Presents results of preliminary trials that suggest that the program devised helped UK Year 12 (A-level) learners develop useful concepts of current and voltage, acquire a more integrated understanding of circuit behavior, and overcome their tendencies towards localized and sequential reasoning. Provides learners with a valuable aid for problem…

Examines the effects of using a conflict map on 8th grade students' conceptual change and ideational networks about simple series electric circuits. Analyzes student interview data through a flow map method. Shows that the use of conflict maps could help students construct greater, richer, and more integrated ideational networks about electric…

Examines the impact of computer animations that illustrate chemical reactions occurring inside a battery on students enrolled in a college introductory chemistry course. Implies that instructor-guided animations may help students acquire a better understanding of targeted chemistry concepts, and that the relationship between narration, spatial…

Compares outcomes of open-inquiry and expository versions of a chemistry laboratory experiment at the university level. Investigates whether the two versions would result in different outcomes depending upon students' attitudes towards learning. Indicates that the open-inquiry version shows the most positive outcomes, and students with low…

Examines solutions to problems involved in the learning and teaching of biological inheritance and the evolution of living beings at the secondary school level. Shows that the program instilled knowledge close to what is adequate for this educational level. Proposes disciplinary criteria for selecting and sequencing the content to be taught and…

Examines relationships among observer, teacher, and student perceptions of what was occurring in 9th grade science classrooms to better understand the inter-relationships between the different perspectives. Shows that students and teachers view their classes differently, although the factor structures had some similarity. Also concludes that…

Explores how various teaching formats of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) influence student science learning outcomes in the secondary classroom. Compares teacher-directed CAI (TDCAI) and student-controlled CAI (SCCAI) in a compulsory earth science course in a secondary school in Taiwan. Indicates that TDCAI students had significantly higher…

Investigates students' beliefs about the tentativeness of scientific knowledge, and autonomy and strategies appropriate for science learning. Analyzes responses to a written beliefs test of 178 8th grade students and interviews with a subset of the students. Discusses instructional implications focusing on the potential roles of teachers and…

Investigates the association between attitude towards the philosophy of science and academic qualification professional training. Analyzes responses from 33 A-level biology teachers to a questionnaire and reports from teachers in Harare on their school contexts. Suggests that the differential distribution of facilities and resources across school…

Explores learning processes in 8th grade physics classrooms in Germany. Collects data with regard to cognitive, cognitive-emotional, and emotional variables. Shows that positive emotions are more important in acquisition than in practice, and anxieties play an ambiguous role in practice. Indicates that joy about learning is linked to successful…

Explores the attitudes and perceptions of Scottish girls and boys towards physics over the age range of 10-18 years. Discusses different attitudes between girls and boys in Standard Grade physics and the Higher Grade course. Indicates that the focus of attention should be on the structure and nature of the science course in the early secondary…

Provides an historical perspective of the popular topics that have influenced science education during the past quarter century and reviews current international debate on scientific literacy and science pedagogy. Suggests that there is still considerable cause for concern for school science curriculum and sociopolitical action needs to be taken.…

Discusses how conceptual change has developed over the past three decades, alternative approaches for analyzing it, multiperspective views of science learning and instruction, how conceptual change can be used to examine scientific literacy, and paths to a powerful framework for improving science teaching and learning. (Contains 91 references.)…

Reviews literature in the theoretical views of language arts; perceived roles of language in science education; and research approaches used to investigate oral and written language in science, science teaching, and learning. Suggests future research directions in critical listening and reading of various sources, multi-media presentations,…

Explores technology in science education in five paths: (1) science texts and lectures; (2) science discussions and collaboration; (3) data collection and representation; (4) science visualization; and (5) science simulation and modeling. (Contains 92 references.) (Author/SOE)