Investigates the efficacy of promoting 8th grade students' problem-solving ability through history of science teaching. After one year of teaching, with the statistical procedure of the analysis of covariance, finds that the experimental group students outperformed their counterparts in the chemistry conceptual problem-solving ability. Initial…

Examines how university students made generalizations when making morphological insect observations. Results showed students rarely made generalizations in terms of universal statements: they did not use induction or produce hypotheses for testing in an analytic philosophical sense but used induction in more familiar contexts. Discusses the…

Investigates the amount of science portrayed by terrestrial television in the United Kingdom and the public comprehension of that science as shown on television. Concludes that the lack of comprehension of the scientific basis of many advertisements is indicative of the lack of relevance of science education to people in modern society. (Author/LM)

In documenting educational reforms in the science curriculum of developing countries, a number of tensions become apparent as a result of struggles to preserve local values while incorporating global trends. Describes and analyzes these tensions and paradoxes and discusses the intersections of cultural, economic, administrative, and educational…

Identifies the types of questions that students ask during science learning. Explicates the role of students' questions in the knowledge construction process, particularly in educational discourse. Investigates the relationship between students' questions and approaches to learning and discusses some emergent issues related to student questioning.…

Explores the extent and nature of teachers' use of newspapers in secondary science classrooms. Investigates three issues: (1) the prevalence, pattern, and purpose of use; (2) classroom practice; and (3) curricular priorities with semi-structured surveys. Reports that many teachers use newspapers in some way to support science instruction.…

Investigates the effects of a science-technology-society (STS) in-service program designed to change teachers' awareness and practice of STS/constructivist approaches while also focusing on students' understanding and changes of perceptions of the constructivist learning environment. Reports that the STS program improved teachers' awareness and…

Focuses on the idea of chemical change and reports data from a study exploring the development of the concept of substance in children aged 11-14. Examines the use of the idea of elements, compounds, and bonding between atoms to explain chemical change and the intersection of these ideas with "basic" particle ideas. (Contains 21 references.)…

Recounts an experience of developing a new course for school physics in the state of Victoria in Australia at the end of the 1980s. Represents a significant departure from traditional physics courses and was intended to broaden participation and improve the quality of student learning. Explores the reasons for this outcome. (Contains 55…

Reports an account of an experienced science teacher's self-initiated change in praxis within an inquiry community. Uses classroom observations and interviews to evaluate the discursive practices of the teacher and his colleagues. Attributes the teacher's change in praxis to his dissatisfaction with previous practice and the realization that…

Compares resistance by scientists to new ideas in scientific discovery with students' resistance to conceptual change in scientific learning. Studies the resistance by students to abandoning their misconceptions concerning scientific topics and the resistance by scientists to scientific discovery. (Contains 64 references.) (Author/YDS)

Reviews evidence of the way the maturation of the brain may structure the plasticity that is available for the construction of the mind. Presents evidence taken from non-invasive imaging techniques that makes use of electrode potentials, magnetic resonance, or positron emission. Discusses the development of the brain in terms of grey and white…

Discusses the development and evaluation of an instrument to measure secondary students' understanding of scientific models. Involves (n=228) secondary science students and identifies five themes of students' understanding of scientific models including scientific models as multiple representations, models as exact replicas, models as explanatory…

Reviews the role of modeling in science teaching and learning. Investigates the knowledge and skills that science teachers think are needed to produce a model successfully using input from (n=39) Brazilian serving science teachers. (Contains 64 references.) (Author/YDS)

Describes the development of a test of scientific creativity for use with secondary school students which was constructed on the basis of an analysis of meaning and aspects of scientific creativity. Reports that the scientific creativity of secondary school students increases with age and science ability is a necessary but not sufficient condition…