The Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation (STACI) Project is a multi-year research effort intended to examine the cognitive demands and consequences of learning from a systems thinking approach to instruction and from using simulation-modeling software. The purpose of the study is to test the potentials and effects of integrating the systems…

Principles of Technology (PT) is an applied science course intended for high school vocational students. It emphasizes the basic principles of physics that form the foundation of modern technology, combining science and mathematics concepts with extensive hands-on laboratory experiences. This handbook helps teachers and administrators in Indiana…

This paper posits a cognitive model for understanding and learning physics that is an alternative to the formal deductive system. Recent findings of Fuller, Karplus, Lawson, and others are cited in arguing against using a formal deductive approach to teaching physics. The model demonstrates types of action-oriented knowledge structures as they…

This document characterizes South African education as resulting in large numbers of students who are poorly equipped to meet academic requirements of first-year university courses, especially in science related disciplines. It reports on a study designed to investigate the learning problems of disadvantaged South Africans in an attempt to…

The purpose of this study was to explore how the needs, actions, and beliefs of teacher and students interact with the constraints of the classroom and the curriculum to establish an atmosphere conducive to effective learning of physics in grade 11. An interpretive research methodology was used to investigate the students' and teachers' needs,…

This booklet was prepared by practicing oceanographers to help college students in their search for professional direction. The booklet: (1) points out some frontiers of current research; (2) describes five major subfields of oceanography (marine geology and geophysics, oceanographic engineering, physical oceanography, chemical oceanography, and…

An eight-week summer science program was designed to create and encourage interest in science among outstanding secondary school students from different geographic areas of Kuwait. Opportunities were provided for students to: (1) engage in hands-on science activities; (2) work in laboratories in one of three research areas (chemistry;…

The guide lists program objectives for science instruction of hearing impaired students at Kendall Demonstration Elementary School. The curriculum, it is explained, is based on theories of J. Piaget. Objectives are stated in terms of process skills within four Piagetian stages of development: pre-operational, transition to concrete, concrete, and…

Originally prepared for use as a student textbook in Radiological Defense (RADEF) courses, this manual provides the basic technical information necessary for an understanding of RADEF. It also briefly discusses the need for RADEF planning and expected postattack emergency operations. There are 14 chapters covering these major topics: introduction…

This activity manual is divided into 15 units which focus on: the nature of science; metric measurements; properties of matter; energy; atomic structure; chemical reactions; acids, bases, and salts; temperature and heat; readioactivity; mechanics; wave motion, sound, and light; static charges and current electricity magnetism and electromagnetism;…

This document presents a secondary level physics unit which introduces students to the Wheatstone Bridge, its use in determining the value of unknown resistors, and the effects of wiring resistors in series or in parallel. (SL)

Presented is a secondary level physics unit which introduces students to electrical resistance in series and parallel combinations, use of the voltmeter and ammeter, wiring simple circuits, and writing scientific reports. (SL)

Models of the motion of an object through space are discussed. The material begins with the simplest view possible in which gravity is the only force examined. Discussion progresses to an examination of the drag force, which is the resistive air force of the wind. Suggestions for further improvements are made at the conclusion of the presentation.…

Fourteen basic experiments in mechanical engineering, intended for use at the sophomore level, are presented. The experiments are described as open-ended in order to give students the opportunity to discover the importance of stable operating conditions. The concept of experimentation is introduced and there is an interrelation between theory and…