Reports results supporting the theoretical rationale that there are certain cognitive skills, including data interpretation, identification of assumptions and hypotheses, and controlling of variables, that appear to be necessary for successful understanding of the heterotroph hypothesis, as presented in the BSCS Blue Version. Implications for…

Three sets of elementary science materials are reviewed (ESS activity cards, ESS readers, "We Discover the World") that represent what can be done to enhance and structure learning for a single concept or topic. "We Discover the World" is a set of materials designed to introduce children to their world and their environment.…

Described is the Independent Learning Project for Advanced Chemistry (ILPAC) as it is utilized in Hydeburn, a tribe school in London. The teacher describes how she uses the program with her upper and lower A-level chemistry groups. As a result of this program, pupils seem more articulate in educational discussions. (Author/DS)

Describes a study which evaluates the effectiveness of the Thai biology curriculum developed by the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST). Investigates were classroom activities, student affective behavior, and teachers' attitudes toward the curriculum involving 40 teachers and 1,400 students. (Author/DS)

Discusses the collaboration of the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) with faculty from eight community colleges to develop an innovative curriculum for use in a one-semester general education course in biology that would reflect the recommendations of the current reform movement in science education. Discusses important issues in helping…

Describes efforts aimed at reforming physics courses for first-year engineering and science students at Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey. Discusses the establishment and working of the Physics Learning Center (PLC) and its impact on the retention and performance of students. (JRH)

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center along with their partners at other NASA centers, and in private industry, are designing and beginning to develop the next generation of spacecraft to transport cargo, equipment, and human explorers to space. These vehicles are part of the Constellation…

This research is an effort to best utilize the interactive anatomical images for instructional purposes based on cognitive load theory. Three studies explored the differential effects of three computer-based instructional strategies that use anatomical cross-sections to enhance the interpretation of radiological images. These strategies include:…

Preadolescent students are interested in learning the structure and function of the human body. However, their teachers are not trained in this content. The purpose of this project was to expand a successful outreach effort in the health sciences for grade 7-12 teachers to include PreK-3 teachers. A "Healthy Hearts" workshop was offered to train…

This issue of Carnegie Quarterly focuses on a middle grades life science project in which students work together in groups to explore the properties of DNA. The project, entitled HumBio, was developed to capture young people's interest in science by promoting an understanding of their own biology so they can see how their health and well-being are…

Chemistry in the Community ("ChemCom") is a high-school level chemistry text developed by the American Chemical Society (ACS) designed for the college-bound student. The purpose of this study was to identify students enrolled in a university-level chemistry course designed for the nonscience major who had experienced the ChemCom…

Outlines a unit on mice providing an introduction to mammals and simple classification. Describes student activities, concerning mice, using an inquiry approach and the resource materials a teacher might use in utilizing this unit. This is one of some 40 ASEP units designed to help teachers organize and plan science courses. (BR)

This study is based on a questionnaire survey of teachers trained over a three-year period in a program centered at the University of Wyoming, the Portal School Project (PSP), and a similar survey of a random sample of teachers in Rocky Mountain States neighboring the region served by the PSP. Teachers were asked certain demographic questions and…

Author finds the Australian Science Education Project (ASEP) Unit 3 (Places for People) heavily biased toward confortable middle class living and dealing with only one small segment of contemporary society, namely Australia. Author doubts that Unit 305 will help students to understand much about population pressure in underdeveloped countries.…