The Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) is an instructional technique that combines inquiry, collaborative learning, and writing to change the nature of the chemistry laboratory for students and instructors. The SWH provides a format for students to guide their discussions, their thinking, and writing about how science activities relate to their own…

Several studies have examined realism and instructional effectiveness of physical simulations. However, very few have touched on the question of their credibility or verisimilitude, from the user's point of view. This article presents an empirical exploratory study which investigated the perceptions of potential users of a simulation-based virtual…

The use of inquiry-based laboratory in college science classes is on the rise. This study investigated how five nonmajor biology students learned from an inquiry-based laboratory experience. Using interpretive data analysis, the five students' conceptual ecologies, learning beliefs, and science epistemologies were explored. Findings indicated that…

In this study we content analyzed the online discussion of several senior-high-school groups on a forum of a virtual physics laboratory in Taiwan. The goal of our research was to investigate the nature of non-course-based online discussion and to find out some useful guidelines in developing such discussion forums for learning purposes. We adapted…

This laboratory exercise introduces students to a fundamental tool in evolutionary biology--phylogenetic inference. Students are required to create a data set via observation and through mining preexisting data sets. These student data sets are then used to develop and compare competing hypotheses of vertebrate phylogeny. The exercise uses readily…

White and group used a two question, open-ended tests to separately evaluate students' learning of specific biochemical concepts in the general biology lecture and laboratory, in the first performance assessment of molecular visualization in teaching biochemistry. Two studies were devoted to protein structure using globins followed by one…

This research investigated the extent to which science laboratory experiences encountered by Utah high school students aligned with reform efforts outlined in national standards documents. Through both quantitative and qualitative methods the findings revealed that while there were instances of alignment found between science laboratory…

This brochure describes ways that science teachers and students with disabilities can work together to develop creative alternatives for the challenges in gaining and demonstrating knowledge faced by these students. In the first section, "Gaining Knowledge", lists of difficulties faced by students with disabilities are placed in columns opposite…

This study was an ethnography of high school students working as apprentices in university solid state physics labs, as part of a summer science program. It was designed to explore the learning potential for high school students in such an environment. It examined the social interactions between scientists and students and how these…

This technical report presents recommendations and plans which are the result of a mission undertaken as part of a project to promote a scientific and technological information service and establish a popular science resource center in Korea. The mission's main emphasis was to help Korean authorities and the United Nations Development Programme…

Designed for classroom use, this publication provides an overview of the first Space Shuttle/Spacelab mission, a cooperative venture between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The main purpose of ESA's Spacelab, which will be carried aboard NASA's Space Shuttle (technically called the…

This handbook is based on a list of essential topics that should be mastered by the student who subsequently plans to pursue college chemistry. Chapters include: (1) "Introduction" (describing a position paper and the background of the handbook); (2) "Essential General Topics and Objectives"; (3) "Testing Students"…

This study was designed to determine if the final grade in college biology at a suburban community college was a true measure of student's knowledge. One hundred and seventy undergraduates taking a semester course in biology took part in the study. This population was randomly separated into a control, placebo, and experimental group. The progress…

Most children become excited about science because they can do something and because they can watch the results. These are some of the answers most elementary school students tell you when they are asked about science class. It has been substantiated by decades of research that experiential experiences are exciting and remembered, visual and…

Some researchers have argued that it is important to match teaching styles with students' learning styles, although a relatively small amount of research has been done on learning styles in science. This study focused on the differences between male and female secondary school chemistry students in an effort to determine the relationship of gender…