Describes a method for measuring the earth's magnetic field using an empty toilet paper tube, copper wire, clear tape, a battery, a linear variable resistor, a small compass, cardboard, a protractor, and an ammeter. (WRM)

This study investigated differences and shifts in learning and motivation constructs among male and female students in a nonmajors, yearlong structured inquiry college physics course and examined how these variables were related to physics understanding and course achievement. Tests and questionnaires measured students' learning approaches,…

The aim of this paper is to report on a three-year follow-up evaluation of an experimental problem-based learning (PBL) integrated curriculum directed to second-year engineering students. The PBL curriculum brought together the contents of physics, mathematics and computer science courses into a single course. Instead of the students having to…

This investigation examines the difficulties encountered by one graduate teaching assistant as she taught "Physics for Elementary Education," a large-enrollment, inquiry-based science course taught at a public Midwestern university. The methodological approach of hermeneutic phenomenology served as the lens to investigate the research question,…

State-of-the-art digital cameras open up enormous possibilities in the science classroom, especially when used as data collectors. Because most high school students are not fully formal thinkers, the digital camera can provide a much richer learning experience than traditional observation. Data taken through digital images can make the…

The concept of energy arises in all disciplines of science, from ecosystems and species niches to gravity and motion. Most students have difficulty understanding the relative sense of energy, however. Unless students are studying thermal energy and using the kelvin scale, the energy of an object or system is always with respect to some baseline or…

One of the more effective ways to convey the story of our origin and evolution is to present the entire chronicle in a multimedia format that allows today's tech-savvy students to browse at will, thereby extracting parts of the story at their own pace and comfort. This article describes an interactive CD-ROM (included in this issue of "The Science…

The study investigates the students opinions on learning in a jigsaw classroom and enquiring on what they think about jigsaw classroom having the potential to make chemistry learning more attractive and whether it can help them to improve their communicative and social skills. The study was carried out using a lesson design for teaching an…

When high school physics teacher Deborah Waldron needed to pump up her knowledge of biology for National Board Certification, she enrolled in 9th grade Intensified Biology at her school. Waldron shares her observations of what she learned: from the inevitability of starting long-term projects late at night to the realization of how tempting…

Research into the research-teaching "nexus" has undergone significant changes in focus and methodology. From an initial quantitative concern with correlating measurements of research productivity and teaching effectiveness, the empirical emphasis has shifted in favour of exploring the "experiences" of participants (academics…

This investigation compares applied technology skill levels of high school students enrolled in various applied and comparable traditional courses, particularly Principles of Technology and physics courses respectively. Outcomes from ACT's Applied Technology Work Keys[R] assessment test were used as a measure of applied technology skill levels.…

This study explores the extent to which small group argumentation and discussion was used as part of a series of three practical inquiry-based science lessons in each of two Year 8 (age 12-13) classes. The actions and talk of the teacher and two target groups of students in each class were recorded using video-recorders and audiorecorders.…

The purpose of this research project was to study how students in the first years of elementary school (children from 7 to 10 years of age) are initiated into the construction of explanations of physical phenomena in the teaching of science. With this purpose in mind, we organized classes based on the proposition of investigative problems, where…

In this article we use the pendulum as the vehicle for discussing the transition from classical to quantum physics. Since student knowledge of the classical pendulum can be generalized to all harmonic oscillators, we propose that a quantum analysis of the pendulum can lead students into the unanticipated consequences of quantum phenomena at the…

Purpose: To develop a biological approach to the analysis of learning organisations based on complexity theory, autopoiesis, and evolutionary epistemology. Design/methodology/approach: This paper synthesises ideas from disciplines ranging from physics, epistemology and philosophy of science to military affairs, to sketch a scientific framework in…