Describes development of 472 true-false scientific literacy test items with high content and item validity that test 240 key ideas in, and attitudes toward, science. Items are based on selected chapters of the 1989 American Association for the Advancement of Science report, entitled Science for All Americans. Appendix contains sample items.…

Examined the correspondence between teachers' student learning outcome goals and teachers' assessment practices of (n=10) high school biology teachers using interviews. Their assessment practices did not support their goals for students of developing higher order study skills by interpreting information, managing time and effort, and thinking…

Describes the extent to which an elementary teacher used teaching principles based on constructivism after attending an inservice program. Use of the new principles was influenced by his views of science and of learning, how he usually planned his teaching, and his confidence in his own understanding of the topic. Describes inservice program based…

Conceptions of (n=13) grade-11 chemistry students via interviews were grouped into 6 categories related to students' preferred explanations for solubility phenomena. Argues that an understanding of the typical conceptions used by students should form an integral component of chemistry teaching, both as points of origin for lesson planning and for…

Discusses characteristics of science education in China: teacher centered, theory focused, national examination oriented, homework supplemented, systematic after-class activities, and active involvement of parents. (Author/MKR)

This study of the teaching of grade-11 chemistry indicates how an experienced teacher made sense of his teaching roles in terms of four cultural myths related to transmission of knowledge, being efficient, maintaining the rigor of the curriculum, and preparing students to be successful on examinations. (Author/MKR)

Explores pupils' (n=800) ideas about what scientists do, their more general knowledge about theories and how they change, and their impressions of how theory and experiment interact in the school science that they have experienced. Discusses teacher and out-of-school effects, gender, school work, and development with age. Contains 22 references.…

Examines the reasoning behind views of atoms and molecules held by students (n=48) and investigates how mental models may assist or hamper further instruction in chemistry. Reports that students prefer models of atoms and molecules that depict them as discrete, concrete structures. Recommends that teachers develop student modeling skills and…

Explores the changes in one student teacher's thinking about the nature of scientific investigations during her participation in an elementary science methods course assignment. Concludes with a discussion on the movement in this student's view of scientific investigation and the challenges and value of the assignment in a science teacher…

Analyzes the validity and reliability of the evidence from children's ideas from a constructivist viewpoint and proposes a guiding set of methodological principles for the generation and evaluation of evidence. Uses the guiding principles to make a critical analysis of some well-known research studies in the field of chemistry. Contains 33…

Discusses the effect of a flawed strategy on the tactics of conceptual change and draws attention to a broader view of knowledge from a world view perspective. Argues that science needs to be joined with other disciplines in the common goal of developing student world views of which science is one articulated component. Discusses implications for…

Uses base-year data from a nationally representative database (NELS:88) to identify important explanatory factors for gender differences in science performance. Documents a large advantage for boys on the subtest of physical science and a modest advantage for girls in life science. Concludes that laboratory experiences are beneficial for girls'…

Focuses on two aspects of literacy related to science performance: interpretations of science task cards depicting a series of activities and written language samples summarizing science tasks. Results highlight difficulties that students experience in developing and expressing their understandings of science activities. Illustrates the need to…

Assesses students' existing and developing decision-making ability against the background of a normative model of the decision making process. Results indicate that after a unit on household packaging waste the students' arguments about a decision making situation improved in terms of validity and clarity of the criteria used. Contains 16…

Presents results from Singaporean and Australian studies on the relationships between the cognitive variables and problem solving performance in three electrochemistry problems of different degrees of familiarity for comparisons. Concludes that idea association, problem translating skill, prior problem solving experience, specific knowledge, and…