There is virtually universal agreement on the need to strengthen science education at all levels in Ohio. Not only must the state be able to produce more and better scientists, but it is increasingly important for all citizens to become knowledgeable about scientific issues and analysis. This report presents the conclusions and recommendations…

Noting that children and adults often hold misconceptions about topics in content area texts, particularly those in the area of science where counter-intuitive notions about how the real world works abound, a study examined the effect of activating students' background knowledge about motion theory prior to asking them to read a physics text.…

The method presented is a means of determining the communality of the content of two or more texts in the same knowledge domain. The discipline studied was physics. Undergraduate curricula at 59 colleges were studied to determine consensus among the textbooks with respect to general program requirements and specific course offerings. Chapter…

Participation by women in scientific and technical careers is still low despite gains made by women in the United States job market. Consequently women's earning power and job opportunities as a group are diminished. Another effect is a loss of talent in the American work force. The objectives of this study were to: (1) study the rates of…

This document provides the findings of pilot tests of 10 units for an applied science course for high school vocational students. Each of the reports on the pilot tests of the Principles of Technology units contains information on procedures, methodology limitations, sample, the pretest/posttest instrument and results, student attitude results,…

A unified science approach is incorporated in this K-6 curriculum mode. The program is organized into six major cycles. These include: (1) science, math, and technology cycle; (2) universe cycle; (3) life cycle; (4) water cycle; (5) plate tectonics cycle; and (6) rock cycle. An overview is provided of each cycle's major concepts. The topic…

Two questions about the effects of microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) activities on graphing skills were addressed in this study: (1) the extent to which activities help students link their concrete experiences with motion with graphic representations of these experiences; and (2) the degree of importance of the real-time aspect of the MBL in…

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.…

A number of documents were written in 1983 by groups seeking to improve American education. This digest was developed to review and examine some of the common themes (as they pertain to science education) from these documents. They are: (1) "A Nation at Risk"; (2) "Educating Our Citizens: The Search for Excellence"; (3)…

Four of the 1983 United States Nobel laureates in science provided the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology with their views about the current state of American science and U.S. government science policy as well as comments on one or more aspects which they believed should be brought to the committee's attention. These…

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)

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)

This publication was designed to serve as a teacher's handbook for a four week "shop" adventure in elementary electricity for 12- or 13-year-old boys who would ordinarily not take an interest in electrical things. These projects could easily be adapted to aid any elementary physics treatment of electronics. Projects were designed to meet two main…

Describes the use of a time shared computer with telephone access and a simplified electronic musical instrument in an engineering orientation presentation in high schools in South Carolina. (GH)