This three-part paper describes the development of a software program called "The Growth Curve of Microorganisms" for a tenth-grade biology class. Designed to improve students' cognitive skills, the program enables them to investigate, through computer simulations, the impact upon the growth curve of a population of three variables: temperature,…

This paper describes some of the correct, missing, and alternative conceptions which students possess related to the Gulf of Maine. Students (N=226) from grades 4, 8, and 11 were interviewed on 15 major concepts involving geology, physical and chemical oceanography, natural resources, ecology, and decision-making. The mean interview scores of the…

Biological Science Grade 7, a one semester course in the Los Angeles Unified School District, provides students with opportunities for a comprehensive study of living organisms using an investigative approach. This course outline is designed to assist teachers in planning and implementing daily and weekly lessons and in meeting course objectives.…

An instructional framework which provides opportunities for students to synthesize knowledge and recognize general approaches to problem representation and solution is advocated and discussed in this paper. The need for a combination of an interdisciplinary approach with the new technologies of the information age is emphasized. Major ideas…

Safety hazards that are frequently found in science classrooms are addressed in this digest which updates and supplements the 1980 ERIC/SMEAC information bulletin "Safety in the Science Classroom." Information obtained from journal articles and safety guides is presented in the categories of: (1) risks involved in science activities; (2)…

Designed to examine the key factors that characterize effective science instruction, this particular volume of the Intermediate Life Science Study portrays the ways in which 11 teachers taught two topics in seventh grade life science. The participating teachers were volunteers from schools in the greater San Francisco Bay area and from the greater…

WICAT Systems, Inc., produced a "proof of concept" instructional videodisc in college biology with support from the National Science Foundation. The project involved simultaneous development of content design, instructional strategies, software, and hardware, with a principal focus on evaluation of the instructional videodisc in the classroom.…

New techniques have expanded the field of biotechnology and awarded scientists an unprecedented degree of control over the genetic constitutions of living things. The knowledge of DNA science is the basis for this burgeoning industry which may be a major force in human existence. Just as it is possible to move genetic material from one organism to…

Doctoral degrees in science education have been established in several European countries during the past years. This study attempts to survey this development in nine European countries (Austria, Federal Republic of Germany, Finland, France, German Democratic Republic, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom) and in the United States.…

This study hypothesized that during high school men and women develop a belief about their competence in science that is based on their participation in certain science courses, their level of performance in those courses, and the effort that they expended. This sense of competence, in turn, affects the science decisions that these students make…

Fifteen interdisciplinary lessons on marine invertebrates (mollusks, echinoderms, and jellyfish) are provided in this unit designed for students in kindergarten and in grades 1 and 2. Each lesson includes lesson concept, competency goals, objectives, materials needed, background information, teacher preparation, and activities suitable for use in…

This collection of scientific articles on the subject of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) covers many facets of the physical and social aspects of the disease. Technical articles deal with the molecular and cellular biology of AIDS and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The national and international epidemiology of AIDS and HIV are…

This paper reports some of the results of an evaluation of Project OCEAN (Oceanic Classroom Education and Networking), a teacher training and curriculum reform project. The paper focuses on results that suggest that Project OCEAN was able to stimulate important collegial behaviors among teachers in all participating schools, and attempts to…

Many educators assert that the acquisition of thinking skills by students is of primary importance to science education today. This study was designed to examine the effect of an instructional approach on achievement in science process skills when compared to a more conventional method of science instruction. The DIAL(SPS)2, a directed approach to…

This curriculum guide lists science topics and concepts, learning outcomes, and sample learning objectives (in three columns) for these secondary school science courses in Alaska: (1) general science (grades 7-12); (2) life science (grades 7-12); (3) physical science (grades 7-12); (4) earth science (grades 8-10); (5) biology (grades 10-12); (6)…