Reports on the findings from the House of Commons Education Committee's Inquiry into Science and Technology at Key Stages two and three. Discusses background, views of Key Stages two and three, pupil motivation, curriculum, and recommendations. (JRH)

Examines the public's lack of understanding and interest in science. Places much of the blame on the perception of science as a dense yet pristine discipline divorced from everyday concerns. Criticizes the concept of science as independent of social construction and argues for instruction emphasizing relationships between science and society. (MJP)

Notes that traditional early childhood science programs have attempted to facilitate children's understanding of the physical or natural world. Suggests another view: that children are developing scientific thinking processes or learning strategies in the personal and social domains, and that this should be seen as part of science program in early…

Investigated the problems chemistry majors have with learning distillation concepts in traditional chemistry laboratory courses. Reports that students take the generalized concepts at face value, construct decontextualized concepts for distillation, and cannot interpret their observations or make reasoned decisions based on the theoretical…

Explains some dimensions of scientific literacy and introduces a framework for contemporary reform. Describes some aspects of the National Science Education Standards including its advocacy for equal access to science education. (19 references) (JRH)

Provides an overview of physics teaching in Canada. Responds to questions involving the curriculum, efforts to promote gender equity, teaching methods, high school physics teachers, physics teaching organizations, and educational trends. (27 references) (MDH)

Describes a teaching assistant (TA) training program to improve quality of a college physics course. Presents the goals and structures of the physics course and the TA training program. Describes the formative evaluation procedure and its role in developing the training model. Concludes that students in the physics class valued the recitation and…

Compares the chemistry textbooks used in China's elite schools with those used in other levels. Comparisons indicate that the textbooks differ only in the quantity of material required. (MDH)

Describes a small-scale study of a course that placed emphasis on context- and activity-based science. The Salters' science course makes use of a wide range of learning strategies. Author concludes that pupils' interest and enthusiasm for school science may be increased through a combination of using pupil's everyday interests and employing a wide…

In this essay, the many facets of curricular reform are explored in terms of what scholarship from these many perspectives has to offer. Examples of research results are cited and promising research opportunities explored. (Author/PR)

Describes a school district's refocusing of lesson plans in the natural sciences to teach students about the structure and function of the earth--a focus all but abandoned in many school programs. Details of the curriculum; the resources used; leadership initiatives; and obstacles to implementation are discussed. (PR)

Discussed is the status of textbooks in science instruction. Described are ways in which teachers can use the textbook more effectively. A multilevel approach to science textbooks is described. A list of easy-reading science textbooks for earth, general, and physical science is included. (KR)

Described is an undergraduate biology course which uses exercises for teaching critical thinking. A line-of-reasoning model is presented. Evidence for the effectiveness of this approach is presented. (CW)

The relationship between process and content in children's science learning is discussed. The idea that both aspects are important in learning, especially during practical investigations, and that both should be emphasized are presented. (KR)

For the primary eye care practitioner in the 1990s and beyond, the basic biomedical sciences have supplanted physiological optics as the primary academic discipline underlying the practice of optometry. Several curriculum development options are available to incorporate the needed material, but a core curriculum is essential at all institutions.…