Reports on the construction and validation of the Biology Self-Efficacy Scale (BSES) which measures three components of biological literacy: (1) methods of biology; (2) generalization to other science courses and analyzing data; and (3) application of biological concepts and skills. Suggests using the instrument as a pre- and post-course indicator…

Time-series design is useful for monitoring student learning and assessing teaching effectiveness. Reports that time-series data reveal a sharp drift of the learning curve in the treatment stage and show high correlations with established tests and discrimination between high and low achievers. Contains 32 references. (Author/WRM)

Describes the results of an analysis of Spanish high school chemistry textbooks (n=58) published from 1974 to 1998 for their treatment of metallic bonding. Reports on what aspects of metallic bonding are usually taught, how it is taught, and the potential that textbooks have to create meaningful learning in students. Contains 104 references.…

Presents four examples of students engaged in self-directed building projects. Uses the enactivist ideas of enaction, coemergence, mutual specification, and adequate conduct to describe and interpret the four cases. Describes the ways in which personally significant meanings and personal competency emerge within the context of self-directed…

Teaching science is justified by linking scientific ways of thinking with the advancement of democratic society. Claims that science education must reflect the ways in which the theories and practices of science are constrained by the real world. Presents three goals of science education that can help defend it from antiscientific criticisms.…

Considers what level of understanding of the nature of science students should experience to become both intelligent consumers of scientific information and effective citizens. Proposes that most precollege teachers should attempt to teach students how to use scientific descriptors to judge the relative merits of knowledge claims instead of…

Examines relationships between students' motivational and epistemological perspectives--or personal frameworks for science learning--and their cognitive engagement with peers during collaborative knowledge-building tasks. Contains 91 references. (DDR)

Reviews the fundamental role of imagery in science and technology and our current knowledge of visual-spatial cognition. Results suggest that individual differences in perspectives should not be ignored. Contains 126 references. (DDR)

Examines student perceptions of gender-appropriate science courses through completion of the Course Selection Sheet (CSS) to select courses for themselves and members of the opposite sex. Contains 117 references. (DDR)

Describes an empirical qualitative analysis of some of the traditional practices and beliefs with respect to health regimens and marine-related activities that operate in the daily lives of people in a village in Trinidad and Tobago. Contains 28 references. (DDR)

Reviews 100 years of history and focuses on the relationship between socially controversial biological issues and the decision-making procedures in the construction of the national curriculum. Contains 39 references. (DDR)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the instructional effects of using animations, static figures, PowerPoint bulletins, and e-plus software as chemistry texts with the aid of computer-based technology. This study analyzed the characteristics of students involved in three multimedia courses and their achievement and attitude toward chemistry…

The aim of this research was to study (a) trends in culturally sensitive factors (gender equity, collaboration, deference, competition, modeling, and congruence), of students in lower secondary (LS), upper secondary (US), and tertiary (TS) learning environments and (b) the gender differences in these trends. The study included 2,212 subjects (LS,…

There is, no doubt, untapped potential in using technological tools to enhance the understanding of science concepts. This study examines the potential by observing 7th and 8th grade middle school students' (n=23) use of portable data collection devices in a nine-week elective class, "Exploring Technologies". Students' use of the data collection…

Disagreements exist among textbook authors, curriculum developers, and even among science and mathematics educators/researchers regarding the meanings and roles of several key nature-of-science (NOS) and nature-of-mathematics (NOM) terms such as proof, disproof, hypotheses, predictions, theories, laws, conjectures, axioms, theorems, and…