKR)

Presents a procedure that students can use to determine the center of mass of a thin (two-dimensional), homogenous object experimentally, analytically, and numerically. Requires students to use three distinctly different approaches to a single problem and necessitates a combination of laboratory skills, a knowledge of fundamental calculus, and…

Tests on diffusion and osmosis given to (n=116) secondary biology students, (n=123) nonbiology majors, and (n=117) biology majors found that, even after instruction, students continue to have misconceptions about these ideas. Appendix includes diffusion and osmosis test. (MKR)

Investigation of (n=101) 17- to 18-year-old students' responses to a task relating to Boyle's Law for gases found that 34% to 38% of students did not understand the concepts of volume and mass, respectively, of a gas under the given circumstances. (Author/MKR)

Presents a guided discovery activity that uses fruit flies and can be implemented in introductory biology and nature of science classes to flesh out abstract lectures about life cycles, insect morphology, patterns and causes of animal behavior, and the nature of science. Discusses strengths and drawbacks and results of student evaluations of the…