Notes the trend in educational research away from the model of the physical sciences toward a view that sees teaching, development, and research as interrelated modes of inquiry. (JL)

Two experiments fostering experimenting and predicting skills are described. Materials needed and instructional strategies for extinguishing a fire and igniting a match coupled to a fork-spoon combination balanced on the edge of a jar are provided. (Author/JN)

This article defines inquiry, analyzes the results of the implementation of inquiry-based science curricula in the 1960s, and supports the continued emphasis on inquiry-oriented teaching in the back-to-basic curriculum reform presently being advocated. (CS)

A survey of 2,092 high school seniors in 16 Georgia schools shows that geography is liked the least of social science subjects by the most students and liked the most by the fewest. Reasons are teacher attitudes and methods. Recommendations include better teacher training, more use of the inquiry approach, and more emphasis on social concepts and…

Describes the Alberta Interim Revised Social Studies Curriculum. The framework uses selected topics about which students make value judgments. The author contends that this approach for history instruction is laden with dangers and that the curriculum has deemphasized the historical process. (Author/KC)

The author categorizes the stages and skills of independent inquiry: the motivation to inquire; skills essential to setting up an inquiry; and modes of concluding an inquiry or verifying a hypothesis. He draws curriculum implications for developing independent learners. (SJL)

Presented is an analysis of the back-to-basics movement and four areas of pedagogical concern that are fundamental to both basic education and environmental education: environmental science, inquiry, cognitive development, and bioethical development. (WB)

Describes a test designed to measure outcomes of "inquiry" social studies programs in elementary schools. Results indicate that inquiry students, or those whose teachers use inductive methods to encourage active participation in learning, perform better than noninquiry students on tasks requiring higher cognitive processes. (Author/KC)

Lists suggestions for aiding teachers in answering student questions about sex, including hints for classroom discussions, questioning and answering techniques, and appropriate role for the teacher. Also lists resources (textbooks, filmstrips, pamphlets and reports) for answering questions about sex. (CS)

This study examined the effects of inquiry training on students' ability to think analytically and the relationships of that ability with achievement in geometry and algebra. Results indicated that inquiry-trained students were not more analytical in approaching mathematics than others. (SD)

Studies of a group of seventh-grade students who were tested for inquiry skills using the TAB Science Test showed no significant differences between those students who had studied the Intermediate Science Curriculum Study (ISCS) and those who studied another curriculum. (MLH)

Shares some strategies for encouraging students to notice their environment in the broadest sense through using the Socratic method. Focuses on specific examples with historical significance such as exploring the period of a pendulum. (DDR)

Describes the development and implementation of an investigative laboratory class. The new laboratory design has been determined to be a success by faculty, teaching assistants, and students. Includes a sample laboratory description. (DKM)

Describes chemistry laboratory experiments that can be done with student-designed investigations. Suggests approaches for restructuring traditional chemistry laboratories. (DKM)