Using body silhouettes, 87 college women and 118 college men indicated their own body shapes and shapes they and same-sex and other-sex peers find most attractive. Focus was on whether women overestimate desirability of thin figures among female peers. Males and females misjudged same-sex peers' preferences compared with ideals. (SLD)

A "Money" survey of U.S. public and private schools shows that private schools may not be worth the expense. Students attending the best public schools outperform most private school students. The average public school teacher has stronger academic qualifications than the average private school teacher. The best public schools have a more…

Discusses diagnostic information which can be gained from students' writing and presents examples of each, including error patterns, insights into where instruction should begin, failure of students to make connections, difficulties with independent work, clarifying student understanding, and student beliefs and attitudes. (42 references) (MKR)

When comparing performances across four versions of Computer as Lab Partner curriculum, increases in understanding were found when students predicted outcomes and reconciled results, and students used a heat-flow model of thermodynamics to integrate their experimental results. Argued is that curriculum must explicitly motivate students to…

Lists 10 lies commonly told about educational quality and reform. Not recognizing that a problem exists is the main reason why educational reform is pursued casually. Meaningful change requires time, restructuring, and the active participation of teachers, but schools alone cannot provide all that children need. (SLD)

Analyzes problems with traditional teacher education, reviews the basic elements of the constructivist learning views, and discusses the advantages of a constructivist approach to science teacher education. (PR)

Mainstream media in the United States, the press in particular, continue to misrepresent African-American life and culture. Provides specific examples of omissions and neglect in reporting the truth behind news accounts about or affecting African Americans. Unidentified or "reliable" sources in stories about African Americans must be…

Explores the contributions of social scientists to the popular image of African Americans as natural athletes and subhuman beings. A review of social science literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries finds the present image perpetuated by sportscasters firmly rooted in this literature. (SLD)

(PR)

This study (n=192) examined the use of analogical instruction to overcome misconceptions about conservation of matter. Students who understood the concept conservation of matter when iodine was evaporated were able to transfer their understanding to the evaporation of acetone. This indicates that teaching by analogy can be an effective tool in…

Reports a study (n=41) of the effectiveness of in-depth, conceptually integrated instruction delivered via a videodisc program in eliminating children's alternative frameworks in science. This curriculum, which did not directly address alternative frameworks during instruction, changed 92% of the alternative frameworks held by students to…

Although increased attention to testing has resulted in improved guidelines for measuring skills and interpreting test results, educators are confused about certain testing problems and appropriate ameliorative strategies. Changing from multiple-choice formats to authentic performances will not reform education. Highly valuable outcomes such as…

Describes an interview-a-scientist assignment for preservice elementary teachers. Preservice teachers realized that scientists frequently repeat experimental work, that science is not neat and tidy, and that science requires patience and perseverance. (PR)

Students experience the distinction between observable fact and scientific theory by taking a critical look at how spaghetti can be sucked up into the mouth. A demonstration shows that air is needed to suck up the spaghetti but that the scientific explanation is not as simple. (MDH)

Three teaching experiments are reported which study aspects of a diagnostic teaching methodology. An experiment in the field of directional quantities showed a positive relationship between the intensity of discussion and amount of learning; one on fractions and another on geometric reflections showed good two-month retention under the…