Describes misconceptions related to electronegativity, bonding, geometry, and microscopic representations that undergraduate students hold. Investigates the stability of misconceptions as a function of educational level, indicating that some students' misconceptions relating to bonding are resistant to change despite increased chemistry education.…

Conceptual development may be described in terms of a gradual shift in which one of several alternative explanatory principles is the learner's preferred choice. Illustrates the long-term nature of conceptual change as a learner comes to see the limitations of one explanatory framework and the scope for exploring and developing another. (Contains…

Reports on a study of the impact of an initial teacher education program on the development of a conceptual change model of instruction in prospective biology teachers. Analyzes the performance of prospective teachers in teaching practices and achievement in the skills related to the instructional model. (Contains 22 references.) (Author/YDS)

An interpretative study examines three teachers' struggles with the issue of fairness in relation to their classroom actions. Concludes that owing to different senses of fairness among the teachers, assessment innovation is a necessary but not sufficient mechanism for change in an educational system. (Author/MM)

Explores students' worldviews as revealed by their ideas about the causality of earthquakes after experiencing the natural disaster. Finds that students accept scientific ideas and abandon their original worldviews, accept scientific ideas and retain their original worldviews, or retain their original worldviews and ignore the scientific…

Examines nearly 1500 U.S. college students at 16 universities and finds that gender and preparation both have an impact on success in introductory college physics courses. Concludes that efforts to ensure the success of women entering the physical sciences should concentrate on increasing the depth and reducing the vast coverage of most high…

Attempts to understand how six biology students complete the tasks of a traditional paper-and-pencil instrument designed to detect alternative conceptions about photosynthesis. Responses to the traditional content question (first tier) were correct more often than reasons (second tier). Participant verbal data indicated that they relied upon…

Uses an action research approach to investigate how different modes of pre-laboratory preparation contribute to a fruitful laboratory experience for first year students on an access program. Concludes that the ability to prepare depended upon conceptual and procedural understanding of the laboratory as a whole. (Author/MM)

Discusses the existing dichotomy between the definition of weight and its implications in science education. Reviews the history and epistemology of the weight concept and its present status in instruction, and students' knowledge about weight. Suggests that a conceptual distinction between weight and gravitational force, and the replacement of…

This bulletin features articles on real world evolutionary biology, revolutionary classroom science, a review of new curricula in evolutionary biology, and the use of case studies to illustrate points in evolutionary biology. The articles are: (1) "'Real World' Evolutionary Biology: A Pragmatic Quest. Interview with BioQUEST's John Jungck" (Harvey…

Investigates the perceptions of in-service science teachers in the Asia-African region on the status of environmental problems, environmental education (EE), and the possible need for international cooperation in EE. Reports that despite teachers' high consciousness of EE, it has not yet sufficiently been integrated into formal education systems.…

Investigates the effects of learning material construction on concept learning while aiming for students to acquire the basic concepts of electricity and magnetism. Reports that concept learning of electricity and magnetism is influenced by the hierarchical structure of learning materials, not by sequence. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/YDS)

Interviews with nine students preparing for child care work explored how aesthetic concepts of harmony and tension contribute to their vocational goals and perceptions. Harmony is experienced in love of children, enjoyment of teamwork, and personal mission. Tension results from low wages and lack of societal respect. (Contains 41 references.) (JOW)

Examines problem-based learning and suggests advantages and disadvantages of this method of instruction. Looks at barriers to implementation and the changes in teachers' role and adjustments needed for assessment. Includes implications for family and consumer sciences educators. (Contains 27 references.) (JOW)

A survey of 300 family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals in North Carolina received 140 responses that rated the importance of teacher competencies in textiles and clothing instruction. Clothing construction ranked highest. Results informed the work of a committee revising FCS curriculum. (JOW)