In this paper we present a simple set-up that illustrates the mechanism of sap ascent in plants and demonstrates that it can easily draw water up to heights of a few meters. The set-up consists of a tube with the lower end submerged in water and the upper one connected to a filter supported by a standard filter-holder. The evaporation of water…

Inquiry-based laboratories are acknowledged as the preferred method of instruction for development of research skills. Much has been written about changes in student performance associated with inquiry, but less is known about how students view the inquiry-based format or whether they perceive a benefit from this type of instruction. The Student…

This book presents a wide selection of issues currently of interest and concern in higher education institutions in Ireland. The chapters are snapshots of the intersection between theory, practice and research in particular settings; they are not meant to be comprehensive. Nevertheless, they present practice approaches, new theoretical…

In spring 1992, American River College, in California, began a Beacon College project to involve students in the life of the college through the implementation of a Peer Assisted Learning program. In the program, the college established semester-long collaborative study groups in selected math and science classes. Prior to the semester, faculty…

In spring 1992, American River College (ARC), in California, began a Beacon College project to involve students in the life of the college through the Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) program, involving semester-long, collaborative study groups in selected math and science classes. These two reports describe project outcomes for 1995 and as of January…

"Talking Science" does not mean simply talking about science; it means doing science through the medium of language. This is a book about communication, scientific, and technical education. Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the specific themes and methods of the book. Each analyzes a brief classroom episode, looking from two different points of view at…

This study investigated the predictive relationship between initial student attitudes, admissions test scores, years of high school math taken, and the student's subsequent achievement in introductory college chemistry. A group of 179 students who began as new freshmen during the same fall semester and took an introductory chemistry course during…

This monograph describes 30 college and university programs funded by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education from 1989 to 1991. Each description includes information on program purpose, project activities, major insights and lessons, project continuation, and available information. The first group of 10 are programs focused on…

Many are aware that factors other than academic talent help to determine a student's success or failure in school A 4-year longitudinal study including 87 men and 34 women at North Carolina State University examines gender differences in students' academic performance, persistence in chemical engineering, and attitudes toward their education and…

The existence, before any formal physics instruction, of schemata which lead to an idiosyncratic interpretation of real world events, which physicists see as exemplifying principles of physics, is now well established. Because these interpretations are often at variance with physicists' interpretations, they have been labeled, among others,…

This article reports the results of a study with 70 senior undergraduate biological science majors enrolled in a required course on "Writing and Speaking in the Biological Sciences". Students enrolled in this course were expected to develop oral scientific presentations of their research projects that exemplified the norms of speaking in…

In 1990, a statewide study was conducted to examine issues which affected the teaching of science in Florida's community colleges and to make recommendations for improvement. The study involved reviews of the literature and existing data, the selection of an advisory committee and committee meetings, site hearings, and the creation and…

This bibliography contains over 1,000 entries organized into seven sections. These include: (1) "Women in Science Bibliographies"; (2) "Journals and Periodicals Which Have Devoted Whole Issues or Frequent Articles to Women in Sciences"; (3) "Biographies and Autobiographies of Women Scientists"; (4) "Differences Between the Sexes--As Proposed by…

This document contains the transcript of a senate hearing on the crisis in science and math education. The document includes the opening statements of Senators Glenn, Kohl, Bingaman, Lieberman, Heinz, and Sasser, and the testimony of seven witnesses including: Honorable Mark O. Hatfield, Senator from the State of Oregon; Carl Sagan, Ph.D. Cornell…

This study was designed as a systematic investigation of the feasibility and effectiveness of student authored videodisc presentations in a non-major introductory level college biology course. Students (n=66) used a quick-learn authoring system, the Macintosh computer, and videodisc player with color monitor. Results included: (1) students managed…