Provides evidence indicating that activity-based science programs substantially improve performance in science process/creativity; modestly increase performance on tests of logic, perception, language development, science content, and mathematics; modestly improve attitude toward science and science class; and have pronounced benefits for…

Presents a discussion of the need to present a realistic view of the process of science to students in the laboratory. Several activities and readings are suggested. (SA)

A laboratory exercise using a gerbil is described for use in the high school biology class and in accordance with the National Science Teachers Association guidelines. The authors cite references that deal with current awareness of the moral status concerning animals. The exercise includes measurement and calculations. (SA)

After describing a continuing education course in polymer chemistry, summarizes materials, methods, and results of an extensive evaluation of the course. Includes a discussion of benefits for participants and a list of 14 recommendations based on the evaluation. (JN)

Analyzes the current evolution/creationism controversy by reviewing court cases and what scientists and educators are doing to prevent creationism from being taught as science or included in school curricula. Includes viewpoints of scientists, educators, and creationists. (JN)

Discusses advantages of using an estuarine environment as a study area for A-level students and reviews organizational considerations. Details and references regarding a variety of suitable techniques are provided along with examples of results obtained by students at Waltham Forest College. (Author/DC)

Presents the National Science Teachers Associations's (NSTA) position statement on the place of the laboratory in science education followed by other statements unique for teaching science in middle, junior, and senior high schools. Statements focus on teaching, research, and curriculum perspectives, laboratory's role, and laboratory's enhancement…

Assessed the effect of a one-semester college biology course on the development of students (N=72) ability to reason formally and interactions among intelligence, cognitive style, and cognitive level. Includes implications for science instruction. (SK)

Describes eight learning centers/activities designed to promote tactile/sensory experiences in younger children. (JN)

Data on 140 eighth-grade earth science students were analyzed to see if logical thinking, instructional method, and the interaction between those two variables explained a significant portion of variance in achievement. Logical thinking was found to account for more variation in achievement than did treatment, although treatment also affected…

Examines Toledo Chemistry Placement Examination results for 3,227 students entering University of Toledo during 1977-1980, focusing on general trends developed during the period and on chemical and mathematical concepts, identifying some of the misconceptions high school students bring to their college studies. (Author/JN)

Offers suggestions for designing outdoor activities to provide students with opportunities for exploring, observing, and discovering. Outlines several science activities for each of the following topics: trees, rocks, soil, insects, wild flowers, grasses, lichens, and clouds. (DS)

Describes potential radiation hazards from surplus or donated military equipment. Examines hazards by providing descriptions of situations in which radiation hazards have been found. (DS)

Two approaches to the content of thermodynamics were used in an introductory college physics course: traditional organization and organization based on Ausubel's learning theory. The influence of these organizations on engineering student's (N=58) cognitive structure was investigated using a word association test analyzed through hierarchical…

Summarizes a study to widen the applicability of Piagetian theory-based conflict methodology from individual situations to entire classes. A Solomon four group design was used to study effects of conflict instruction on students' (N=127) ability to conserve volume of noncompressible matter and to apply that knowledge to gas volume. (Author/JN)