This overview of the research process for the novice information retrieval (IR) researcher provides guidance on selecting a research question, choosing the type of test, defining variables, developing or using databases, finding and processing queries, assigning treatments to experimental units, collecting and analyzing the data, and presenting…

The issues, roles, dynamics, rationales and events embroiled in the dissection controversy are discussed. Insights into where the politics of biology education without speciesism or dissection are likely to take science education in the future are provided. (KR)

Examines features of science experiments that make them interesting to middle school students (n=59 seventh graders). Compared a model of interest in learning with the reasons students gave for liking experiments. Latent partition analysis was used to derive an empirical model from characteristics of interesting science experiments. (PR)

Discusses traditional school demonstrations and experiments in hydrotropism. Explains that these experiments seem to "prove" hydrotropism, but yet most botanists reject hydrotropism. Teachers continue to teach the concept because it is logical and the experiments are simple. (PR)

Presents activities that utilize piezoelectric film to familiarize students with fundamental principles of electricity. Describes classroom projects involving chemical sensors, microbalances, microphones, switches, infrared sensors, and power generation. (MDH)

Describes the use of Gowin's Vee to make the connection between lecture and laboratory, guide science fair research, help students decipher professional research journals, and make oral science fair or lab report presentations easier to understand. Provides examples of Gowin's Vee applied to research articles and comprehensive criteria for…

Explains how the surface of a freshly sliced potato can be used for a variety of enzyme action experiments including the influence of pH on enzyme action, the enzyme denaturation potential of boiling water, the inhibition of enzymes by heavy metals, and the effects of salt concentration on enzyme effectiveness. (PR)

A dynamic measure (number of examples needed to reach mastery) predicted transfer but not maintenance of a learned strategy for 64 third graders trained by scaffolded (n=32) or nonscaffolded (n=32) methods. A static measure had some predictive utility in the nonscaffolded condition. The potential superiority of scaffolded instruction is discussed.…

Describes changes in scientific research methods that have been brought about by the use of computers. Presents an example of the falling of a body in a fluid to show students how computers can be used to experiment with mathematical models and to automate experiments. Contains 11 references. (Author/WRM)

Describes a laboratory protocol using clinical veterinary data that teaches the cognitive, analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills necessary for students in a biology core laboratory course. (WRM)

This study investigated potential differences in learning between two instructional activities: reading from a text and using a computer simulation. Participants were undergraduate students with limited knowledge of the domain topic (project management). Participants in both conditions (Simulation and Text) improved equally on a decontextualized,…

We have set out to investigate an approach to improve patients' ability to self-manage chronic illness. For effective health care in chronic disease, we believe patients need to work in partnership with their doctor; patient-centred consultations are one way to achieve this. This report describes our experience of training specialists in…

One of the signatures of scientific writing is its ability to present the claims of science as if they were "untouched by human hands." In the early years of experimental education, researchers achieved this by adopting a citational practice that led to the sedimentation of their cardinal method, the analysis of variance, and their standard for…

Recent research demonstrates that many issues related to the structure of natural numbers and the relationship among numbers are not well grasped by students. In this article, we describe a computer-based learning environment called "Number Worlds" that was designed to support the exploration of elementary number theory concepts by…

International Grammar School was founded twenty years ago on the belief in the benefits of immersion language learning for children. It offers immersion second language learning in German, Italian, French, and Japanese which continues through kindergarten into the high school years. With language as the medium and not the object of learning,…