Compares frequencies and styles of questioning strategies used in Modern Biology and Biological Science Curriculum Study--BSCS Green, BSCS Yellow and BSCS Blue secondary school biology textbooks. Findings revealed significant differences between textbooks in terms of number and type of questions used. (CP)

Describes steps involved in the construction of a 15-item test to measure formal reasoning in junior and senior high school students. From analysis, the author concludes that the test has face, convergent, and factorial validities. (CP)

Examines conditions for the acquisition of the proportionality concept and attempts to improve the ability of remedial college students in an urban university to solve proportions. Specifically, the study was designed: (1) to observe the acquisition of the proportionality concept through training on the operations of group-structured tasks, and…

With a sample of 229 ninth-grade chemistry students, an investigation of students' retention abilities as related to instructional approach (inductive or deductive), IQ, gender, and anxiety level was conducted. Results showed that subjects experiencing deductive instruction performed slightly better on an immediate retention test. Girls…

Measures whether pre-school children (ages 34 to 65 months) can master concepts of the first five exercises of K-level science--A Process Approach (SAPA) within seven weeks with four lessons of 10 minutes each week. More than 90 percent of the sample of 226 achieved at the 90 percent competency level. (CP)

Uses a Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) as an indicator of field-independency in an investigation with college graduate students. Results reveal that GEFT scores were not affected by the treatment of 18 hours of instruction in Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) materials or by pretesting effects. (CP)

Two instructional approaches and a control group were used in this study. Metric instruction in a college introductory physical science course was divided between: a) Approach A in which volume instruction followed that of length and area; b) Approach B in which volume was stressed but area was not introduced; and Approach C, the control (no…

Reports on the administration of a biology cognitive preference test to 177 science-oriented high school students. Subjects were asked to rank responses or "extension statements" to items according to their preference. It was found that the high-ability students as a group had a very high preference for questioning and low preference for recall.…

The study attempted to determine if: 1) achievement test scores in biology course for elementary teachers would be predicted by precourse preference for biology and science and student behavior as measured by in-class affective behaviors; and 2) postcourse preference for science and biology would be predicted by achievement-test scores. Support…

Reports a significant correlation between environmental knowledge and environmental attitude, and significant differences between BSCS (Biology Sciences Curriculum Study) and nonbiology students' ecology comprehension and environmental attitudes. (CP)

Reports on the development and validation of a new junior high school version of the Test On Understanding Science (TOUS).

Investigated secondary mathematics and science majors' understandings of metric relationships and abilities to apply metrics to everyday problems. Differences between groups on the measures were not significant. Both groups understood metric relationships reasonably well, but neither could apply the relationships to everyday situations. (CP)

Contains a debate on research design and methodology considerations of the study. (CP)

Two teacher behavior patterns differing in the degree of directiveness utilized by the teacher were investigated. The results show that teacher behavior does effect student behavior in elementary science classes where hands on activities are employed and presents evidence that materials, activities, and curricula cannot be made teacher-proof. (BT)

This report describes an attempt to apply a critical empirical test to some predictions from Ausubel's theory concerning the subsuming role of advance organizers. Alternative explanations are proposed and subsequent predictions tested. (BT)