Analyzes two initiatives in Australian education that have attempted to influence the future directions of high school chemistry curricula: the concept of a national curriculum encompassing eight key learning areas and the reform processes of individual state governments. Presents a radically different syllabus produced by the State of Victoria as…

Analyzes the role of standards in science curriculum development and professional development. Discusses the difficulty of interpreting standards and describes experiences from a curriculum forum. (YDS)

Analyzes current examples of the integration of academic and occupational curriculum in science and technology education in light of issues developed in two historical failures. Discusses the differential status of academic and applied science, the importance of support from groups such as industry and postsecondary institutions, and the lack of…

Presents three interlinked studies aimed at developing a curricular framework for physics education; assessing student interest in the contents, contexts, and activities that are suggested by that curricular framework; and developing a curriculum that is in line with that framework and measuring its cognitive and emotional effects on students.…

Reports on the approaches of two classroom science teachers, supported by a research group, to understanding the consequences of a classroom change implemented in response to a perceived problem. Focuses on the consequences of using problem solving tasks for all students. (Author/YDS)

Explores the notion of science teachers' professionalism and challenges the beguiling notion of best practice. Argues that science teachers' ownership of their own work imposes on the power of external agencies to effect change. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/ASK)

Suggests that the contribution of history and philosophy of science (HPS) to science education can be enhanced through a consideration of scientific models. Analyzes the curriculum and textbooks for 14-16 year olds in Brazil and the United Kingdom and identifies the use of hybrid models. (Contains 35 references.) (Author/YDS)

Discusses the impact that Charles Eliot had on the development of science education in America starting in the late 1800s. Describes his involvement in the development of the Harvard list of laboratory experiments suggested for all physics students to have completed nationwide for enrollment in college. (MVL)

A growing cadre of science teachers and researchers are developing curriculum blueprints for teaching the science and ethics of genetics to help students put advances in biotechnology into proper perspective. Lists five sources for teaching genetics. (MLF)

Studies the introduction of technology into the science curriculum and offers a general framework for analyzing technology as artifact, knowledge, and social practice. Provides analytical tools to study the implications of technology in general education. Contains 34 references. (DDR)

Seeks to address concerns Shiland raised in a prior article published in Science Education 1998, 82(5), 615-617 regarding the National Science Education Standards (NSES). Discusses the failures of NSES and the consequences related to the cognitive abilities of teachers and students. (Contains 20 references.) (Author/YDS)

Explores how case methods may be used to foster habits of praxis--that is, critical, reflective practices that enable beginning teachers to adapt to the many diverse contexts they will encounter in the field. Results suggest that student teachers: (1) understood an associated analytical framework; (2) effectively analyzed curriculum and pedagogy;…

Describes the multidisciplinary teaching approach implemented at Rowan University's engineering department. Explains how emerging technologies are integrated into the curriculum. (Contains 19 references.) (YDS)

Proposes a multilevel-multifaceted approach to evaluating the impact of education reform on student achievement that would be sensitive to context and small treatment effects. Uses a different assessment based on students' proximity to the enacted curriculum. Indicates that close assessment were more sensitive to the changes in students' pre- to…

Reports on an action research project in the Philippines including a description of the action research. Describes the design, development, and evaluation of a curriculum in general science for science or mathematics teachers at elementary and secondary levels. (MM)