In response to a request by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to examine what attracted women to physics and mathematics, this report has two major goals: (1) to provide a literature review of published studies on women at the college and post college levels in science and mathematics; and (2) to present synopses of three studies carried out at the…

Unified Technical Concepts (UTC) is a modular system for teaching applied physics in two-year postsecondary technician programs. This UTC classroom textbook, consisting of 10 chapters, deals with mathematical concepts as they apply to the study of physics. Addressed in the individual chapters of the text are the following topics: angles and…

An instructional manual for reference use in college and university teaching is presented, based on a 2-year study of the specific difficulties that students have in receptive communication (listening and reading) in introductory courses. Although the investigation focused primarily on the disciplines of psychology, physics, and philosophy, many…

This document reports the results of a cross-cultural study on children's knowledge about the shape, gravity, movement, and location of the Earth and about the day/night cycle. The subjects of the study were elementary school students from Greece (N=90) and the United States (N=60). The results of the study showed that the children in both samples…

Thirteen activities are presented that focus on a common phenomenon of a child's world: energy. These activities relate energy, how it occurs, how it is used, and how to use it safely. Each activity includes the purpose, introduction, background, procedure, materials, estimated time for the activity, typical results, safety notes, and more ideas.…

The quality of a high school's physics program is determined in part by the quality of preparation and the overall workload of its teachers, along with the provision for adequate budgets, facilities, and support services. The guidelines presented in this booklet were prepared by a task force of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)…

Work is reported towards the completion of a prototype duplex-design assessment instrument for grade-12 science. The student course-background questionnaire and the pretest section of the two-stage instrument that was developed were administered to all 134 12th-grade students at St. Clairsville High School (Ohio). Based on the information obtained…

A study was conducted at Skyline College (California) to assess the quality of the college's transfer-science program and to gather information from former students who had completed at least 40 units and had received their lower division science training at Skyline. Questionnaires were sent to 540 former Skyline students who had enrolled in…

Drawing parallels with critical thinking and creative thinking, this document describes some ways that scientific thinking is utilized. Cognitive approaches to scientific thinking are discussed, and it is argued that all science involves an attempt to construct a testable mental model of some aspect of reality. The role of mental models is…

Developed as part of a document series in UNESCO's Science and Technology Education program, this volume reviews the major trends and cites the improvements in the natural science and mathematics education in the Soviet Union. Separate units are provided for the discipline areas of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. These sections…

Intellectual mastery of nature was the stated goal of the German physicists of the nineteenth century. In this first of two volumes, an attempt is made to bridge social, institutional, and intellectual history. Separate sections of the book deal with: (1) establishing physics at the universities; (2) German physicists before 1830; (3) promoting…

This magazine is designed for teachers and students in junior and senior high schools. It is intended to help students become more aware about what scientists and engineers do, what's new and exciting in the fields of science and engineering, and what satisfactions might be expected from a career in one of the many different areas of science and…

Designed for use by science teachers, this document provides selected lists of computer software collected by the Science and Mathematics Software (SAMS) lab at Florida State University. The commercially available software is compiled under the subject areas of biology, chemistry, and physics. Each list provides: (1) recommended grade level; (2)…

Results of the American Institute of Physics' 1984-1985 survey of physics and astronomy bachelor's degree recipients are examined. The information was obtained from individual degree recipients with a focus on their plans after the baccalaureate programs. Highlights of the findings are as follows: the proportion of women among physics bachelors…

The graduate student survey, undertaken annually by the American Institute of Physics, monitors trends in the population of graduate students in physics and astronomy. Individuals are surveyed for information on their personal and educational characteristics and career goals. The report presents tabulated data from the survey, with analysis…