Despite the heavy reliance on textbooks in college courses, research indicates that college students enrolled in first-year science courses are not proficient at comprehending informational text. The present study investigated a reading comprehension questioning strategy with origins in clinical research based in elaboration interrogation theory,…

A composite theory of college science student note-taking strategies was derived from a periodic series of five interviews with 23 students and with other variables, including original and final versions of notes analyzed during a semester-long genetics course. This evolving composite theory was later compared with Van Meter, Yokoi, and Pressley's…

Discusses methodological concerns raised by Kesidou and Roseman (2002) regarding textbook evaluations and the training of rating teams. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/YDS)

Provides practical, research-based suggestions for improving reading and writing skills of college science students. Describes characteristics of skilled science readers. Explains how to select reading materials that make sense and what teachers can do to improve reading assignments. Lists traits of skilled science readers and offers suggestions…

Describes a study in which tenth-grade biology students who were low verbal performers scored significantly higher on achievement tests when provided with picture-word diagrams of biological concepts than when provided with block-word diagrams. Students and teachers also preferred picture-word diagrams as indicated by a questionnaire. (MLH)

Investigates two evaluative hypotheses related to test item sequence and the performance of the students who take the tests. (SA)

Describes an aptitude treatment interaction (ATI) hypothesis used to investigate relationships among aptitudes and science instructional treatments in terms of student performance. It is proposed that ATI research work in science education will systematically yield reliable generalizations about how to adapt instruction to individuals with…

Describes a heuristic model that facilitates the conceptualization of linguistic-imaginal processes and forms the basis for a method of relating learner aptitudes to specific instructional stimuli in science education. (MLH)

A treatment group of ninth-grade students were instructed in selected science concepts with drawing-plus-text materials; the control group used text only. Results showed that the treatment group scored significantly higher on post-tests on the selected science concepts. (MLH)

The selective attention model was used to explain effects of overprompting students (N=170) provided with study questions adjunct to a complex flow diagram describing scientific cyclical schema. Strongly prompting students to answers of questions was less effective than an unprompted question treatment, suggesting that prompting techniques be used…

Reports results of a study testing a selective attentional model which predicted that textbook study questions adjunct to a flow diagram will focus students' attention more upon questioned information and less upon nonquestioned information. A picture-word diagram describing biogeochemical cycles to high school biology students (N=176) was used.…

Examines the generalizability of selective-attention and academic-studying hypotheses to a modified science chart medium. Describes the questions designed to selectively focus students' attention on specific columns in a modified science chart, with the goal of improving student achievement on a test measuring learning of content contained in…

Reports a study that examined the generalizability of selective-attention and academic-studying hypotheses to a modified science chart medium. The adjunct questions used in this study were designed to selectively focus students' attention on specific columns in a modified science chart, with the goal of improving student achievement on a test…

Two focusing hypotheses were evaluated. First, do adjunct questions, focusing on science concepts and inserted after computer-animated sequences, selectively alter students' attentional processing and thus produce differential learning effects? Second, to these questions still provide enough metacognitive scaffolding to produce differential…