In this paper seventh-grade pupils' ways of handling aspects of probability have been investigated. The aspects in question were embedded in a dice game, based on the total of two dice. Four different set-ups of dice were included in the situation in which they were up to explore optimal strategies for winning the game. How children understand…

This paper describes features of a group of misconceptions about decimal notation that lead to students selecting as larger, decimals that look smaller. A longitudinal study identified approximately 900 students from a variety of schools who exhibited these misconceptions and whose subsequent progress could be traced. The data demonstrates that…

Research indicates that students have great difficulty solving certain algebra word problems. These solutions, moreover, appear to be due to some situational factors characteristic of algebra problems, e.g., presentation and response format. This study investigates students' preconceptions, post facto alternative concepts based on key features of…

This book is designed to help teachers bolster their content knowledge by focusing on specific science concepts regarding the topic of light. The book covers three scientific models of light and discusses the observations that can be explained by each model. Chapters include: (1) "LightN-The Early Years"; (2) "Colorful Waves"; (3) "Focus, People,…

Junior level secondary students (n=500) in Botswana and Lesotho responded to a questionnaire to paint a picture of student perceptions of science and technology. The attitudes of the students toward the two subjects and the impact they have had on everyday life were congruent with the philosophical goals of the science and technology syllabuses of…

Describes a study designed to assess students' understanding and acceptance of the credibility of the scientific evidence supporting evolution. Discusses results and implications and offers thoughtful advice to professors on how to ameliorate the divisiveness resulting from this controversy. (DKM)

Discusses the implications that technology may have for education in developed countries and developing worlds. Concludes that, to address these issues, educators must not fear technology nor be awed by it. (DKM)

Calculates average tenure of superintendents in 25 major cities since 1900. Superintendents' length of service has been decreasing, but not as precipitously as the press proclaims. A complex mix of environmental, local, and professional factors is responsible. The 1990 average of 5.76 years raises questions concerning the relationship of…

While education reform reports indicted public schools for failing today's youth and economy, the revisionists, a group of eminent scholars, challenged their assumptions and produced empirical evidence showing that the education crisis was manufactured. The public ignored these arguments. Reform reports affirmed people's (misguided) belief that…

Discussion groups of 100 teachers, 55 parents, 12 principals, and 40 students; survey responses from 50 parents, and interviews with 15 community members revealed positive attitudes about volunteer involvement in a school district, frustrations about limited time for volunteer coordination, and lack of support structure. Common school assumptions…

Discusses results of a survey of 42 randomly selected parents who had chosen kindergarten programs in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Respondents' decisions raise concerns about equity and quality and challenge assumptions that parents want choice and will use parent information centers to gather performance data. If choice is introduced without…

Investigates the effectiveness of combining conceptual change text and concept mapping strategies on students' understanding of diffusion and osmosis. Results indicate that while the average percentage of students in the experimental group holding a scientifically correct view rose, the percentage of correct responses in the control group…

Points out the important use of textbooks and their ancillary resources in lower-division chemistry courses and the scientific misconceptions found in them. Introduces the TextRev Project which is a new resource for data collection and analysis. Investigates how first and second year chemistry students use and value their textbooks and their study…

Investigates the cognitive and linguistic demands of learning algebra and explores students' understanding of algebraic notation. Findings indicate specific origins of misinterpretation that include intuitive assumptions and pragmatic reasoning about a new notation, analogies with familiar symbol systems, interference from new learning in…

The Indian Specific Health Risk Appraisal and measures assessing beliefs about health risks were completed by 200 Northern Plains urban American Indians. Participants rated personal risk optimistically, judged their risk factor standing as lower than peers', and were not changing behaviors related to acknowledged personal risks. Such biases may…