For the thirty-sixth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the annual AECT Convention in Anaheim, California. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…

As a result of declining scores, the National Science Foundation has funded numerous materials-development grants. Largest among these is the Interactive Media Science (IMS) Project at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee. This project's mandate is to design, develop, and produce six level III interactive videodisc programs for middle…

A study investigated the extent to which students' inquiry skills can be facilitated through the use of a computerized science database (Birds of the Antarctica) and specially designed curriculum materials. Much attention was given in the program to developing both students' inquiry skills and their subject-matter knowledge. Grade 11 and 12…

Educational research has thus far failed to greatly improve education because it is based on a model of reality that emphasizes unilateral control in both research and practice. Efforts to gain unilateral control presume that researchers or practitioners know what is significant from the outset, that they are essentially outside the situation they…

This monograph provides a comprehensive description of the science, technology, and society (STS) movement in science education. The STS approach strives to broaden the scope of science education by integrating into the science program accurate presentations of the nature of science, the nature of technology, and the interactions of science and…

This conference brought together directors of research grants and research-based contracts funded by the Division of Innovation and Development of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS). The proceedings contain copies of three speeches given at the conference, along with transcripts of the question-and-answer sessions…

The New York City social studies curriculum revision program emphasizes the teaching of basic concepts rather than the accumulation of data, providing students with necessary values and skills to cope with today's social problems. To accomplish this, the curriculum uses techniques of inquiry and discovery that aim at conceptualization and that…

This book addresses some of the methods by which science can be made accessible to children, both in school and non-school settings. It contains information on effective science education for elementary school age children, and includes a catalog of books and other materials. Topics discussed in the book include: (1) planning; (2) approaches to…

Psychological research has shown that the meaning people make of their experience is what leads to their learning and development. In addition, the location of human activity has an impact on its meaning. Physical location is not the only component of the context in which afterschool activities take place. Examples in this article illustrate that…

The paper is designed to aid social studies educators and teachers in selecting curriculum materials. It is presented in three sections. Section I outlines problems involved in choosing among curricula. These problems include similarity of traditional social studies textbooks; recent proliferation of innovative curricula which have not been…

The main objective of this study was to develop a category system to analyze or evaluate issue-centered classroom discussion (teaching-learning processes, cognitive and affective classroom interaction, verbal transactions (communication patterns), and, achievement of behavioral objectives). Behaviors investigated were: the extent of Michigan…

An inquiry approach, coupled with a simulation technique, is utilized in a kit designed to teach civil liberties to high school classes. This booklet, normally accompanied by five flow charts and a cassette, first presents the instructions for the simulation. Then, five constitutional case studies and excerpts from their Supreme Court decisions…

Educational research on the social studies since the 1960's, indicating that many changes have occurred yet implying that there is still a further need for research and improvement, is summarized in this booklet. Because the vast amount of research on social studies makes it impractical to report a great deal of it, many of the findings reported…

The tenth-grade resource unit, developed by the University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies, is the fourth in a series of six units on continuity and change in American civilization. The attempt to apply the egalitarian ideology of the Democratic Age to the Negro and the ramifications of this attempt upon the political system are analyzed.…

This book is designed to help classroom teachers attain the knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and teaching strategies they need to make social studies relevant and exciting for Afro-American, Mexican-American, Puerto Rican-American, American Indian, and other children who come from a culture of poverty. Part One explores the basic problems and…