An eighth-grade science teacher shares her successes and strategies for designing and implementing an individualized scientific investigation approach for students with three major problems: (1) low reading ability, (2) high absenteeism, and (3) limited background in science. (ZWH)

In 1987, National Science Teachers Association commissioned the Search for Excellence in Biology Teaching Task Force. This article is a distillation of the task force report, highlighting the criteria for excellence in biology teaching, grades 7-12. The criteria for excellence are in five subsections: Goals, Criteria for Curriculum, Criteria for…

This special journal issue presents a review of science education research in 1989. This summary of research is organized around 14 themes: achievement in science, affect, classroom interactions, cognitive processes, computers, curriculum, instruction, legislation and policy, misconceptions, scientific literacy, teachers, tests and assessments,…

Describes using the movie "Jurassic Park" as a foundation for a middle school interdisciplinary unit involving science, math, language arts, history, and geography. Suggested books and activities are presented. (PR)

Presents an activity in which students develop science process skills by making inferences as to the contents of a "mystery" box from observations based on their sensory perceptions. Provides instructions for implementing and extending the activity. (MDH)

Describes a course for graduate science education students in the history, philosophy, and nature of science. Topics addressed include the course motivation and evolution; aims, topics, and goals; organization and instructional methodology; a reading list; projects; and grading and evaluation. (PR)

In many countries there remain substantial sex differences in enrolments in elective science courses, despite concerted efforts in recent years to alleviate them. This paper explores the reasons for these differences by comparing models of male and female enrolment intentions in elective courses in biology, chemistry and physics. The models are…

Lunar Nautics is a hands-on curriculum targeted to youth in grades 6 to 8, that allows the students to design, test, analyze and manage a space mission from initial concept to project funding. Lunar Nautics provides opportunities for development of problem solving skills and critical thinking skills that are needed to design, organize and manage a…

To reduce curricular fragmentation in science education, reform recommendations include using common, unifying themes such as scaling to enhance curricular coherence. This study involved 215 participants from five groups (grades 5, 7, 9, and 12, and doctoral students), who completed written assessments and card sort tasks related to their…

A formative assessment pretest was administered to undergraduate students at the beginning of a science course in order to find out their prior knowledge, misconceptions and learning difficulties on the topic of the human respiratory system and energy issues. Those findings could provide their instructors with the valuable information required in…

In July 2001, the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) agreed to the development of assessment instruments and key performance measures for reporting on student skills, knowledge and understandings in primary science. It directed the newly established Performance Measurement and Reporting Taskforce…

A study investigated factors affecting the development of positive attitudes toward environmental issues among college students, focusing on the direct and indirect effects of student background characteristics, institutional characteristics, and college experience and outcomes variables. Data were drawn from the Cooperative Institutional Research…

Parental involvement is critical to a child's success in school. This handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 1 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Education "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to…

Parental involvement is critical to a child's success in school. This handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 2 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Education "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to…

Parental involvement is critical to a child's success in school. This handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 3 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Education "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to…