The many advantages of inquiry learning offset the disadvantages of slow content coverage. Inquiry learning is described and the teacher's role is examined. (MT)

This article discusses the tensions between the liberal and specialist parts of a teacher's education, and considers the difficulty in nurturing a sense of creative inquiry in an educational world dominated by the standardization of tests, curricula, and texts. (Author/MT)

Critical thinking is much talked about and much desired in higher education but little understood. Research into critical thinking might benefit from a close examination of the nature of Socratic inquiry as it can be applied in teaching, faculty interaction with colleagues, and faculty research. (Author/MSE)

Presents educational biographies of Henry Johnson, I. James Quillen, Lawrence E. Metcalf, and Shirley Engle; all considered founders of the social studies. Additional articles on defining the social studies, problem solving, and mentoring are included in this issue. (JDH)

Explored Morine and Morine's ("Discovery: A Challenge to Teachers") assumptions regarding age and cognitive development of students (N=174) successfully utilizing structured inductive and semi-deductive inquiry strategies. One finding noted is that age has made a significant difference on achievement for both strategies. Implications for…

General reasons for the upsurge of religious dogmatism in American society are discussed, the nature of the faculty encounter with dogmatic students is examined, and appropriate responses to student religious dogmatism are outlined. (MSE)

Examines (in the form of a hypothetical dialog between a teacher and a student) the nature of the mantle and the spectral content of the glow which lights up both beam and mantle. These phenomena are associated with excitation of helium gas in the presence of electromagnetic and electrostatic fields. (JN)

Discusses numerous aspects of science education, such as inquiry methods, research studies, the use of educational objectives, new curriculum projects, learning theories, and educational accountability. (MLH)

Three teaching traditions of social studies are examined and compared: (1) social studies taught as citizenship transmission (traditional), (2) social studies taught as social science and history, and (3) social studies taught as reflective inquiry (reform). (ND)

A checklist, devised from a chart illustrating the purpose, method, and content characteristics of three social studies teaching traditions, was administered to 55 preservice teachers in Nigeria and 84 preservice teachers in Indiana to compare their teaching style preferences. (ND)

Results of pre- and post-testing the tree identification skills of a group of 4-H members showed that adolescents aged 9-11 respond better to lecture demonstration teaching methods, while adolescents aged 12-14 respond better to an inquiry process that used nature trails as the primary instructional tool. (MLH)

In today's highly competitive workplace, students must be prepared to respond to the challenges of a knowledge-based economy. While pursuing their academic careers, students need specific information about career possibilities in their prospective field, ideas for mounting a successful job search, an awareness of the dramatic changes occurring in…

This report contains five action research papers in science education. Papers include: (1) "Does Classroom Size in an Industrial Technology Laboratory Affect Grades and Success in Class?" (Chad Bruns); (2) "The Effects of Project Based Learning on Students' Engagement, Independence, and Interest in Physical Geology Class" (Jill…

The complexity of mathematics teaching involving both cognitive and sociosystemic factors makes development problematic. Examples from research into teaching reveal factors in complexity and ways in which inquiry between teachers and didacticians can foster deeper ways of knowing in the developmental community. Research is seen as the basis of an…

Scientific inquiry reflects how scientists come to understand the natural world, and it is at the heart of how students learn. From a very early age, children interact with their environment, ask questions, and seek ways to answer those questions. Understanding science content is significantly enhanced when ideas are anchored to inquiry…