Broad support exists within the science education community for the incorporation of socioscientific issues (SSI) and argumentation in the science curriculum. This study investigates how content knowledge and morality contribute to the quality of SSI argumentation among high school students. We employed a mixed-methods approach: 56 participants…

This study examined operational data from the SAT Reasoning Test™ to determine if students who tested under extended-time conditions were suffering from excessive fatigue relative to students who tested under standard-time conditions. Excessive fatigue was defined by significant (a) increases in differential item functioning (DIF) and (b)…

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a middle school epidemiology curriculum called Detectives in the Classroom. The curriculum presents epidemiology as the science of public health, using health-related issues that capture the interest of young students and help prepare them to make evidence-based health-related decisions.…

This study offers an alternative to traditional notions of scaffolding for reading comprehension by tracing the evolution of a fifth-grade small group literature conversation in which the teacher sought to displace himself as "primary knower" (Berry, 1981) in the conversation. The study examines how the teacher shared evaluation with his…

In the light of significant changes in contemporary society that demand high level thinking skills of professional workers, this monograph explores the nature of independent thinking and principles of teaching independent thinking, particularly to college freshmen. A section on independent thinking outlines abstract, creative, and systematic…

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to compare reasoning level, American College Test (ACT) science, process skills, and physical science misconceptions of preservice elementary and secondary science teachers and to investigate gender differences. The stratified randomly drawn sample (n=68) consisted of preservice elementary and…

Although students' misconceptions about the concept of chemical equilibrium has been the focus of numerous investigations, few have investigated students' systematic errors when solving equilibrium problems at the college level. Students (n=189) enrolled in the second semester of a first year chemistry course for science and engineering majors at…

The purpose of this report is twofold. The first is to deliver an accurate portrayal of students' achievement in geometry and measurement as gleaned from the results of the 1986 Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP). The second is to provide K-12 teachers of mathematics with activities that have proven to be helpful in encouraging…

Sex differences on Perry's stages of epistemological development were investigated in a study of 100 freshmen (50 men and 50 women) at a large midwestern university. A semi-structured interview probed six domains related to Perry's theory, including the role of the learner, instructor, and peers in the learning situation, the question of…

This paper describes a study designed to investigate the development of scientific reasoning or logical thinking patterns of South Korean secodary school students. The scientific reasoning or logical thinking patterns were categorized into patterns of logic such as seriation, combinations, proportion, control of variables, probability, and…

This study skills curriculum addresses the problem of a lack of study skills demonstrated by students in grades 7-10. It focuses on 11 essential knowledge acquisition skills: (1) motivation and ice-breakers; (2) outlining and mapping; (3) time management; (4) PQ5R (Preview, Question, Read, Record, Recite, Review, and Reflect); (5) notetaking; (6)…

Adeptness in abstractions and analysis--the language of math--is at least as important as adeptness at reading words for individuals in business and industry. Mathematics literacy stimulates the problem-solving and critical thinking skills that the workplace now demands. A National Assessment of Educational Progress study found that about half of…

An approach to teaching logical organization of ideas in English through paragraph writing is presented. The approach is designed for Japanese high school and college students, for whom native language writing strategies and objectives are different from those of English-speakers. Four overall goals of the process of paragraph writing include: (1)…

These materials were developed for use in workshops with teachers. The document suggests a four-stage framework which students can apply to problems: (1) get to know the problem; (2) choose what to do; (3) do it; and (4) look back. Suggestions are included for each of the four stages of the probem solving process. Other specific techniques for…

The focus of this research was the conduct and analysis of six hours of clinical interviews with sixth and ninth grade students to investigate how they learn geometry in light of the van Hiele model. In chapter 1 an overview of the project and its four major goals is given. The theoretical model is described in chapter 2. In chapter 3 the…