This report examines possible national indicators for learning outcomes in the individual disciplines of higher education. It consists of versions of five project final reports, each underscoring a distinct approach to developing a model in the context of a specific discipline. Each model applies, however, to several similar disciplines. Stressed…

Nationwide data are provided on the 1987 salaries of members of each of the American Institute of Physics' 10 member societies. Of the approximately 13,600 society members who were mailed a questionnaire, 61% responded. Data are presented by: degree level, type of employer, gender, salaries for PhDs by geographic location, PhD salaries by…

This paper discusses the physical principles behind the flying ability of both kites and airplanes. This background material was developed for a program in which a Japanese kite maker conducts kite making and flying classes in the Japan School District Elementary Schools of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS), Pacific Region. The…

With the advent of inexpensive microcomputers, the availability of microcomputers in the schools has mushroomed. Teacher training in the use of microcomputers has not kept pace with the increased availability of computers. There is little current information about how physics and physical science teachers actually use microcomputers in their…

Designed to examine the factors that contribute to student achievement, this study focused specifically on the relationship between physics achievement and selected teacher characteristics, student characteristics, and school and district characteristics. Questionnaires and attitude surveys were completed by 39 randomly selected Mississippi…

Described is the development and initial assessment of a forgiveable loan program designed to attract qualified students into a teacher education program to prepare for teaching mathematics in middle or high schools. The program was established in 1983 at Austin College by the King Foundation. Five qualified students a year may be awarded a King…

A course was developed to help science teachers in Mississippi teach physics. Most of those teaching the subject were inexperienced in physics, had limited background in the subject, and were in need of help. The course provided these teachers with a deeper understanding of physics principles, emphasized problem-solving strategies, and included…

This document contains various science problems which require a mathematical solution. The problems are arranged under two general areas. The first (algebra I) contains biology, chemistry, and physics problems which require solutions related to linear equations, exponentials, and nonlinear equations. The second (algebra II) contains physics…

Knowledge elicitation through programming was studied to determine students' intuitive ideas about motion. The subjects, 17-year-old sixth-form science students and 14-year-old third-form students, were asked to write expert systems programs about motion; and their interactions with their own knowledge were observed. The 17-year-old students had…

Physics 30 is a 12th-grade science course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is the major examination for the course. Both English and French versions are provided. Intended for administration during January 1988, it contains 56 multiple-choice questions and three written-response questions. Two-and-one-half hours are allowed for…

This report presents the results of a survey conducted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in late 1986 of more than 14,000 applicants whose proposals for research support had been awarded or declined during fiscal year 1985. The principal purpose was to seek the views of individual investigators at academic institutions about NSF's…

Physics 30 is a 12th-grade physics course for students in Alberta, Canada. This document is the major examination for the course. Both English and French versions are provided. Intended for administration during June, 1988, it contains 56 multiple-choice questions and three written-response questions. Two-and-one-half hours are allowed for…

This research investigated the value students attached to the laboratory activities while studying physics using the learning cycle curriculum construction and teaching procedures. Among the procedures used to supply students laboratory data were video-taped demonstrations, "live" teacher demonstration, presenting data in written form…

Information is provided for students who may be interested in pursuing a career in physics. This information includes the type of work done and areas studied by physicists in the following areas: nuclear physics, solid-state physics, elementary-particle physics, atomic/molecular/electron physics, fluid/plasma physics, space/planetary physics,…

An evaluation of four seventeenth and eighteenth century essays on optics revealed early trends in the evolution of scientific articles. The later articles showed a growing tendency to (1) separate practice from pure knowledge, (2) organize information around problems of knowledge and theory rather than around chronological events, (3) emphasize…