Current literature suggests ways in which science education can be improved within schools; however, curriculum implementation based on current knowledge has not been achieved. The purpose of this study was to evaluate instruction designed to teach preservice science teacher education students content using techniques recommended by the reform…

Plant scientists and science policymakers from government, private companies, and universities met at a convocation on the genetic engineering of plants. During the convocation, researchers described some of the ways genetic engineering may be used to address agricultural problems. Policymakers delineated and debated changes in research funding…

Presented in table format are student enrollment data for geoscience disciplines at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Subfields for both countries include: geology; geophysics; oceanography; marine science; geological engineering; geophysical engineering; geochemistry; hydrology; mineralogy; paleontology; soil science;…

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) examined its member companies and their existing university relationships as an initial step in the process of strengthening these ties. Information drawn from background research, interviews (with company representatives and university, government, and private sector spokesmen), and a formal survey of…

This article describes an exploration into improving the process and the outcome of learning in interactive teaching at the first-year university physics level, using what is becoming widely known as the "variation approach to learning." To explore this approach we chose an area of mechanics that is widely known to pose learning…

During the process of studying the specific course content of human anatomy, students are being educated to expand their vocabulary, deal successfully with complex tasks, and use a specific way of thinking. This is the first volume in a set of laboratory instructions and study notes which are designed to accompany a lecture series in human…

This is a report of the National Advisory Groups of Sigma Xi to explore the nature and quality of undergraduate education in science, mathematics, and engineering and to identify the significant topics and issues that should be addressed in charting a policy for undergraduate education. The topics identified are: (1) "Quality of Instruction"…

Chemistry anxiety exists among nursing students as well as other allied health professions. The causes for this anxiety may be attributed to three variables. Chemistry: (1) is perceived as difficult; (2) involves a multitude of facts; and (3) is not connected to reality. A curriculum with a simulation format has been developed to help Israeli…

In this speech, the author describes what has been learned through years of experience teaching an introductory course in environmental issues at the University of California at Berkeley. The course is described as a broad interdisciplinary survey of the various environmental problems facing the earth; it is an examination of local and global…

Preservice teacher education, when viewed through a constructivist lens, should consider preconceptions because it is important that students be initially aware of their own attitudes and of the beliefs that they carry with them. Preconceptions also provide a reference point about which students may reflect as new meanings are acquired. This paper…

Scientific literacy seems to be one of those recurring preoccupations in the scene of science education in the United States. As usual, the science education community is not unanimous about there being a crisis. There is either a healthy pluralism and ongoing discussion or a complete lack of orientation in science education on this topic.…

Students at the secondary and postsecondary levels exhibit difficulty in the oral reading of scientific terminology, in part because of the abundance of polysyllabic words derived from Greek and Latin. Some of the problems observed include faulty stress placement, vowel insertion and deletion, vowel discrimination, and consonant insertion. Such…

Due to data released in several reports in recent years, concern has been growing regarding the status of undergraduate science in two-year colleges, four-year colleges, and universities. Recommendations of reports on this topic are summarized. Types of programs and activities that have been developed with precollege schools and students; current…

The search for new energy resources as alternatives to fossil fuels have generated new interest in the heat of the earth itself. New geothermal areas with a variety of characteristics are being explored, as are new ways of extracting work from naturally heated steam and hot water. Some of this effort is discussed in this three-part module. Five…

Variables to predict grades in a noncalculus, preprofessional college physics course at Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically-black institution, were identified using linear regression. The two-semester, noncalculus physics course emphasizes the application of physics in the health professions. The study population consisted of 123…