What science-related knowledge is actually used by nurses in their day-to-day clinical reasoning when attending patients? The study investigated the knowledge-in-use of six acute-care nurses in a hospital surgical unit. It was found that the nurses mainly drew upon their professional knowledge of nursing and upon their procedural understanding…

Aims to fine-tune a grounded theory scheme originally proposed in this journal by Costa (1995). Costa categorized students according to the ease with which they succeed in school science in five categories. Presents an additional category for student success. (Author/SAH)

Introduces three articles that appear in this issue on universalism and multiculturalism. Describes the articles as having moved beyond the debate of multiculturalism and universalism by accepting that all systems of knowledge about nature are embedded within the context of a cultural group. (SAH)

Explores First Nations (Native American) science education from a cultural perspective. Recognizes science as a subculture and contrasts scientific and Aboriginal ideas about science. Provides a description of the rationale and a series of steps toward a cross-cultural education. Contains 125 references. (DDR)

Six instruments designed to measure students' knowledge about the scientific enterprise are critically described, and a summary is given concerning their application in research investigations. A case is proposed for interpreting test results in a qualitative manner rather than relying on purely quantitative data. (JR)

Addresses the meaning of decision making on societal issues related to science/technology and explores practical implications for secondary science teaching. Cases on marijuana, abortion, and public inquiries are included together with discussion of collective decision making at the global, strategic, personal, and scientific community levels. A…

This article is the first of a four part series of a study of Canadian high-school graduates' views on science-technology-society (STS) topics. It describes the research scope and methodology and discusses research issues associated with use of the specially constructed survey instrument, Views on Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS). (ML)

As the third in a four-part series on issues related to science-technology-society (STS), this article discusses Canadian high school graduates' viewpoints on the characteristics and limitations of scientific knowledge. Responses indicated students harbored diverse and contradictory beliefs about scientific knowledge. (ML)