Achievement in science depends among other factors on hypothetico-deductive reasoning ability; that is, on the developmental level of the students. Recent research indicates that developmental level of the students should be studied along with individual difference variables such as Pascual-Leone's M-capacity (information processing) and Witkin's…

Dissemination of educational research and effective practice has burgeoned in the past two decades. This report reviews the research on knowledge use in science and mathematics education and highlights approaches and strategies for dissemination which might be particularly useful to the National Science Foundation. In particular, the influence of…

The Exploratorium is a hands-on science museum in San Francisco. Each "Snack" in this sourcebook tells teachers how to build a classroom version of a particular Exploratorium exhibit using readily available materials. The recipes include instructions, advice, and helpful hints, accompanied by photographs and line drawings. The Snacks can be use as…

What can the rocks in old stone walls say about how the earth's crust was shaped, melted by volcanoes, carved by glaciers, and worn by weather? What can they say about earlier people on the land and the first European settlers? The book, written for elementary-age children, tells the story of a New England farmer and his grandson walking beside…

The purpose of this study was to examine Edward Lorenz's psychological processes and other environmental aspects in the discovery of chaos at that time. The general concept of chaos is discussed based on relations with previous scientific theories such as Newtonian physics and quantum mechanics. The constraints of discovery in terms of available…

A computer-assisted instruction (CAI) module on polymers was used to introduce chemistry teachers (n=64) to the variety of possibilities and benefits of using courseware in the current chemistry curriculum in Israel. From an analysis of a pre-and post-attitude questionnaire regarding the use of computers in chemistry teaching, it was concluded…

The world faces two converging crises, a lack of biological literacy and a rapid increase in environmental degradation. In order to insure a secure and safe environment for future generations of organisms, all humans must be taught the basic biological and physical processes that sustain life. This project seeks to fill the chasm in the general…

The purpose of this research was to provide information about gender-related worldview structures, among college students, that can inform the instructional decision making process. Information was generated in a logico-structural investigation of the interrelationship of gender, interest in science, and concept of nature. The strength of the…

This curriculum guide presents an activity-oriented program designed to give students experiences that will help them understand concepts concerning the relationship between science, agriculture, and nutritional needs. Covered in the six units of the guide are reasons for eating certain foods (taste and smell); the nature of food (the concept of…

The purpose of the study was to discern the beliefs of pre-service science teachers (PST) concerning science technology and their implications in society. A quasi-experimental design was used. The results indicate that students who experienced Science Technology and Society (STS) approach perform better than students enrolled in section where…

Hyper-TVT is a computer-aided education system that has been developed at the Institute of Process Engineering at the ETH Zurich. The aim was to create an interactive learning environment for chemical and process engineering students. The topics covered are the most important multistage separation processes, i.e. fundamentals of separation…

In 1989 a study was conducted at Pima Community College (PCC) to assess students' knowledge of basic physical science concepts. A three-part survey instrument was administered to students in a second semester sociology class, a first semester astronomy class, a second semester Spanish class, and a first semester physics class. The survey…

This guide for environmental science is intended to make students aware of the problems they will be facing in their environment, and of alternative measures to solve these problems. The course is designed to use scientific principles to study the processes of the environment; examine changes within the environment from a broad perspective;…

This paper presents findings from research on knowledge acquisition in observational astronomy to demonstrate the kinds of intuitive models children form and to show how these models influence the acquisition of science knowledge. Sixty children of approximate ages 6, 9, and 12 were given a questionnaire to investigate their knowledge of the size,…

A folk theory of the effect of language on thought underlies decisions made in U.S. courts regarding language law. Previous work on folk theory has shown an internal structuring by which a premise entails subsequent terms, consistent within the framework of the folk theory's logic. An analysis of metapragmatic statements in U.S. case law materials…