There is a large number of relationships between organisms in communities, and these relationships comprise the following types: predation and parasitism, commensalism, protocooperation and mutualism, neutralism, amensalism, and competition. The possible effects of the relationship between two species are that one or the other can benefit (+),…

In this paper we describe a model for a science fair, within the context of an elementary science methods course. We first describe the theoretical perspectives from which the idea of science fairs derives and we provide definitions as we sketch the characteristics of commonly used science fairs. We then describe the context and processes of a…

Oscillating chemical reactions are truly spectacular phenomena, and demonstrations are always appreciated by the class. However, explaining such reactions to high school or first-year university students is problematic, because it may seem that no acceptable explanation is possible unless the students have profound knowledge of both physical…

Bernoulli's principle is being misunderstood and consequently misused. This paper clarifies the issues involved, hypothesises as to how this unfortunate situation has arisen, provides sound explanations for many everyday phenomena involving moving air, and makes associated recommendations for teaching the effects of moving fluids.

Many of the basic concepts involved in the process of scientific inquiry can be represented by analogy to a simple game called Battleships. The same processes used in this child's game demonstrate what role hypothesis generation and testing play in the search for truth in nature. The analogy can also be extended to demonstrate how scientists…

Although members of the general public have often heard of the terms "genetic engineering" and, more recently, genomics, they typically have little to no knowledge about these topics, and in some cases are confused about basic concepts in these areas. There is currently a need for teaching models to explain concepts behind genomics.…

Hands-on science typically uses physical materials to give students first-hand experience in scientific methodologies, but the recent availability of virtual laboratories raises an important question about whether what students' hands are on matters to their learning. The overall findings of two articles that employed simple comparisons of…

This paper reports a study on elementary students' ideas regarding changes in mass associated with melting. An open-ended probe was designed and distributed to fifth-grade students (n = 230). In addition, 50 students were asked their reasons behind predictions on mass change. The written responses indicate that, despite conventional teaching,…

It is often difficult to engage students, especially younger students, in authentic scientific inquiry. By authentic, the author means that the classroom activities are both good simulations of scientific inquiry as experienced by professional scientists and something that the students can relate to on an intuitive level. However, by engaging…

Addressing the need for continued support of after-school and summer science enrichment programs for urban girls and at-risk youth, this paper describes the educational and career paths of a sample of young women who participated in the Women in Natural Sciences (WINS) program during high school. This study also attempts to determine how the…