To determine the relative importance of school and individual factors in the determination of science learning, achievement test scores were analyzed in relation to individual- and school-level factors in a national sample of about 2,000 tenth-grade students participating in the Longitudinal Study of American Youth. Hierarchical linear analyses…

Eighteen high school science students were involved in a study to determine what attributes in the problem statement they need when representing a typical osmosis problem. In order to realize this goal students were asked to solve problems aloud and to explain their answers. Included as a part of the results are the attributes that the students…

Ten preservice biology teachers were followed through the final year of their preservice education to assess the content and stability of their knowledge structures of biology. A questionnaire asking the subjects to list the topics which make up biology and to diagram these topics in relation to one another was completed three times during the…

A learning cycle consists of three phases: exploration; conceptual invention; and expansion of an idea. These phases parallel Piaget's functioning model of assimilation, disequilibrium and accommodation, and organization respectively. The learning cycle perceives students as actors rather than reactors to the environment. Inherent in that…

The Zimbabwe Secondary School Science Project (ZIM-SCI) developed student study guides, corresponding teaching guides, and science kits for a low-cost science course which could be taught during the first 2 years of secondary school without the aid of qualified teachers and conventional laboratories. This teaching guide, designed to be read in…

The Zimbabwe Secondary School Science Project (ZIM-SCI) developed student study guides, corresponding teaching guides, and science kits for a low-cost science course which could be taught during the first 2 years of secondary school without the aid of qualified teachers and conventional laboratories. This teaching guide, designed to be read in…

The Zimbabe Secondary School Science Project (ZIM-SCI) developed student study guides, corresponding teaching guides, and science kits for a low-cost science course which could be taught during the first 2 years of secondary school without the aid of qualified teachers and conventional laboratories. This ZIM-SCI study guide includes activities and…

Designed for science students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, the activities in this unit illustrate principles and problems related to the conservation of energy. Eleven student activities using art, economics, arithmetic, and other skills and disciplines help teachers directly involve students in exploring scientific questions and making…

Increasing the numbers of female students in math and science courses where female participation rates are low relative to male rates has been a goal of educators for many years. A major purpose of reducing the gap is to ensure that women do not prematurely exclude themselves from career opportunities by dropping college and university…

This handbook is based on a list of essential topics that should be mastered by the student who subsequently plans to pursue college chemistry. Chapters include: (1) "Introduction" (describing a position paper and the background of the handbook); (2) "Essential General Topics and Objectives"; (3) "Testing Students"…

During the process of studying the specific course content of human anatomy, students are being educated to expand their vocabulary, deal successfully with complex tasks, and use a specific way of thinking. This is the first volume in a set of laboratory instructions and study notes which are designed to accompany a lecture series in human…

Many studies have confirmed that students' interest in physics decreases during the secondary school level and that girls are, in general, less interested in physics than boys. This is an interim report of a six-year cross sectional and longitudinal study investigating the structure of interest in physics and technology and the relationship of…

Much of the focus in science education has been on the theoretical constructs and practical implications of conceptual change. History of science, cognitive theory, and alternative conceptions have been used as backdrops for the study of the child's conceptual movement away from naive beliefs about scientific phenomena. In this study, conceptual…

The California Extension Service works with schools to develop energy education programs which will reduce school energy usage and costs by involving staff and students in energy management. This bibliography contains selected materials which present an accurate reporting of the facts, assume little teacher background, emphasize active learning in…

Preservice teacher education, when viewed through a constructivist lens, should consider preconceptions because it is important that students be initially aware of their own attitudes and of the beliefs that they carry with them. Preconceptions also provide a reference point about which students may reflect as new meanings are acquired. This paper…