At a time when many are concerned with the shortage of qualified science and mathematics teachers in public schools, a recent survey was conducted by the National Executive Service Corps (NESC) into the availability of technical professionals nearing retirement who have expressed a willingness to teach. The results of the 9-month study indicates…

The current reform of general secondary education and vocational training in the USSR is aimed at further improving quality and meeting social demands. This document is an addendum to "Science and Mathematics Education in the General Secondary School in the Soviet Union," published in July 1986. It discusses some of the new reform…

Abstracts and abstractors' critiques of nine published research reports related to problem solving, elementary school science, science process skills, and curriculum and instruction are presented. Aspects addressed in the studies include: (1) problem-solving skills of high school chemistry students; (2) spatial puzzles and the assessment of…

A study of 60 elementary and secondary math and science teachers who were nominated by their peers as effective microcomputer-using teachers was conducted to describe how peer-nominated teachers use microcomputers instructionally, and how these uses vary as a function of teacher characteristics (e.g., knowledge, attitudes) and other background…

This investigation of the impact of an Individualized Audio-Tutorial (IAT) biology learning unit upon students in five ninth grade classrooms in an urban junior high school in Israel focused on the students' perceptions of their classroom learning environment, and their attitudes toward IAT and toward science and understanding the process of…

To detemine the effectiveness of the Individualized Audio-Tutorial (IAT) method of instruction, an IAT unit in biology was implemented in ninth grade classrooms in an urban school in Israel, and student achievement was measured in relation to gender, academic background in mathematics and biology, and IQ levels. The 180 subjects were randomly…

Selected articles on various aspects of biology teaching published in 1984 have been annotated in this bibliography. Entries from 23 journals representing 10 countries are presented according to a topic area classification scheme listed in the table of contents. Countries represented include: Australia; Bulgaria; Czechoslovakia; Federal Republic…

During the period 1984-1986, over 30 teachers from the Yorkshire (England) region have worked in collaboration with the Children's Learning in Science Project (CLIS) developing and testing teaching schemes in the areas of energy, particle theory, and plant nutrition. The project is based upon the constructivist approach to teaching. This document…

This document represents the second revision of a similar guide (no longer in print) originally published in 1974. It was developed to help teachers in Arizona encourage students to: (1) become aware of human dependence on natural resources; (2) gain a fundamental understanding about our natural resources; (3) intelligently react to problems of…

The six chapters in this report focus on: (1) a basic orientation for a focused research agenda; (2) research on reasoning (considering the development of competence and the search for generality in reasoning skills); (3) research on instruction (examining research on teachers, curricula and curricular materials, and testing); (4) research on…

Much of the innovation in the use of microcomputers in education has come from classroom teachers who are using computers with students. In October, 1987, forums were held for secondary school science teachers who were using computers in their science classes. Within this document are some of the lesson plans that the participating teachers…

This document was designed to be used as a tool to assist students with research-oriented science projects. It provides a step-by-step approach to the development of such projects addressing: (1) selecting a research topic; (2) learning about the subject; (3) developing a specific purpose for the research; (4) planning the project; (5) initiating…

This curriculum guide was developed with the intention of providing an enrichment option for gifted and talented learners who are interested in pursuing current issues and topics in the fields of mathematics and science. The scope of the guide is meant to encompass a year's study of a set of topics which apply mathematics to science and…

This study identified and conceptualized evidence of ideas about the nature of science to which elementary school students are exposed and the manner in which teachers provided these ideas. This was accomplished by developing a scheme for observing/analyzing classroom interaction (classroom dialogue and science activity). The scheme is…

Abstractor's analyses of science education research studies are presented in this issue of Investigations in Science Education. The first group of studies relates to research on teacher education (priority of perceived needs common to science teachers and how these might be used to develop inservice programs, determining the level of awareness and…