Explores children's understandings of insect life cycles through pre- and postinstructional interviews, analysis of children's journal entries, and talk that occurred throughout the instructional unit. Contains 38 references. (DDR)

Reports on a study that assesses the effects of the application of visual information-processing theory to the design of a laboratory manual for chemistry. Focuses on the effects on content learning, practical skill mastery, and attitudes of university students enrolled in a general chemistry course. Contains 41 references. (DDR)

Identifies and describes the differences in the problem-solving methods used by faculty teaching introductory chemistry and students enrolled in an introductory chemistry course. Results indicate that students correctly solve algorithmic-mode problems more frequently. Contains 33 references. (DDR)

Students (N=14) in a geomorphology course took an objective geomorphology test, the tree construction task, and the Standardized Concept Structuring Analysis Technique (SConSAT) version of concept mapping. Results suggest that the SConSAT knowledge structure dimensions have moderate to good construct validity. Contains 82 references. (DDR)

Examines how professional chemists and undergraduate chemistry students respond to chemistry-related video segments, graphs, animations, and equations. Discusses the role that surface features of representations play in the understanding of chemistry. Contains 36 references. (DDR)

Discusses two reports that focus upon the imperative to improve undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: (1) the National Research Council's "From Analysis to Action: Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology"; and (2) the National Science Foundation's "Shaping the Future: New…

Investigates the effect of explicit problem-solving instruction on high school students' (N=145) conceptual understanding of physics. Findings indicate that the explicit strategy improved the quality and completeness of students' physics representations more than the textbook strategy. No difference was found between the strategies on match of…

Explores students' conceptual understanding and conceptual growth in classical mechanics in the natural context of a grade 10 science classroom. Findings indicate that students' knowledge structures remained stable across the 10 weeks and remained unchanged 4 weeks after instruction ceased. Contains 30 references. (Author/JRH)

Investigates preservice science teachers' views of the nature of science and describes changes in those views during a teacher education program. Findings indicate that initially there were an equal number of traditional, mixed, and contemporary views but after the program, the number of contemporary views doubled and the number of mixed views…

Explores the effects of an integrated video media curriculum enhancement on students' achievement and attitudes in a high school chemistry course. Findings reveal significantly higher achievement scores for students who experienced the course enhanced with integrated video media. Students with high levels of logical thinking ability benefited most…

Identifies the major tenets of a preservice secondary education program, knowledge structures that beginning science teachers have constructed about the teaching and learning of science, and the correlation between them. Findings indicate that aspects of the program such as student-centered learning, cooperative learning, general pedagogical…

Discusses the nature of scientific terms and their role in instruction. Illustrates that there is no agreement as to the meaning of terms among scientists and that terms are used in inconsistent ways between and within texts. Discusses implications for science teaching. Contains 18 references. (Author/JRH)

Discusses the nature of scientific terms and their role in instruction. Addresses the term "pseudoconception" which focuses on correct understandings and reflects the context of understanding. Discusses implications for science educators. Contains 29 references. (JRH)

Explores how biology majors accommodate the theory of biological evolution with religious beliefs. Responses clustered under for evolution, against evolution, compromise, and neutral. Suggests that teaching about the nature of scientific facts and theories can enhance understanding of evolutionary theory if students can discuss their values and…

Compares student perceptions of their physics teachers' interpersonal behavior and teachers' self-perceptions of their behavior and their opinions about physics education in 1984 and 1993. Results indicate that teachers were more in favor of realistic teaching content in 1993 than in 1984 and behaved less dominantly and more cooperatively in 1993…