This study investigates the effect of a conceptual change approach over traditional instruction on students' understanding of chemical equilibrium concepts (e.g. dynamic nature of equilibrium, definition of equilibrium constant, heterogeneous equilibrium, qualitative interpreting of equilibrium constant, changing the reaction conditions). This…

Lowering the dropout rate of incoming mathematics and science students, and enhancing the provision of mathematics support for freshmen are two important aims of the University of Amsterdam. The approach recently adopted to support first year students is to set up a diagnostic pretest and posttest and use these tests to identify students being at…

This training package includes a Facilitator Manual and a Participant Manual designed to provide information and instructional tools necessary to train Guam employers on awareness and skills related to the successful employment of individuals with disabilities. Module 1 dispels misconceptions and stereotypes related to disabilities. Attitudes and…

This document contains hands-on, open-ended laboratory activities that can be done in the classroom on a shoestring budget. They are aimed at increasing students' excitement and curiosity about science and enabling them to develop a better understanding of the nature of science, take an active role in their own learning process, and develop…

This paper examines copyright from an historical perspective, asserting that technology is and always has been the driving force behind copyright restrictions. In sixteenth-century England the printing press galvanized legislation. Today, technology, primarily in the form of the Internet, is once again a driving force behind a renewed and…

This paper discusses professional ethical concerns for individuals conducting research in electronic collaborative environments. Existing professional codes of ethics were reviewed, and respected figures in the field of educational technology were engaged in conversations about ethics, professional communication, and new technologies. When…

ChemSource is designed as a strategy to help preservice and inservice high school chemistry teachers promote student learning more effectively. Its major premise is that well-designed laboratory investigations are an important avenue for cultivating student interest, engagement, and meaningful learning in chemistry. The SourceBook component of…

ChemSource is designed as a strategy to help preservice and inservice high school chemistry teachers promote student learning more effectively. Its major premise is that well-designed laboratory investigations are an important avenue for cultivating student interest, engagement, and meaningful learning in chemistry. The SourceBook component of…

This study investigates how students participating in the same curriculum construct understanding in elementary thermodynamics during a semester-long eighth-grade physical science class. Two questions were addressed: (1) How does the learners' understanding change during the study of elementary thermodynamics? and (2) What role do students'…

Criticisms leveled at the American education system are examined in this paper, which asserts that misinformation about Japanese education should not be used as a basis for educational reform in the United States. Commonly reported changes made against the American public school system are explored; they include lowered student intelligence,…

Although most educators support the concept of integrating academic and vocational education and recognize the benefits it affords students, implementation of integrated curriculum and instruction is seen as problematical. One myth is that successful integration relies solely on teacher commitment and cooperation. The reality is that although…

This report attempts to discover how students think about and use mathematics in open-ended questions. Part I, "Open-ended Questions in Mathematics," describes the rationale for adding open-ended questions to the grade 12 mathematics test of the California Assessment Program (CAP). Part II describes the findings from students' responses…

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…

The purpose of this study was to identify alternative life and physical science concepts possessed by preservice elementary science teachers (n=49). Science textbooks used in grades 5 and 6 were surveyed and a literature review of alternative life and physical science concepts was conducted. Results of the survey and literature review resulted in…

Perspectives on a psychological approach to learning are offered in this paper. Specific emphasis is directed to the assumption that children possess "minitheories." Minitheories are defined as attempts to make sense of particular kinds of experiences and are explained and delimited by the domain of experience to which they currently apply. This…