An integrated competency-based course of study in the sciences is provided in the handbook for North Carolina teachers of grades K-12. Recommended goals, objectives, and suggested measures for each subject and skill area related to the sciences are outlined. This guide contains: (1) an introduction (defining North Carolina's basic educational…

Problem solving has long been a concern of science educators, with many asserting that problem solving should be both the overriding method and valued outcome of science instruction in American schools. This information bulletin synthesizes studies that deal with the relationships between the teaching of problem solving and secondary school…

The purpose of this study was mainly to: (1) assess the competencies of pre-service biology teachers in identifying and correcting student misconceptions about photosynthesis; (2) search for relationships which might exist between each competency and a set of four independent variables, namely, background knowledge about photosynthesis,…

This collection of essays focuses on the "strategic teaching" model of cognitive instruction, a model which makes clear the complex thinking process that teaching is, highlights the importance of the teaching/learning connection, and aims at enabling all types of students to become successful learners. The papers consider the varied levels at…

The six major conference papers collected in this document focus on developing ways of facilitating equity and academic achievement in a desegregated setting. The psychological impact of fostering these expectations among multicultural populations, methods for involving minority students in a science and math high-tech curriculum, and methods for…

A study was conducted at the College of DuPage in Illinois to find out if peer-teaching and the utilization of students as laboratory aids could improve class performance, personalize instruction, and benefit the student. Two classes of highly motivated comparative anatomy students and two classes of less motivated second semester general biology…

This paper is based on the idea that designing a knowledge representation for an intelligent physics computer tutoring system depends, in part, on the target behavior anticipated from the student. In addition, the document distinguishes between qualitative and quantitative competence in physics. These competencies are illustrated through questions…

Two studies were conducted to describe how students perform direct current (D-C) circuit problems. It was hypothesized that problem solving in the electricity domain depends largely on good visual processing of the circuit diagram and that this processing depends on the ability to recognize when two or more electrical components are in series or…

This paper identifies and analyzes the relationship between experiential science instruction, language arts, and cognitive development to provide information and recommendations concerning the integration of elementary science and language instruction. Annotated citations are provided grouped under the following categories: (1) recent status of…

Presented in this document are essays related to a research project focusing on conceptual obstacles which confine and inhibit scientific understanding (conceptual barriers). These include a short summary of research activities; research methodology; outline of a theory and summary of supporting evidence related to conceptual barriers encountered…

This document is designed to help integrate the skills of composing (writing) with the procedures and perspectives of New York elementary, secondary, and continuing science education programs. Sections are devoted to the composing process and its relationship to a science laboratory model, to techniques for evaluating writing, and to the spectrum…

Computer assisted instruction (CAI) provides active and non-linear instruction, but the microcomputer-videotape combination permits development of a broader range of instructional activities not previously possible with microcomputers alone. Instructional materials can be displayed alternately from the microcomputer or the videocassette…

This study investigated the implementation of a 7th grade biology curriculum ("Animal and its Environment") in Israel. The curriculum has seven parts, each one with a dictated sequence including well-defined objectives, suitable activities, and assigned materials, with little degree of freedom for the teacher. A primary concern for the…

Two experiments were conducted to characterize the system of beliefs that make up the naive impetus theory of motion and to determine what effects physics instruction has on students' conceptions of motion. Thirteen college students were asked to solve several quantitative problems and were interviewed about their answers in the first experiment.…

The tables, graphs, articles, and other sources of information in this document are designed to provide teachers with additional resources to supplement the unit "Motions and Collisions." The information is coordinated with the unit objectives specified in "Science 100, 101," the currently (1982) approved provincial guide for…