Analyzes the complexities of the concept of attitude: the origin and history; subcomponents; related concepts including beliefs, opinion, and values; traditional trilogy--cognition, affection, and conation; and some controversies. (YP)

Examines the grade-level, gender, and intellectual ability differences in attitude toward science and scientific knowledge. Reports significant differences between average and gifted students in attitude toward being a scientist, usefulness of science, and in knowledge of science. Finds that gender does not have a main effect. (Author/YP)

This study reports on the development and validation of the Attitude toward Science in School Assessment (ATSSA). Reports a low correlation between attitude and achievement tests while a moderate correlation between attitude and course grade. (Author/YP)

Determined is the logical reasoning necessary to construct line graphs including a straight line with a positive or negative slope and an exponentially increasing curve. The responses of subjects (grades 6-12) were classified into one of nine categories fitting with Piagetian operational structures. (Author/YP)

This paper criticizes the Yeany, Yap, and Padilla paper (1986). Questions the internal consistency about hierarchical relationships of integrated processes and cognitive reasoning concerning procedures used for the generation of subhierarchies, instrumentation used to assess the process skills, and rigor of lexicon. (YP)

Examined is the effectiveness of a smoking-prevention program in modifying high school students' attitudes and values in such categories as health, peer pressure, and social image as related to smoking. The intervention lasted four to six weeks within the framework of ninth- and tenth-grade biology classes. (Author/YP)

Investigates the additive memory effect of two modes of presenting information to elementary children on the retention of both images and words. Children represented more information in pictorial than in verbal form. The visual-verbal treatment group scored higher on most of both verbal and pictorial responses than the visual treatment group.…

Discusses instruments for measuring interest in biology: "Interest in Science Topics"; "Learning Mode Preference"; "Interest in Scientific Activities"; "Activities Motives Inventory"; "Interest in Social Aspects of Science"; "Career Orientation Inventory"; and "Attitude toward Biology Study." Concludes that interest in biology may be…

Investigated are the reasons why eleventh-grade Israeli students intend to enroll for a biology, chemistry, or physics course. Topics, activities, motives, attitudes, and grades in the subjects in year 10 are used as predictor variables for correlational analysis. (YP)

Discussed is the issue of the appropriateness of applied science approaches to evaluation in environmental education. The relationships between characteristics of applied science approaches to evaluation and the special characteristics of environmental education are explored. (Author/YP)

Examined are the global issues of population growth, world hunger, air quality and atmosphere, and water resources in 10 middle school science textbooks. Less than two percent of text pages were devoted to these issues and no significant differences were found between textbook series. (Author/YP)

Determines how the use of a science education program affected selected ninth-grade students' comprehension of science reading material. The different effects of the program depended on students' reading and mathematics scores. (Author/YP)

Investigates the predictive ability of two sociological theories of group decision making, the social decision scheme and the valence distribution model. Reports that student beliefs at the end of the simulation deviated from group consensus and that the two models could not account for the deviation. (Author/YP)

Investigates the effect of cognitive style on the performance of college students on proportional reasoning tasks. Reports that students having proportional reasoning can be misled by the presence of field effects and that there was a significant correlation between the test of field independence and the items of proportional reasoning. (Author/YP)

Investigates the effect of a directed-inquiry approach to learning science process skills and scientific problem solving in the high school biology laboratory. Reports no main effect of the approach but an interaction effect of the approach and cognitive development. (Author/YP)