Examines the traditional language of physics textbooks and the way of looking at science and science education that underlies that language. Covers five high school textbooks ranging from 1900 to 1984. Reports little change in the style of presentation. Includes text examples, conclusions, and recommendations. (YP)

Contains articles on digestive enzymes in grasshoppers; bird and badger observation; reactions between hydrochloric acid and sodium carbonate solutions; observing the migration of ions; pupil's heating skills (Bunsen burners); photolysis experimentation; capillary kinetics; experience with trireme; connection circuits; special relativity; a…

Presents examples where mathematical and physical reasoning complement each other in interpreting and analyzing some basic science concepts using proof by contradiction and contrapositive. Examples involve the rotation of the moon, the stability of electrons and protons, the electron's orbit about the nucleus, and the earth's liquid core. (MDH)

Presents a case study of how one 11th-grader learned the meaning of the velocity sign. Her learning was not just an acknowledgment of a rule but also a broad questioning and revision of her thinking about graphs and motion. (16 references) (Author/MKR)

Discusses the evaluation of SToMP (Software Teaching of Modular Physics), a project that uses hypermedia to provide the resources an undergraduate student needs to study physics courses via a computer. Findings show that SToMP allows students to have individualized self-paced learning environments and offers better tutor-student contact. (JMV)

Describes the implementation and evaluation of a nondirected student research project that aimed at acquainting students with some of the procedures used by physicists in the real world. Outlines specific project designs used by the students. (JRH)

Presents instructions and schematic diagrams for an activity that allows students to discover the relationship between electricity and magnetism. Students draw conclusions and form hypotheses regarding their observations. Suggestions for further study are provided for "real world" experiences by students. (ZWH)

Examines analogical reasoning in contexts where understanding is generated from loosely organized, incomplete prior knowledge rather than transferred from a well-structured domain of understanding. Participants, consisting of 11 secondary school science teacher candidates, were presented with a piston/cylinder device and asked to explain the…

Interviews of and questionnaires given to (n=299) 14- and 15-year-old students in England and Spain on their understanding of combustion and on the teaching and learning styles used with students found that the extensive use of practical work in English schools had only a marginal effect on their understanding of combustion. Includes…

Presents an alternative to the use of a radar to determine how fast an individual can serve a tennis ball. Equipped with a tape recorder and a Macintosh computer, students determine the velocity of a tennis ball by analyzing the sounds and echoes heard on the court. (ZWH)

Eighteen year-11 physics students were taught heat and expansion of liquids using a predict-observe-explain sequence. Argues that the data demonstrate how students' prior knowledge and beliefs can affect their observations and interpretations of new learning. (Author/MKR)

Examines the problem of determining the minimum center of mass for a can with a varying height of liquid in it. Uses PC SOLVE computer software to graphically represent the problem situation. (MDH)

Described is a curriculum development project aimed at stimulating girls' interest in physics with a view to encouraging more girls to pursue the subject further. Included are the background information, implementation, and implications for science teaching. (KR)

The significant stages in the development of understanding of the concept of electric charge are discussed. The history is outlined with references to certain important experiments, and suggestions are made for relevant school demonstrations and experiments. (KR)

Discussed is the idea that energy is the cause of change. This idea, going back to early cognitive development, means that the teaching of energy needs to confront how, thermodynamically, people can perform actions. The change in energy caused by differences is emphasized. (KR)