Describes information-processing research, showing how computer models are used to explain thinking and how information processing approaches can be used systematically. Clarifies why students find factor-label method so difficult to master and discusses guidelines and suggestions for using information-processing ideas. (JM)

Investigated level of concept attainment of selected energy concepts for possible inclusion in the Nigerian Primary Science Project. Subjects (N=450) were taught energy concepts at descriptive, comparative, and quantitative levels. Suggests the need to describe these levels for particular grades and match curriculum with students' thinking…

Compares results of surveys sent to New Jersey science supervisors in 1978 and 1982 regarding status of secondary science education in their schools. Discusses trends developed during the four-year period, comparing them to such national trends as decrease in instruction time, use of national curricula, and loss of teachers to business/industry.…

Investigated different patterns and amounts of instruction on planning experiments with sixth- and eighth-grade students. A model for generating process skill lessons was used to produce all lessons. Three treatments were generated and tested, showing student gains in using process skills of identifying variables and stating hypotheses. (Author/JM)

Results of 11 studies of classroom practices used with activity-based elementary science programs were combined quantitatively using a composite category system. One finding reported is that teachers trained in program use spent less time talking and more on activities than untrained teachers using the programs. (Author/JM)

Determined effects of various methods and formats of administering a Piagetian task on college students' (N=376) performance. Concludes neither method nor format influenced subject performance; and this lack of influence is similar for various combinations of method and format. Importance of this finding and implications for teachers are…

Examined three methods which can be used to pool single-item-per-subject data collected in intensive time-series studies, determining if method of pooling has an effect on subsequent data analysis. Methods examined were based on simple averaging, difficulty weightings of averages, and the application of the Rasch logistic model. (JM)

Determined importance of transition between a student's initial collegiate science experience and the decision to continue in science, and whether reasons students give to explain their success or failure in their first course are related to that decision. Results demonstrate a sense of competence for students who continue in science. (Author/JM)

Human expert problem-solving in science is defined and used to account for scientific discovery. These ideas are used to describe BACON.5, a machine expert problem solver that discovers scientific laws using data-driver heuristics and "expectations" such as symmetry. Implications of BACON.5 type research for traditional science education research…

Agrees that the conceptual validity of the Scientific Attitude Inventory is suspect and a conceptual reanalysis of the distinction between "attitudes to science" and "scientific attitudes" is needed. However, inquiry into whether such instruments are developed consistently with formal criteria and theoretical guidelines of social psychology is…

Two areas of research were explored in this meta-analysis: comparison of inductive versus deductive approaches and use of advance organizers. The study involved 128 characteristics for 39 studies spanning the period from 1957 through 1980. Coding variables included 57 concerned with treatment features and 12 with outcome attributes. (Author/JN)

Presents a logical analysis of three vector concepts (position, displacement, velocity) in terms of their constituent characteristics and shows how they can be used to structure an empirical investigation into students' prior knowledge about these characteristics. Reports results of students' (N=20) conceptions about the vector characteristics…

Describes aspects of qualitative research having the potential of providing guidance to change agents in designing effective strategies to bring about desired changes in science education. A discursive approach involving the method of collecting and simultaneously analyzing data ("grounded theory") is described. (Author/JN)

Examined relationships between teaching behaviors and student engagement in 13 middle school science classes. Results indicated that seven managerial variables and four instructional variables were significantly related to student engagement rates. Types of tasks allocated by teachers were also significantly related to types of tasks undertaken by…

Investigated whether differences existed between gifted (N=25) and nongifted (N=25) fifth graders and between the sexes and related subgroups with respect to attitudes toward science. Although results indicated that gifted students had more positive attitudes than nongifted students and boys had more positive attitudes than girls, the findings…