Discusses Campbell's theorem for the evaluation of fluctuation in system outputs as a basis for presenting a discussion of electrical noise in an undergraduate physics course. (SL)

Public pressure, political, and bureaucratic imperatives create a tension between the federal government and the research community in pursuing their mutual goal of improving education. (Author/JP)

Explains that Wolfgang Brezinka's approach to a scientific system of education is one of few contemporary educational theories that includes both elements of the philosophy of science and conceptual analysis. Examines this theory and concludes that Brezinka's blueprint for a scientific system of education degenerates into fiction. (Author/BSR)

Teaching how scientific models work can result from "black box" techniques applied to various classroom seating arrangements. The teacher can assign students to seats based on observable (last name, height) and nonvisible (telephone number) criteria. Students become involved in guessing the criterion, which leads to discussion of models and…

Proponents of new theories should not attempt to demolish one another's theories. Instead, they should try to bring about a blend of ideas that would be productive for both science and society. (JBM)

After reviewing both a scientific view and a political view of how American government should be taught, some lessons that political scientists can learn from teaching American government are detailed. The lessons include political inquiry, knowledge about methodology, and insight into the relationship of science and political society. (ND)

This resource contains a listing of the Nebraska Science Standards. In the primary grades, students should learn science at their developmental level. Children develop concepts, vocabulary, and inquiry skills by observing common materials and organisms. They develop the ability to ask questions, investigate the world around them, and use their…

This document introduces "Blue's Clues", a television science program and its development process. Blue's Clues is a series on Nickelodeon and currently telecasts five days a week. Childhood development theory states that young children learn skills through repetition; therefore, the same episode is presented on five consecutive days. This study…

The philosophy of science is considered one of the important elements in the transformation of science education into the 21st century. This paper focuses on the integration of the philosophy of science into science teacher education by analyzing the theoretical framework of three didactical units. The first unit aims to teach a set of central…

This collection of essays offers new perspectives for science educators, curriculum theorists, and cultural critics on science education, French post-structural thought, and the science debates. This book contains chapters on the work of Bruno Latour, Michael Serres, and Jean Baudrillard plus chapters on postmodern approaches to science education…

This study assesses the influence of a philosophy of science course a preservice secondary science teachers' view of the nature of science; perceptions of teaching about the nature of science in future classrooms; and instructional planning related to the nature of science. It was exploratory and interpretive in nature. Data collection was…

This paper examines and tests the assumptions that a curriculum which adequately portrays instructional strategies (related to teaching the nature of science, science curricular content, and teachers' views of the nature of science) will increase students' understanding of the nature of science. This study was conducted over a 16-week period. A…

The focus of this study is an eight-week science enrichment mentorship program for elementary and middle school girls (ages 8 to 13) at Coleson Village, a public housing community, in an urban area of western Washington. The goal of the program was to build confidence and encourage creativity as the participants discovered themselves as competent…

This paper discusses the traditional lecture-based instruction method. Strong experimental evidence suggests that social context affects knowledge construction and depends on prior knowledge. Engagement in the inquiry process using constructivist viewpoints can make the characteristics of science, scientific knowledge, and scientific method easy…

Presented are the results documenting the proof-of-concept effectiveness of an 8-day afterschool professional development program through which secondary science teachers learned to implement an instructional method using historical cases in biology to teach nature of science concepts. Results of the study using a variety of quantitative and…