This study investigates gender differences with regard to three factors of scientific literacy. The study involved students (N=772) in Grades 9 and 10. A 100-item multiple choice test based on National Science Education Standards was used to assess scientific literacy while gender differences were explored using analysis of variance procedures.…

Unified Studies, an example of holistic education in practice, is an integrated curriculum designed to address students' talents that are ignored by traditional education, which has been operating for 15 years. This report describes in detail participants' experiences and perceptions of the program, which operates as a university/high school…

This monograph presents an assessment instrument that utilizes teacher and student behavioral indicators to assess the quality of inquiry instruction. The instrument provides teachers with feedback which not only assesses the presence of critical teaching skills, but also serves as a valuable training aid for helping them perceive how their own…

One of a series of publications to assist Australian secondary school teachers in the area of social studies skill development, this booklet provides an introduction to basic social studies skills and their implications for classroom teaching. Following an introduction, part 1 examines current curriculum trends in Australia. Included in the…

This article presents one portrayal of the role of photography as a language of teacher inquiry. To inform teachers' use of photography, the first part of the article presents a brief historical perspective of photography's role in the study of human behavior in the fields of visual anthropology, visual sociology, photojournalism, and media…

A study focused on teaching students to write effectively in time-pressure situations, particularly on essay exams. Thirteen sections of freshman composition (205 students) were divided into two treatment groups. Half of the classes completed the exam-taking unit in a standard freshman text. The other half of the classes worked through an inquiry…

The purpose of this study is to improve attitudes toward learning science and inquiry-based, science teaching through specially designed instruction in a science methods course for preservice teachers. Eighty preservice teachers over two terms elected to complete one of two projects as part of their science methods course. The "Discussions in…

In this paper three different meanings ascribed to reflective teaching are examined. The first, Cruikshank's Reflective Teaching Model, sees reflective teaching as the ability to analyze one's own teaching practices. Schon's "Reflection in Action," on the other hand, argues that the professional practitioner is one who can think while acting and…

More than one-third of U.S. newspapers use various kinds of systematic survey research other than that provided by Gallup or Harris, and broadcast networks have polling units that are part of their news divisions. However, as most of the media employ them, opinion polls provide a genuine basis for "broad, sweeping generalizations." News…

One area explored in the Learning in Science Project (Primary--LISP(P)--was children's questions about and explanations of phenomena. Data were obtained from work with classes of children, interviews with children, informal discussions with teachers, and observations of two teachers using an alternative teaching model (outlined in an appendix)…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a laboratory-centered inquiry program on laboratory skills, science process skills, and knowledge/understanding. The inquiry approach used in the Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST) program and a traditional science textbook approach were compared in terms of the three…

Problem solving has long been a concern of science educators, with many asserting that problem solving should be both the overriding method and valued outcome of science instruction in American schools. This information bulletin synthesizes studies that deal with the relationships between the teaching of problem solving and secondary school…

A study examined the effects of three types of teacher questions (literal, interpretive, applied) on: (1) frequency, length, and quality of student response; (2) classroom interaction; (3) student questions; (4) intentional and incidental learning; and (5) student attitudes. Multiple-choice formats were used to assess intentional learning, and…

The structure of inquiry in art is a set of behavioral stages, comparable with creative process stages, in which persons think in and about the visual mode of perception. The stages include behaviors identified by Dewey as factors or phases of reflective thought and as stages in the pattern of inquiry. The stages also show relatedness to problem…

This article describes the Boston Teacher Leadership Certificate program created to expand teachers' capacity for teacher leadership roles. The professional learning was designed to strengthen teachers' leadership skills while also paying attention to whether and under what conditions they were more successful in their roles. To monitor the…