ASCERTAINED WAS THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO TECHNIQUES OF TEACHING SEVENTH GRADE GENERAL SCIENCE--(1) A NON-PROGRAMED, PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH, AND (2) A PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH THROUGH SELECTED, OPEN-ENDED, LABORATORY EXPERIENCES. SPECIFICALLY, THIS STUDY ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE WERE ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CONTROL AND EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS IN (1) SCIENCE SUBJECT MATTER COMPETENCY, (2) THE COMPREHENSION OF SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS, PRINCIPLES, AND GENERALIZATIONS, AND (3) DEVELOPMENT OF INTEREST IN SCIENCE. TWO TEACHERS PRESENTED BOTH TREATMENTS--ONE TREATMENT CONSISTING OF INSTRUCTION BY PROGRAMED, OPEN-ENDED, LABORATORY EXPERIENCES, AND THE SECOND INVOLVING ONLY TEACHER-DIRECTED INSTRUCTION. THE CONCLUSIONS WERE (1) STUDENTS CAN ACHIEVE AT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LEVELS IN FACTUAL AND CONCEPTUAL SCIENCE SUBJECT-MATTER THROUGH THE USE OF A NON-PROGRAMED OPEN-ENDED APPROACH TO SEVENTH-GRADE GENERAL SCIENCE INSTRUCTION, (2 NO SIGNIFICANT SCIENTIFIC INTEREST CHANGE RESULTS FROM AN INTERDISCIPLINARY, GENERAL SCIENCE UNIT, AND (3) DEFINITE ACHIEVEMENT GAINS CAN BE MADE IN SCIENCE FACTUAL AND CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE, USING EITHER THE NON-PROGRAMED OR PROGRAMED APPROACH TO OPEN-ENDED, LABORATORY-CENTERED, GENERAL SCIENCE. THIS DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE AS ORDER NUMBER 66-13,592 FOR $3.00 ON MICROFILM, $10.15 XEROGRAPHY, FROM UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, 300 NORTH ZEEB ROAD, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48103. (DS)