A methodological weakness of recent studies on teacher shortages is the degree to which respondents in these surveys were removed from the school environment, and consequently from science and mathematics teacher hiring. An attempt was made to resolve this problem by assessing Illinois public school principals (grades 6 to 12) on science and…

Reports results of an inservice needs assessment on a random sample (N=929) of 4,965 Illinois science teachers in grades 6-12. Identifies 12 top inservice needs using the Moore Assessment Profile. Tables rank these needs and provide statistical analyses comparing chemistry teachers' (N=87) needs to all science teachers surveyed. (CS)

Using examples this article tries to dispel a common misconception that theories "mature" into laws by constant testing and confirmation. (GA)

The purpose of this study was to characterize high school chemistry students' (n=42) ability to make translations between three representations of the structure of matter, and to determine the degree to which the students' ability to make these translations is related to reasoning ability, spatial reasoning ability, gender, and specific knowledge…

Examines the following questions related to the effectiveness of science laboratory activities: (1) the behavior of high school chemistry teachers; (2) the behavior of high school chemistry students; and (3) the relationship, if any, between teacher behavior and student behavior as exhibited during high school chemistry laboratory sessions. (LZ)

Investigates the effectiveness of two different types of interviews: one that embeds a concept map, and one that does not embed a concept map in order to elicit post-instructional understandings. Focuses on students' understandings of chlorofluorocarbons and their role in global atmospheric change. Contains 71 references. (DDR)