Argues that there is a strong case for elementary school students having access to sophisticated and modern measuring and other science-related equipment. (Author/WRM)

Discusses a game and related activities to help students develop observation and inference skills. (MKR)

Desribes teaching investigations at key stages 2 and 3. Includes two activities used to develop understanding in scientific inquiry. (SAH)

Develops and modifies a series of 11 lab activities designed to strengthen and build science laboratory and inquiry skills for students in physical science classes. Includes a figure that summarizes the sequencing skills and concepts developed by these lab activities. (ASK)

Attempts to develop a methodology for assessing the relationship between students' written text and their scientific thinking by investigating how one group of middle school students generated meanings for scientific data and expressed them in writing. Finds that many student reports contained a minimal number of written inferences, expressing…

Through Bucket Buddies--a collaborative online project developed and administered by The Center for Improved Engineering Science and Education (CIESE) at Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, New Jersey--elementary students from more than 150 schools in 33 states and 6 countries have taken samples from local ponds and teamed up to answer…

A well-designed and executed field trip experience serves not only to enrich and supplement course content, but also creates opportunities to build basic science process skills. The National Science Education Standards call for science teachers "to design and manage learning environments that provide students with the time, space, and resources…

Literature on multivariable causal inference (MCI) and literature on scientific reasoning (SR) have proceeded almost entirely independently, although they in large part address the same phenomena. An effort is made to bring these paradigms into close enough alignment with one another to compare implications of the two lines of work and examine how…

A simple laboratory exercise is presented that follows the population growth of the common vinegar eel, "Turbatrix aceti" (Nematoda), in a microcosm using a simple culture medium. It lends itself to an exercise in a single semester course. (Contains 4 figures.)

A major challenge in teaching any college level general genetics course including a laboratory component is having the students actively understand the research part of an experiment as well as develop the necessary laboratory skills. This laboratory experience furthers the students' knowledge of genetics while improving their laboratory skills.…

A district harnesses the energy of individuals committed to change to create a new approach to science teaching and learning--one that emphasizes inquiry alongside content. Staff developers helped teachers understand how scientists think and work, using an inquiry process that teachers, in turn, now use with students.

This study investigates the effects of a scientific literacy strategy which focuses on reading, writing, talking and doing science on the development of grade six and seven learners' general literacy skills, both in their home language (isiXhosa) and the language of classroom instruction (English). A mixed method design was used. Quantitative data…

Workforce projections worldwide show a growing need for people with strong backgrounds in math and science. As the eighth largest economy in the world, California benefits particularly from enterprises in the "STEM" fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). How well California's current public school students are…

The authors identified factors affecting problem finding depending on degree of structure of problem situation--either ill or moderately structured. Fifth-grade students (N = 115) were randomly assigned to 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 60) accomplished the ill-structured task; Group 2 (n = 55) performed the moderately structured task. Results indicated…

The reading of science-related, historical nonfiction alone does not necessarily lead students to make personal connections to science or understand science as a human endeavor interdependent with culture, society, and history. Teachers must structure students' reading to ensure that they consider specific aspects of science while reading and…