This project sought to improve the utility of science and social studies textbooks used by mainstreamed handicapped children, by considering the special needs of children who are sensorily or cognitively impaired. The project reviewed the literature, developed a text analysis tool to determine if textbooks contain effective teaching strategies,…

The purposes of this study were to determine how experienced high school physics teachers were in using computers, how computers were being used for high school physics instruction, what the teachers perceived the use of computers in their physics classes should be, and what the enabling and constraining factors were in developing the use of…

This paper reports a study directed toward educational improvement through individual and group change. It is a 3-year naturalistic case study centering on 9 experienced science teachers, 13 novice science teachers, 64 secondary science students, and 4 researchers. The three aims of this study are to know more about: (1) what it is to be a teacher…

This booklet provides a guide for the safe use and disposal of toxic chemicals found around the home. Toxicity ratings given to compounds are explained along with the amount needed for a probable fatal dose for a 150-pound person. Each category of hazardous waste is provided with typical examples of the toxicants, a toxicity rating, several…

This competency matrix matches the primary and intermediate Science Unlimited lessons with the established competencies which appear in the Science Unlimited competency continuum. Primary lessons deal with: investigating dripping faucets; classification/sorting; smell; eyes; color; air; weather; observation and description; mystery boxes; change;…

This paper examines selected Australian studies and studies produced in other countries on gender research of classroom interaction between students and their teachers. The results, deficiencies in methodology, selective reporting of data, and the policies based on the research are highlighted. To substantiate a request for more complex and…

The Atlantic Science Curriculum Project was launched in 1976 at the Atlantic Institute of Education in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, as a regional initiative. This account of the project provides its aims, its experience, and its lessons for others similarly engaged in the task of improving curriculum and instruction. This paper was written at a…

This manual was written as an aid to teaching assistants (TAs) who conduct the laboratory portions of life science courses at the University of Washington. In general, this manual does not present specific factual material. Rather, it offers suggestions on how to handle various teaching situations and provides a framework to use in many different…

The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the possible relationships among children's extracurricular toy-playing habits, sex-role orientations, spatial abilities, and science achievement. Data were gathered from 282 Midwestern, suburban, fifth-grade students. It was found that boys had significantly higher spatial skills than girls.…

This directory lists institutions, state-by-state, that are conducting student science training programs in 1988. The directory is intended to help interested students find programs which will contribute to their academic development. Student science training programs are designed to provide talented high school students with educational…

The use of telecommunications to enhance local educational opportunities, especially in science and mathematics, was the subject of two hearings before a Senate committee. Eleven persons made presentations and/or submitted written statements at the first hearing: (1) Joseph Duffey, University of Massachusetts at Amherst; (2) Andy Turner,…

This study analyzed the differences in attitude and achievement of fifth- and sixth-grade subjects presented with a series of science lessons directed toward instructional procedures which addressed the right hemisphere, the left hemisphere, or both hemispheric processing modes. The study used 65 randomly selected students divided into four…

This study was conducted to relate personal, cognitive, and school variables to physics achievement. The sample consisted of 435 students participating in the 1985 Mississippi State University Annual Physics Competition. The Student Background Questionnaire was planned and developed to collect information on each variable examined. The predictor…

The purpose of this study was to describe student perceptions within high school classes in biology and chemistry over the course of a school year. The sample consisted of 435 high school college preparatory science students who were enrolled in 44 different biology and chemistry classes in central New York State. Measurements of attitude toward…

Abstracts of most of the papers, symposia, and poster sessions presented at the 59th conference of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) are provided. Subject areas addressed include: instructional practices in secondary school science; research on computers in science learning; teacher's professional knowledge and…