The mineral identification lab is typically the entry level college student's initial hands-on introduction to minerals. Our research focused on identifying alternative mineralogy conceptions that students bring to an introductory geology course and investigating the origins and nature of these conceptions. We identified a number of alternative…

Discusses teaching techniques for teaching about rocks, minerals, and the differences between them. Presents a model-building activity that uses plastic building blocks to build crystal and rock models. (YDS)

Two key factors affecting the success of non-major science courses are students' perceptions of topic difficulty and interest. An attitudinal survey administered to 300 college students, after completion of a college science course, evaluated their attitudes toward a geology curriculum. Using a Likert type scale students rated their level of…

This paper organizes and analyses over 500 geoscience misconceptions relating to earthquakes, earth structure, geologic resources, glaciers, historical geology, karst (limestone terrains), plate tectonics, rivers, rocks and minerals, soils, volcanoes, and weathering and erosion. Journal and reliable web resources were reviewed to discover (1) the…

Seven steps are given for identifying a rock or a mineral. (SA)

This study examined: (1) the relationship between the fulfillment of expectations for the identification of rocks and minerals after experience with specimens selected to meet expectations and anxiety levels; (2) changes in anxiety levels after this experience was followed by experience with rocks and minerals which did not meet expectations; and…

This is the first scientific report on the examination of the lunar samples returned from the Apollo 12 mission. Analyses of 34 kilograms of lunar rocks and fines reveal significant differences from the samples from Tranquillity Base, most notably in age, texture, amount of solar wind material, and in mineral and chemical composition. (LC)

Compared preservice elementary teachers (N=58) and geology students (N=51) on their ability to identify rocks and minerals. Anxiety levels were different between the preservice teachers (high) and the geology students (low). Further analysis of geology students indicated a reverse relationship between anxiety and exam performance. (Author/DH)

In this textbook, by a few observations pupils are led to group all objects into the three Kingdoms of Nature--"Animal," "Vegetable," and "Mineral." Again, by observing differences, the Animal Kingdom is readily divided into five Sub-Kingdoms--"Vertebrates," "Annulates," "Mollusks,"…

This report describes a study of the effects of using pretests in science classes on chapter test achievement results. The targeted population consisted of eighth grade science students at a junior high school from 1992 to 2001. Whether giving a pretest followed by a posttest at the end of the chapter, or giving only the test at chapter end…