This paper reports on the challenges that were experienced as I engaged in an action research project in which I designed and enacted a cross-cultural unit of work entitled "Maintaining Health". George has advocated the use of traditional knowledge as a strategy for increasing the relevance of science curricula within the Trinidad and…

In this paper, I describe the action research I conducted in my third-grade science classrooms over the course of two years. In order to gain an understanding of my third-grade students' ideas about animal adaptations and how the teaching of a unit on crayfish influenced these ideas, I used clinical interviews, observations, and written…

To help students grasp the intimate connections that exist between mathematics and its applications in other disciplines a library of interactive learning modules was developed. This library covers the mathematical areas normally studied by undergraduate students and is used in science courses at all levels. Moreover, the library is designed not…

Science education in the United Kingdom faces a dual challenge in the near future: that of addressing increasing disaffection from the subject by pupils as they enter adolescence coupled with the downturn in learning as they leave primary school behind. Both bridging work and teacher creativity have been identified as key ingredients in ensuring…

This curriculum guide and activity book is designed as an aid for teaching elementary and middle school grades about recycling and composting with earthworms but can be adapted to a variety of situations. The book is organized into three sections that teach the following concepts: (1) introduces earthworms through a series of activities; (2)…

This book is a result of a workshop where 14 science educators were invited to draft chapters on the implications that the research studies in a specific content area of science have for its teaching. The relations between social forces and perceptions of purpose and content lay behind discussions in the workshop, and influenced the emergence of…

This book highlights the importance of science and technology education in Australia in the post-compulsory years. It outlines the themes of how and why science and technology are now being so regularly associated in reports and reviews of education and training and contains an account of the changes in the societal and educational contexts that…

The Foundational Approaches in Science Teaching (FAST) is an interdisciplinary science program that began as a curriculum reform effort in the mid-1960s. This historical study provides insights into the FAST project and contributes to an understanding of the dynamics of survival of curricular and instructional innovations. Data collection methods…

A study was conducted at two open-access, 2-year branch campuses of Ohio's Miami University to assess the levels of science anxiety, interest, and preparedness among students in science-related (SR) majors and general studies (GS) students. Surveys were distributed on the first day of class to students enrolled in 23 chemistry, microbiology, and…

The purpose of this study was to reveal the prevailing instructional method utilized by inquiry-oriented science teachers using national representative teacher data. The first part of the study focuses on the measurement of teaching emphasis on inquiry science or the intended curriculum. The second part focuses on the relationship between the…

This document reports on a science education reform program sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The program is an attempt to overhaul the reform efforts of the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, and participation in the project has been underway since 1994. Funds from the institute support teacher training in the use and…

ChemSource is designed as a strategy to help preservice and inservice high school chemistry teachers promote student learning more effectively. Its major premise is that well-designed laboratory investigations are an important avenue for cultivating student interest, engagement, and meaningful learning in chemistry. The SourceBook component of…

ChemSource is designed as a strategy to help preservice and inservice high school chemistry teachers promote student learning more effectively. Its major premise is that well-designed laboratory investigations are an important avenue for cultivating student interest, engagement, and meaningful learning in chemistry. The SourceBook component of…

This paper summarizes a pair of studies titled "The Impact of Longer Term Intervention on Reforming the Approaches to Instruction in Chemistry by Urban Teachers of Physical and Life Sciences at the Secondary School Level" (William J. Priestley, Holly D. Priestley, and Joseph S. Schuckler) and "Profile of Instructional Practices…

This series of educational activities is intended to help teachers communicate basic scientific concepts related to global warming and the greenhouse effect to students grades 7-10. Seven sessions provide laboratory activities, simulations, and discussions that can be used to improve student understanding of a number of important scientific…