A survey of 1,720 students in 71 university science laboratory classes in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Israel, and Nigeria investigated student and teacher perceptions of dimensions of classroom environment (student cohesiveness, open-endedness, integration, rule clarity, material environment). Results and the utility of the…

Presents three typical lab activities involving the breathing rate of fish, the behavior of electromagnets, and tests for water hardness to demonstrate how labs can be modified to teach process skills. Discusses how basic concepts about experimentation are developed and ways of generating and improving science experiments. Includes a laboratory…

Educational specifications and user requirements for all types of intermediate schools (the middle school, the senior public school, and junior high schools) are presented. The essential purpose of this report is to provide educators and architects with general guidelines for designing improved school facilities. Part 1 focuses on the early…

Elements of modified school design for the physically disabled are considered, including mobility, classrooms, science laboratories, applied skill areas, the library, the swimming pool, and sanitary facilities. Also discussed are the cafeteria (food service, seating, and other considerations), recreational areas (play grounds,…

The construction of the International Space Station (ISS) is one of humankind's most exciting and challenging endeavors. Numerous rocket launches are required to build this orbiting science laboratory. The purpose of this curriculum supplement is to introduce students in the Early Childhood classroom to the International Space Station and the role…

The New York City Department of Education, like other urban public school systems, is facing the task of reforming many large high schools that have had graduation rates under fifty percent for many years. With new federal sanctions for failing schools under the No Child Left Behind Act, many schools nation-wide that have been prominent…

The experiences of a chemistry professor and a physics professor at a regional branch campus of Penn State University are described. In both instances, the faculty members had previously served as teaching assistants at a research intensive institution, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The unique pedagogical struggles involved in…

This paper discussed the use of structured observations as a research strategy in two recently completed studies that investigated students thought processes and behaviors in a microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) environment and in other instrument-based laboratory environments. In the first study, students' behaviors and thought processes were…

This teacher's guide was developed for use in junior and senior high schools in Duval County, Jacksonville, Florida, for the purpose of identifying those secondary science laboratory experiences which are essential to the development of science content knowledge and competency in handling science laboratory equipment and consumables. The guide…

Biology is an important growth area in postsecondary education in Great Britain, although confined to a small number of institutions. Papers presented on this topic include: trends and developments (E. Norris); biological manpower (B. Gregson-Allcott); laboratory design (A.J. Branton, F. Drake); the place of research (K. Wilson); Degree and…

Ideas for chemistry laboratories, design curriculums, and instructional criteria are outlined for use in Asian secondary schools. Chemistry education and its changing aspects, teaching methods, planning and communication problems are discussed. Requirements for laboratory facilities are included with suggestions for laboratory furniture and…

This book offers broad, practical strategies for teaching science and engineering courses and describes how faculty can provide a learning environment that helps students comprehend the nature of science, understand science concepts, and solve problems in science courses. The student-centered approach focuses on two main themes: reflective writing…

The 1979-1980 class schedules for the nine institutions within the Los Angeles Community College District were examined to document the number and variety of courses offered by the colleges in six areas of science: agriculture, biological sciences, engineering sciences and technology, mathematics and computer science, physical sciences, and social…

A project addressed the lack of rural school laboratory facilities and limited opportunities for staff development by training 22 high school physics teachers in rural Missouri to use videotaped "virtual" laboratory experiments and student data-collection worksheets. Surveys identified 19 topics for which physics teachers reported…

Homework gives students an opportunity to practice important college-level physics skills. A switch to Web-based homework alters the nature of feedback received, potentially changing the pedagogical benefit. Calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics students enrolled in large paired lecture sections at a public university completed homework…