A lab rotary experiment using the pH measurements of an aqueous solution to monitor the course of a solvolytic reaction was conducted. This experiment allowed the students to gain experience in taking precise pH measurement, to use nonlinear analysis techniques for analyzing kinetic data and to use the Arrhenius equation for determination of…

In this work we conducted a survey of chemical engineering departments in the United States to determine the content of the graduate thermodynamics course offered at their institutions. From our survey, we found that 90% of the institutions require this course as part of the core curriculum. Other findings explore the textbooks used in this course…

Featuring an increased emphasis on the way today's changing science and technology is shaping our culture, this Second Edition of "Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle School" provides pre- and in-service teachers with an introduction to basic science concepts and methods of science instruction, as well as practical strategies for the…

In 2006 and 2008, two large trans-national residential summer schools on conservation science were organized as intensive programs. Learners were not only second/third cycle students in both exact sciences and humanities, but further practicing restorers; consequently their educational background, and even their way of approaching scientific…

Pre-laboratory activities have been known to improve students' preparation before their practical work as they assist students to make available more working memory capacity for actual learning during the laboratory. The aim of this investigation was to compare two different teaching approaches which supported a pre-laboratory session by using the…

Laboratory work is one of the main forms of teaching used in chemistry, physics, biology and medicine. For many years researchers and teachers have argued in favor of or against this form of education. Student opinion could be a valuable tool for teachers to demonstrate the validity of such expensive and work intensive forms of education as…

This paper reports case study research into the knowledge and understanding of chemistry for six secondary science student teachers. It combines innovative student-generated computer animations, using "ChemSense" software, with interviews to probe understanding of four common chemical processes used in the secondary school curriculum. Findings…

The purpose of this study is to identify how upper secondary school French students (Grade 10-12) interpret chemical transformation with regards to the changes within molecules and atoms, and in terms of intramolecular and/or intermolecular bond breaking. In order to identify and describe the students' assimilated knowledge, four questions were…

This paper reports a study on teachers' domain-specific beliefs about the chemistry curriculum for upper-secondary education in The Netherlands. Teachers' beliefs were investigated using a questionnaire focused on the goals of the chemistry curriculum. The design of the questionnaire was based on three curriculum emphases: "fundamental…

An interdisciplinary team of science and education faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago and several Chicago-area community colleges developed and implemented a series of four integrated, inquiry-based science courses for preservice elementary school teachers. All four courses are based on guiding principles taken from the rich…

Thirty-two computer-based lesson modules in organic chemistry were developed at the University of Texas (Austin) over an 18-month period and evaluated in varying classroom situations for three semesters starting in the Fall of 1972. The modules were designed as supplements to the traditional organic chemistry course of the University. As such,…

This qualitative study examined student teachers' views on the value of undertaking small-scale research as part of the secondary teacher training course, and evaluated quality of the research reports prepared by the student teachers in terms of meeting the methodological requirements. Data was gathered by a questionnaire composed of open-ended…

The new paradigm for student research should be articulations and collaborations with local governmental, academic, and civic entities. This will enable students to make lasting contributions to bettering their communities through scientific research, and to better understand the practical relevance of science. This article presents two such…

In the 1940s, Lewis Terman (1954a, 1954b) studied "life success" of 730 gifted men at the midpoint of their careers and found that success is associated with stability and absence of disturbing conflicts. In this article, we use retrospective data (N = 624) from the academic Olympians in 3 countries (USA, Germany, and Finland) to study…

This article reports the findings of Phase II of our study of student use of web-based tutorial materials for general chemistry and student understanding of chemistry concepts. We have found that students who use the web site valued the aspects of visualization of chemistry concepts and availability of materials online. In our analysis of student…