Examines the validity of claims that concept maps measure an important aspect of students' knowledge structures. Provides a working definition of concept mapping and a brief theoretical background, characterizes concept maps as a potential assessment in science, reviews empirical evidence on the reliability and validity of various concept mapping…

Analyzes the extent to which students (n=92) understand teachers' evaluation criteria and the relation of that understanding with social class, social context of the school, teachers' conceptual demand, teachers' explicitness of criteria, and science achievement. Results indicate that there is a clear relation between students' acquisition of…

Explores relationships among school students' (n=189) meaningful learning orientation, reasoning ability and acquisition of meaningful understandings of genetics topics, and ability to solve genetics problems. Results indicate that meaningful learning orientation best predicted students' understanding of genetics interrelationships while reasoning…

Discusses ideas about the particulate nature of matter and assesses the extent to which these represent a compromise between scientific and educational considerations. Analyzes relations between the particulate nature of matter in science and science education in an attempt to understand children's inclination to attribute all kinds of macroscopic…

Investigates how science education students (n=265) rank some identified science education program standards and discusses their perceptions of the desirability and achievement of the standards in Nigeria. Results indicate that encouraging students to become self-directed learners and emphasizing the utilization of scientific values were…

Suggests that the dearth of computer science instruction in secondary schools may be due to a lack of teacher and administrator training. Proposes a program to retrain high school teachers of science and mathematics to teach computer science. The program would run two summers and contribute to a master's degree. (Author/AIM)

Describes several exemplars of software that emulate and incorporate machine-supported aspects of cognitive apprenticeships in science and mathematics. Concludes with an evaluation of software against cognitively guided principles and with a summary of the difficulties associated with creating and implementing machine-supported apprenticeships.…

Reports on a pilot program studying the use of computer software to enhance spatial skills presumed to be related to success in calculus. Addresses the effects of such a program on female and minority students. Results indicated that the combined effects of the computer, drawing and drafting, and gender variables explained 31% of the variance in…

Describes a computer application called HyperGami that permits users to design, explore, decorate, and study a variety of paper polyhedral models. Discusses the HyperGami interface and language, illustrates the construction of customized polyhedra, and describes results of middle school students' experiences using the system. (Author/AIM)

Describes interfacing a hand-held oxygen probe with a microcomputer and suggests experiments for undergraduate chemistry courses that could facilitate student understanding of aquatic environmental processes which involve dissolved oxygen. Data can be analyzed through the program or exported into other software. Presents results of an experiment…

Presents a study that introduces data logging using portable computers as part of an investigative approach to science. Working with control and experimental classes of 14- and 16-year-olds, results suggest that data logging can have an impact on graphing skills at age 14 which is not necessarily repeatable at age 16. (Author/AIM)

Discusses the results of research which examines the perceptions of teachers as they initially engage in instruction using graphing calculators. Data were collected from 261 math and science teachers of grades 6-12. Participant views changed significantly overall in favor of viewing the graphing calculator as a thinking tool to enhance conceptual…

Discusses the potential of computers in teaching laboratories to spare the lives of animals; however, it is felt that in areas of physiology education, virtual labs are not as desirable a learning experience for advanced students as live animal labs. (Author/AIM)

Cooperative learning has been used as an educational technique for some time, and recently researchers have been exploring technology as a mechanism to further this educational method. Presents several examples of the use of technology to support cooperative learning episodes and examines the underlying design concepts and principles embedded in…

Describes an attempt to systematically incorporate "active learning" into the structure of an elective course designed to instruct students in computer-based approaches to statistics. Concludes that this approach to statistics instruction resulted in both high student learning and high student motivation to learn. Contains 15 references.…