Compared with teachers of "conventional" science courses, teachers who attended a summer workshop and then taught Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) materials tended to increase the amount of indirect verbal influence used at the beginning of the school year, becoming more direct later, and asking more high-level questions (hypothesizing…

Prospective elementary school teachers presented with a persuasive article advocating the use of discovery techniques in science teaching and presenting science as a "dynamic, analytical, flexible way" of problem solving scored higher on a post-test science attitude instrument than a control group who read an unrelated passage. Role playing did…

Students receiving audio-tutorial genetics instruction in an indirect mode were better able to use knowledge to solve genetics problems than those with more direct audio-tutorial instruction. Describes an instrument to assess the "direct" to "indirect" ratio of taped instruction. (AL)

Students given sufficient information to be able to design chemical separations of cations performed better on a post-test, and on a four-month retention test on chemical knowledge and laboratory procedures, than students given a detailed laboratory guide listing the steps to follow. (AL)

Attitude toward an undergraduate audio-tutorial biology course became more favorable as the course progressed. Aptitude scores were significantly related to achievement, with math aptitude the best predictor, but not to attitude toward the instructional technique. (AL)

Presents rationale and methods of using a hierarchical analysis to validate the use of randomized multiple choice test items. Concludes that solving randomized multiple choice problems require the same or similar cognitive processes or problem solving skills as a free response form. (DS)

Extends P. E. Jonson's studies of physics learning by analyzing, on the basis of a 12-student control group, 24 high-school students' word associations, aptitude scores, and achievement results during instruction. Indicated a positive relationship between problem-solving ability and meaningful concept formation. (CC)

Discusses three weaknesses in reporting research findings by commenting and criticizing research articles published in the eighth volume of Journal of Research in Science Teaching. (CC)

A study to demonstrate the use of multiple regression for evaluation of instructional strategies in science. Two groups of students received Audio-Tutorial and conventional instruction. Research design was a treatment by levels with two treatments and three levels of aptitude within each treatment. (PS)

Used three recently available test forms to assess difference in knowledge acquisition between eleventh grade chemistry students and a matched non-chemistry group. Indicated that the 1968 guide developed by the Philadelphia Chemistry Curriculum Committee failed to teach processes of science. (CC)

Reports a study to analyze relationships between noverbal skills acquired by preservice science teachers in a methods course and their application during student teaching. Microteaching format was used in the experimental group to develop nonverbal cues and silence. Analysis indicated experimental preservice science teachers differed significantly…

Kindergarten children from three communities were tested on the Life-Science Concept Acquisition Test. Regression analysis indicated that significant differences existed among children from inner-urban, outer-urban, and rural farm communities on verbal, nonverbal, and total measures. Major source of significance was between outer-urban and…

A descriptive study conducted to identify characteristics and attitudes of college physics students as related to their perceptions of the study of physics. A questionnaire was administered to 1,108 students, of whom five percent were physics majors. Chi Square Analysis indicated students with high school physics background liked physics to a…