Teachers' perceptions about the nature of their discipline are important factors in their curricular decisions, behavior in the classroom, and interpretations and reactions to classroom events. It is not an easy task to access one's beliefs nor stimulate genuine dialogue about them. Errors can provide both the motivations and the means for…

Little attention has been paid to the topic of science education in liberal arts colleges and seminaries during the 3 decades following the Civil War. This paper argues that Mount Holyoke College (Massachusetts) made a place for itself in the scientific community in the last decades of the nineteenth century by developing a curriculum which…

An integral part of the curriculum in introductory biology courses is the study of Mendelian genetics. Results from genetics learning studies and needs assessments demonstrated the need for additional intensive research in biology education and genetics learning. There exists a lack of detailed information describing reasoning patterns and…

This report discusses the support of research and development (R&D) by the federal government through appropriate agencies; it uses data from an annual survey of federal agencies following the preparation of their budgets for 1984. Therefore, this information reflects the continuation of Reagan administration policies to strengthen the United…

Findings of a 1986 National Science Foundation survey of faculty and nonfaculty doctorates in 2,074 departments in 21 science and engineering (S/E) fields at 181 doctorate-granting institutions are summarized and compared to previous surveys. The proportion of recent-doctorate full-time faculty increased in each of the four engineering fields…

It can be inferred from the corpus of misconception research that an assumption that students come into secondary and college classes with a relatively homogeneous view of the world has been made. This paper takes the position that this assumption keeps researchers from a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that lead to science…

Since 1976 China has entered a new historical period in which the central task is to modernize agriculture, industry, national defense, and science and technology (S&T). The modernization of S&T is the key to the realization of the modernization in the other three fields. China has established a research and development (R&D) system of…

This paper attempts to show that it is possible to analyze a problem solving protocol in which the subject spontaneously generates a series of analogies. The qualitative physics problem given to the subject describes a situation where that which is unfamiliar is often solved by relating it to several analogous situations that are more familiar.…

In October 1978, the National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated five studies of the continuing education of scientists and engineers employed in small, geographically dispersed industry. Following the award of these studies NSF requested Battelle, one of the award recipients, to assist in coordinating the five projects. This report briefly…

A list of materials needed and methodology for "gyotaku" (fish rubbing) are provided. Originally developed in Japan and China during the early 1800's, the technique of fish printing has become popular in the United States during the last 10 years. Because good printing results depend on an understanding of fish anatomy, a chart is…

Everyday life provides individuals with countless opportunities for observing and interacting with objects in motion. Although everyone presumably has some sort of knowledge about motion, it is by no means clear what form(s) this knowledge may take. The research described in this paper determined what sorts of knowledge are in fact acquired…

As a minority, women experience stress because of their gender when they enter the male-dominated profession of science. A review of the coping strategies used by women in dealing with the psychologically stressful situations of choosing a career in science is presented in this paper. This study is based on interviews with four women trained in…

Reports on a nine-state questionnaire survey designed to determine the extent to which heads of departments of physics and physical science support Doctor of Arts degree programs. (PEB)

Described is an autoinstructional chemistry course for elementary school teachers, taught at the Venango Campus of Clarion (Pennsylvania) State College. Discussed are course goals, chemistry content, laboratory experiences, instructional objectives, management techniques required, methods for obtaining student feedback, and some conclusions…

Summarizes survey data about the need and appropriate character of graduate degree programs designed to prepare two-year and four-year college physics and physical science teachers. Indicates that future employment favors two-year college teachers with a master's degree in the region west of the Mississippi River. (CC)