This paper reports on the effects of structuring problem solving activities of novices in the domain of physics in a way consistent with the problem solving approaches used by experts. A total of 42 undergraduate students who completed a first semester physics course and received a grade of B or better participated in this study. The treatment…

This study compared the effects of cooperative learning groups to traditional instruction in remediating students' misconceptions about temperature. Students from grades 3, 4, and 5 in two rural elementary schools participated in the study. Students completed a pretest, a cognitive conflict laboratory activity and a posttest that measured…

Three studies of cooperative problem solving among university students examined how to design effective computer-based support for collaborative learning in distance education. The first was a questionnaire study of 150 Open University students who had participated in three different courses in physics and mathematics. Its aim was to determine…

Some semanticists have argued that technical vocabulary or terminology is extralinguistic and therefore semantically uninteresting. However, no boundary exists in linguistic reality between terminology and ordinary vocabulary. Rather, terminologies and ordinary language exist on a continuum, and terminology is therefore a legitimate field for…

Results of the 1984-1985 Graduate Student Survey of physics and astronomy graduates are presented, with attention to: educational background, current graduate student status, choice of subfield, and employment prospects. Highlights include: a major increase occurred in the proportion of foreign physics doctorate recipients; the number and…

Results of the 1982-1983 Graduate Student Survey of physics and astronomy graduates in the United States are presented. Information is provided on the educational background, current graduate student status, choice of subfield, and employment prospects. Highlights include the following findings: an increase occurred in the proportion of foreign…

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)…

This report describes the development, use, and evaluation of an interactive video lesson for a community college level algebraic-based general physics class that could be used to demonstrate Newton's laws and the conservation of momentum. The lesson consisted of five mini-lessons including an introduction, a presentation of Newton's laws, a…

This document presents a course in the science of nuclear energy, units of which may be included in high school physics, chemistry, and biology classes. It is intended for the use of teachers whose students have already completed algebra and chemistry or physics. Included in this paper are the objectives of this course, a course outline, a…

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.…

Results of the 1981-1982 Graduate Student Survey of physics and astronomy graduates in the United States are presented. Information is provided on the educational background, current graduate student status, choice of subfield, and employment prospects where applicable. Highlights include the following: a further increase occurred in the number…

Trends in enrollments and degrees for physics and astronomy students are examined, based on results of the American Institute of Physics' annual Survey of Enrollments and Degrees. Information is included on: changes in the number of institutions that grant physics degrees, physics degrees awarded by academic year, 1971-1982; undergraduate and…

This monograph presents 13 papers dealing with various aspects of elementary problem solving. They are: (1) "Training for Effective Problem Solving" (Gary A. Davis); (2) "Patterns of Problem Solving--A Campus-Wide Course at UCLA" (Moshe F. Rubinstein, L. Robin Keller, Edward A. Kazmarek); (3) "A Taxonomy of Problem-Solving Activities and Its…

One of the difficulties encountered by novice problem solvers in introductory physics is in the area of problem solving. It has been shown in other studies that poor problem solvers are affected by the surface aspects of the problem in contrast with more efficient problem solvers who are capable of constructing a mental model of the physical…

This document contains the proceedings of a joint meeting of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering and the International Organization for Medical Physics. Participants from over 50 countries were in attendance. The theme of the program, "Challenges for the Year 2000," was a reminder of the challenges which…