Questions the continued misuse of Markovnikov's Rule in organic chemistry texts. Claims that the results of several studies that show the reaction to be more complex than it appears at first. Criticizes authors of new texts who have perpetrated the rule based on reading older texts. (TW)

Reported are compulsory education pupils' representations of electric current in a constructivist approach to introducing direct current (DC) circuits. Suggests that the pupils views can be modelled after an energy framework. Makes suggestions about the content, the apparatus and the experiments used in teaching DC circuits. (CW)

Discusses a study which explored the possible value of the history of science to understanding student misconceptions. Focused on photosynthesis and examined relationships between students' conceptual difficulties and the transformation of concepts through time. Student responses suggest that the history of science can be used to anticipate…

At present, with new technologies emerging daily and the growing need for more flexibility in scheduling, there seems to be an overall drive towards the need for distance learning. According to PBS Campus, 67% of colleges and universities agree that online education is a critical, longterm strategy for their institution. As a result, 49% of…

This paper examines the current state of outdoor education in primary schools in England and Wales and presents arguments to counter current constraints on its provision. Within the national curriculum, outdoor education has been interpreted in the sense of "outdoor and adventurous activities" and, as a result of recent pruning, is now…

My research involves studying mathematics teachers' classroom implementation of their learning from an 8 weeks in-service course at a university in Pakistan. In this paper I discuss my learning, resulting from participation in collaborative work with teachers in my research. I performed two roles: the role of teacher educator supporting teachers'…

We report a study of 10-14 year old children's use of additive strategies while solving ratio and proportion tasks. Rasch methodology was used to develop a diagnostic instrument that reveals children's misconceptions. Two versions of this instrument, one with "models" thought to facilitate proportional reasoning and one without were…

The concept of function is central in mathematics and grows in importance as one progresses in depth and breadth of understanding mathematics. Results from national assessment progress reports indicate that the majority of students do not comprehend the concepts of function and graphing. Technology has the potential to improve the understanding of…

This paper begins by presenting three tests, which are included in the appendix, of one's awareness of physical risks. This exercise leads to a discussion of the differences between actual and perceived risk, why people participate in outdoor activities, and the inaccurate perception of actual risks. Complicating the issue of accurately perceiving…

This study examined the effectiveness of a conceptual change teaching strategy over the traditional method on high school students' (N=152) attitudes towards learning biology. The study employed a two-group experimental control design. The experimental group was taught using a conceptual change teaching strategy. A 21-item instrument that is…

Science has many explanatory concepts that have been proposed to account for the observable features of things. Such explanatory concepts often have associated with them hidden or unseen "theoretical entities." The electron is a key concept in understanding phenomena described by science. The question arises, however, as to how students…

This study examined the validity of using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) Thought Problem sub-scale with urban low-income children (N=46) referred to a hospital-based mental health clinic. It was hypothesized that cultural, linguistic, or socio-economic status (SES) factors may influence the manner in which parents understand and respond to…

For the past eight years postgraduate science teachers in training (approximately 50 each year) have been given Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) questions under strict test conditions as part of an initial learning experience in an education course. The APU questions were originally devised to explore the range of understanding of 15-year-old…

This paper introduces the biology laboratory as a learning project. Biology laboratories provide unique learning opportunities to students as traditional achievement outcome measures, and play an important role in the development of process skills, manual skills, and attitudes. However, there is insufficient data on undergraduate students majoring…

Provides a critical analysis of the role that atomic theory plays in the science curriculum from elementary through secondary school. Examines structural concepts from the perspective of the theory of meaningful learning, information processing theory, and the alternative conceptions movement. Contains 54 references. (DDR)