Presented are the 21 papers which constitute the proceedings of the ninth annual conference of the Australian Science Education Research Association at a meeting in May, 1978. Papers range from philosophical analysis of the language of science teaching to experimental research into the effects of different laboratory skill development strategies,…

RATHER THAN TEACHING PRESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR OR LINGUISTICS, NEITHER OF WHICH IS LIKELY TO INCREASE THE ABILITY TO WRITE, SPEAK, OR LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, THE ENGLISH TEACHER SHOULD GUIDE THE STUDENTS INTO AN INQUIRY ABOUT THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE. SUCH AN INQUIRY WOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THAT LANGUAGE USAGE IS DETERMINED BY THE SOCIAL SITUATION AND THAT…

This publication is designed to inform practicing science teachers of recent, relevant research results in the field of science education. Articles are written to identify ideas of practical application in the science classroom, to inform science teachers of the kinds of research which need to be done to supply answers to current concerns, and to…

This study was undertaken primarily to identify various approaches used by physics teachers with special note made in terms of the inquiry approach in teaching. It was carried out in fifteen micro-teaching exercises, each involving one teacher and five high school students randomly chosen from the teacher's physics class. All verbal utterances…

The problem investigated in this study was to determine if any relationship existed between the methods of instruction used in an astronomy institute for secondary school teachers for the instruction of a certain set of concepts and the instructional preferences of the teachers concerning those concepts. Inquiry and verification methods of…

This study determined the effects of the opportunity to acquire a questioning strategy related to content-oriented values clarification inquiry and investigated whether teachers given the same objective of incorporating values clarification into their on-going content-related lessons could do so without receiving training in an appropriate…

After participating in an inservice workshop designed to improve question-asking skills, nine teachers conducted discussion lessons based on science history stories selected from a fourth-grade reading series. Pupils within each class were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group participated in discussion lessons that involved the…

The main purpose of this study is to determine achievement changes that occur in fifth grade students using the social studies curriculum program, "Man: A Course of Study (MACOS)". The experimental group consists of 103 students using the MACOS materials, and the control group of 103 students using a traditional social studies course.…

Much of the responsibility for poor teaching of history at the secondary level lies with those who teach college history rather than those who teach teachers. One approach to new methods of history instruction is the development and use of inquiry models. Crucial to this approach is the involvement of students and teacher in model building--an…

Project Africa's report summarizes: 1) its background and rationale, structure, and staff, 2) curriculum materials design, development, field trial and evaluation, 3) other project dissemination activities. Three different groups of materials were developed by the project. The most comprehensive was a flexible, sixteen-week program of study,…

The essential purpose of the five papers compiled in this report is to summarize, analyze, and interpret recent tendencies in educational theory and practice and their implications for "the heart of the educational process," i.e., the curriculum. The papers focus on general strategies or methodologies of instruction, rather than specific subject…

Designed as a basic workbook using the inquiry process or as a supplementary text in the classroom, this 129 page booklet is divided into five units: Moving in on the Earth From Space, The Earth's Great Bodies of Water, Composition of the Solid Earth, The Earth's Crust is Constantly Changing, and Studying the Earth's History. The exercises are…

Comprehension of a problem or task that is generated in the real world rather than presented as a well-defined problem-statement of the kind encountered in textbooks or psychological laboratories was related to the ability of recognizing, selecting and formulating problems. The process of acquiring and utilizing this ability was conceptualized…

This investigation presents a comparative study between a classroom atmosphere conducive to inquiry, with teachers considered qualified for this type of teaching, and the more formal didactic lecture-demonstration type teaching (traditional), with teachers judged to be particularly competent in this approach. The sample consisted of 582 pupils…

This booklet has been written to improve the inquiry techniques of elementary school science teachers. It is designed for self-study and has been used in summer workshops. The principles presented for teaching science include: the central importance of pupil involvement, the gains from free pupil interaction, the benefits of effective questioning,…