This article illustrates the misconceptions that students have when using the equals sign and describes a lesson used to give students the foundation for an accurate conception of equivalency.

Several myths have grown up around problem solving as a result of the manner in which problem solving has traditionally been taught in schools. These myths are harmful to children, they affect curriculum decision of teachers, distort discussions about problem solving and undermine the mathematics reform movement in general.

This paper discusses seventh-grade students' explanations of dissolution and combustion and also identifies their understanding of the differences between physical and chemical changes. A teaching strategy was initially negotiated within an action research group and this strategy was then employed in teaching seventh-grade students. The teaching…

This paper presents and discusses examples of works of art which, if included in science curricula, could prompt an understanding by students of some concepts in optics through a discussion of the context in which they were created. Such discussion would elucidate the meaning of the artworks and, at the same time, challenge students'…

Optimal therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) follows logically from an understanding of etiological models describing the development and maintenance of the disorder. Accordingly, the present article provides a brief overview of PTSD with particular attention paid to etiology. Exposure-based interventions have consistently been shown…

Since the late 1990s, enrollments in Information Technology and Information Systems-related academic programs have declined sharply. This paper addresses possible causes of the enrollment decline, and some of the "myths" regarding careers in IT/IS are dispelled. A number of efforts underway at various universities and professional organizations in…

This study aimed to describe seventh grade English and Turkish students' levels of understanding of decomposition. Data were analyzed descriptively from the students' written responses to four diagnostic questions about decomposition. Results revealed that the English students had considerably higher sound understanding and lower no understanding…

David Milch, creator of HBO's critically acclaimed Western series, "Deadwood," said, "The only reason the town of Deadwood exists is gold." Milch bluntly discards the Western genre's foundational ideology of self-determination, considering these principles a delusion that obscures the material realities of the late nineteenth…

The fascination with buried treasures and lost civilizations transcends all ages and serves as an effective magnet for drawing students toward the study of archaeology. Connecting students to the past gives them a better understanding of their own present and future. In this article, the author describes how the scientific method of investigation…

This study of diverse Asian American students at a racially integrated public high school illustrates that the achievement gap is a multi-racial problem that cannot be well understood solely in terms of the trajectories of Black and white students. Asian American students demonstrated a high academic profile on average, but faced difficulties and…

A historical fact is like a fata morgana, "always less than what really happened." Even consensus does not establish truth; otherwise history is merely the version of the past that people agree to accept. The students who participated in the acclaimed 5th Street Cemetery Necrogeographical Study innocently found themselves clashing with…

Objective: To assess nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviors of seventh graders in nine randomly selected middle schools in Louisiana. Methods: This descriptive study used personal data assistants (PDAs) to administer a pre-validated questionnaire developed from national instruments to 127 seventh grade students from nine randomly-selected…

Australia continues to face teaching shortages in rural schools. Indeed, preservice teachers may be reluctant to apply for rural teaching positions, particularly as most have had no rural teaching experiences. What may motivate non-rural preservice teachers to seek employment in rural schools? This study investigates 17 preservice teachers' first…

In recent years a number of reports have raised alarm over the deteriorating state of U.S. science and technology (S&T) competitiveness. But a recent report by the RAND Corporation, "U.S. Competitiveness in Science and Technology," argues that the U.S. continues to lead the world. RAND's report has been interpreted to suggest that the "clarion…

The aim of this study was to investigate effectiveness of PDEODE (Predict-Discuss-Explain-Observe-Discuss-Explain) teaching strategy in helping students make sense of everyday situations. For this, condensation concept was chosen among many science concepts since it is related to many everyday-life events. Forty-eight eleventh graders students…