Thirty teachers and 718 students in grades 4, 5, and 6 in Edmonton, Alberta participated in a study to determine the value of simultaneous one-way television and group telephone conferencing (compared to conventional instruction) for teaching LANDSAT imagery. Results indicate that: (1) a 5-hour instruction period is sufficient to train elementary…

Girls into Science and Technology (GIST) was an action-research project which took action to improve girls' achievement in science and technology and investigated the reasons for their underachievement. The project followed a cohort of students in eight coeducational comprehensive schools from the time they entered secondary school until they made…

This study attempted to determine if students learn science concepts better when laboratories are used to verify concepts already intorduced through lectures and textbooks (verification laboratories or whether achievement and retention are improved when laboratories are used to introduce new concepts (directed discovery learning laboratories). The…

This guidebook consists of 11 chapters. Chapter 1 provides information on organizing a physics course, considering such topics as types of physics programs, laboratory work, curriculum selection, and computers/calculators. Chapters 2 to 11 focus, respectively, on the topic areas of forces, motion, dynamics, energy, heat, the atomic structure of…

This study analyzed the extent to which oppportunities created by computer technology addresses the needs in school science and mathematics instruction and determined what the appropriate microcomputer responses might be to those needs. Information was gathered by obtaining descriptions of most available software; reviewing published software…

Intended for primary teachers this booklet contains many hints for enriching classroom activities. It includes 100 ways to "publish" student writing and art work by using student created books, newspapers, magazines, letters, plays, notice boards, assembly reports, art and craft work, tape recordings, writing clubs, and "buy-a-book" days. Also…

Many elementary classroom science programs in North America have incorporated what is called design technology, design and technology, technology, technological problem-solving, and/or problem-solving through technology. Design technology involves designing and making products to meet some need, and is directly concerned with the individual's…

Analytical and experimental methods are used to determine the natural frequencies and mode shapes of Aluminum 6061-T651 beams with rectangular and circular cross-sections. A unique test stand is developed to provide the rectangular beam with different boundary conditions including clamped-free, clamped-clamped, clamped-pinned, and pinned-pinned.…

To develop practical Web-based instruction (WBI) design guidelines for faculty and instructional support staff, the author analyzed three different WBI design cases based on interviews with three experts. On the surface, the WBI design processes that each expert used look more alike than different, entailing similar major steps. The underlying…

This article offers a description of an innovative youth program that embeds learning in a practical setting: a gardening program in which youth plant, harvest, and market their own produce. As an outgrowth of the gardening project, participants also interviewed scientists about their jobs in a way that underscored the practical use of science…

In the framework of a curriculum reform in the Netherlands, an interdisciplinary open inquiry assignment has been introduced as a part of the final secondary school examinations. We developed and evaluated a preparatory open inquiry assignment to be used in science and mathematics departments of schools, in collaboration with each other: the…

On the first day of classes, most students in introductory biology courses (a) believe that their effort is the most accurate predictor of their academic success, and (b) are confident that they will work hard and earn high grades. Despite their optimism, many students do not follow through on their expectations, and their grades drop accordingly.…

Ideal mainstreaming conditions were compared to ideal resource conditons for science and art instruction of 21 deaf students (10-13 years old). Results of nonverbal interviews, teacher observation and opinion surveys of nonhandicapped children indicated that gains in science knowledge were not significantly different for the resource and…

An interim status report is presented on a study of predictors to aid in reducing the 35-40% dropout/failure rate in general chemistry at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College, Perkinston Campus. Data from 1974-75 and 1975-76 were used to develop a formula whereby potentially weak students could be identified before they failed or dropped out…

In the ninth season of the television program, "Sesame Street," new pre-reading and pre-science segments were introduced to the show. This report evaluates these segments with regard to young children's visual attention and comprehension. The intent of the evaluation was to assess the effectiveness not only of individual segments but…