Discusses mathematical and physical evidence that air consists of a tiny volume of particles moving at an average speed of over 1000 miles per hour. (WRM)

In response to Kavale and Forness (EC 630 380), this article raises four issues concerning the balance between science and politics in learning disabilities (LD): (1) LD as an objective biological entity; (2) uses of a scientific definition of LD; (3) political advocacy concerning unacceptable achievement and LD; and (4) risks in assuming…

Studies the complex relationship between science and technology. Derives three different interaction patterns from the history of industrial research laboratories: (1) science as enabler for technology; (2) science as a forerunner of technology; and (3) science as a knowledge resource for technology. (Contains 21 references.) (DDR)

Analyzes junior high school students' astronomy conceptions by means of a written questionnaire and delineates the main findings. Focuses on the effect on climate of the relative positions of the earth, moon and sun. (Contains 41 references.) (DDR)

This paper investigates the views of science and scientific activity that can be found in chemistry textbooks and heard from teachers when acid-base reactions are introduced to grade 12 and university chemistry students. First, the main macroscopic and microscopic conceptual models are developed. Second, we attempt to show how the existence of…

Thematic topics offer tremendous potential for science learning in the early grades and beyond. One second-grade class explored honeybees, a subject their teacher found both fascinating and easy to connect to a number of learning standards and science concepts. Her unit, "Honeybees and Apple Trees: A Close Look at Nature's Balancing Act," explored…

While an impressive body of content knowledge is associated with science courses, there is more about the scientific enterprise itself that students should learn. In addition to viewing science as a body of knowledge, students should also view science as a way of thinking and investigating and should have an understanding of how science interacts…

Science instructors and textbook authors often use analogies to help their students use information they already understand to develop an understanding of new concepts. This study reports the results of an analysis of the use of analogies in eight biochemistry textbooks, which included textbooks written for one-semester survey biochemistry courses…

Although every student must take some science courses to graduate, understanding the process of science is important, and some students never seem to really grasp science. The National Science Education Standards stress process as a major component in science instruction. The standards state that scientific inquiry is basic to science education…

A two-dimensional weather map is actually a physical representation of three-dimensional atmospheric conditions at a specific point in time. Abstract thinking is required to visualize this two-dimensional image in three-dimensional form. But once that visualization is accomplished, many of the meteorological concepts and processes conveyed by the…

Active engagement in the classroom is one of the best tools available for overcoming conceptual difficulties. Science educators agree that students of all ages learn more by participating actively in the interpretation of scientific phenomena (NAS 2003; NSF 1998). In this article, the authors describe demonstrations in class using paper wads as an…

In this study, an interactive process in a Web-based learning environment was planned for the cultivation of students' cooperative learning skills and capacity for scientific inquiry. Based on detailed analyses of students' computer protocols, interview protocols, and test scores, this project sought to analyze the changes in students' scientific…

Based on a purposive sample of 15 second-year chemical engineering students, this study investigates students' conceptions of evaporation, condensation and vapour pressure. During individual interviews the students were questioned on three tasks that had been designed around these topics. Qualitative analysis of student responses showed a range of…

This study examined 10th-grade students' use of theory and evidence in evaluating a socio-scientific issue: the use of underground water, after students had received a Science, Technology and Society-oriented instruction. Forty-five male and 45 female students from two intact, single-sex, classes participated in this study. A flow-map method was…

Investigation of children's understanding of the earth can reveal much about the origins and development of scientific knowledge. Vosniadou and Brewer (1992) claim that children construct coherent, theory-like mental models of the earth. However, more recent research has indicated that children's knowledge of the earth is fragmented and…