Evaluates the Alabama Science in Motion (ASIM) program, which is a statewide program that addresses the problems Alabama science teachers must overcome in order to teach secondary science. (Contains 26 references.) (Author/YDS)

Designs and constructs a sundial for the purpose of observing the declination of the sun, thus marking solar seasonal variation. Discusses the design of a dial that emphasizes a working space for observations on solar declination and methods for determining the position of the nodus such that lines of declination can be observed every day of the…

Describes a study that investigated whether scientific and nonscientific understandings in the same content area are linked. Finds that students' (n=107) explanations indicate that they were using an "if-then" type of reasoning which linked scientific and nonscientific conceptions. Contains 39 references. (Author/WRM)

Describes a study that explored the interplay between students' scientific epistemological views (SEVs) and their learning in school laboratory activities. Finds that students having SEVs oriented to constructivist views of science tend to focus more on negotiating the meanings of experiments with their peers than students with SEVs more in line…

Investigates conceptions of the geosciences held by a university geology instructor and five students before and after a teaching intervention. Argues for the use of repertory grids to elicit personal constructs. Advocates targeting the societal aims of geological education within a constructivist framework. Contains 54 references. (Author/WRM)

Examines the nature of a middle school classroom during the development of a community of learners by focusing on teacher/student interactions and the connections made by students with people outside of the classroom. Finds that the teacher's role is critical in creating a community of learners. Contains 54 references. (Author/WRM)

Describes a study of Greek high school students' (n=116) perceptions of the ozone layer. Finds that students have a good understanding of the position and purpose of the ozone layer in terms of protection from ultraviolet rays, but students also hold misconceptions linking the ozone layer to the greenhouse effect and other forms of local…

Provides a detailed account of the significant components of Sister M. Gertrude Hennessey's instruction for conceptual change learning in an elementary science classroom. Discusses the implications of this case study for the practices of other teachers. Contains 40 references. (Author/WRM)

Explores African students' use of traditional Sotho cultural metaphoric reasoning in classifying everyday situations as "hot" or "cold" in order to document the extent to which such metaphoric reasoning is related to science misconceptions of heating. Finds that university students were able to distinguish between types of reasoning appropriate…

Combines some guiding principles of antiracist education with Vygotskian notions of education as enculturation to produce a set of proposals for a radical form of multicultural science education for sociopolitical action. Outlines a radical form of curriculum development involving the politicization of teachers as the only effective way of…

An open-ended, written test was administered to 364 students divided into four groups according to their scientific learning background at a teachers college. Results indicate that although the science-major students performed better than nonscience majors, their understanding of condensation and boiling concepts still needed to be enhanced.…

Explores the student-teaching experience of a multicultural-science-education enthusiast who taught in a school whose predominant culture was different from her own. Describes thematically the student's teaching experience and examines how encountered constraints were negotiated. (Author/CCM)

Examines the role that students' science concepts play in promoting teachers' professional growth. Journals and portfolios showed that students' science knowledge served as discrepant events that evoked teachers' dissatisfaction with their own content knowledge and motivated them to reconsider their pedagogical practices. (Author/CCM)

Primary school students (n=40) ages 11 and 12 years were interviewed concerning their conceptions of the greenhouse effect. Analysis of the data led to the formation of seven distinct models of thinking regarding this phenomenon. (Author/CCM)

Extends the understanding of group work in the science classroom to include sociological construct of status (defined here as a student's perceived academic ability and popularity) to explain inequitable participation by group members and to identify strategies that promote reasoned consideration of all ideas within a group. (Author/CCM)