The idea that cognitive science can provide useful guidance to the teaching of physics has been met by some with skepticism. One argument is that the current understanding of cognition is too crude to be helpful; another, that any scientific approach to education stifles the art of teaching. Some feel that art and science need not be incompatible.…

Graphs of objects in motion are frequently used in introductory high school or college physics courses since they offer a valuable alternative to verbal and algebraic descriptions by offering students another way of manipulating the developing concepts. If graphs are to be a valuable tool for students, then the level of the students' graphing…

Described are chemistry and physics courses at several colleges as applications of the New Liberal Arts program for nonscience majors. The major themes of the program and several examples of this approach are discussed. (CW)

The purpose of this study was to examine in detail the experiences of non-major undergraduate students progressing through an introductory physics course taught in a four-year research university, to discover why the students have these experiences, and to uncover the consequences of those experiences. A theory was developed for relating…

A group of American and Japanese psychologists, anthropologists, linguists, and computer scientists gathered at the University of California, San Diego, to exchange ideas on models of joint problem solving and their special relevance to the design and implementation of computer-based systems of instruction. Much of the discussion focused on…

The beginning of modern science is marked by efforts of pioneers to understand the natural world using a quantitative approach. As Galileo wrote, "the book of nature is written in the language of mathematics". The traditional undergraduate course curriculum is heavily focused on individual disciplines like biology, physics, chemistry,…

Intellectual mastery of nature was the stated goal of the German physicists of the nineteenth century. In this first of two volumes, an attempt is made to bridge social, institutional, and intellectual history. Separate sections of the book deal with: (1) establishing physics at the universities; (2) German physicists before 1830; (3) promoting…

This conference on physics education was held to improve cooperative efforts in connection with 12 topics previously identified by a survey. A working group was organized in association with each of these topics with the hope of creating or reinforcing a network. Working groups included: network development procedures; graduate education and…

THA-MASTER is a model program for the training of teachers from other disciplines and/or grade levels as secondary school teachers of mathematics and physics. The program for each discipline includes brief refresher courses which include content courses, workshops, and laboratories. Methods are presented as an integral part of each course.…

This study investigated the effects of constraining freshmen physics students to follow an expert-like approach in analyzing mechanics problems. A computer-based, problem analysis environment was constructed that allowed novices to actively engage in performing a qualitative analysis of problems according to a hierarchy which combined declarative…

This volume contains the 30 formal papers that were accepted for the European and Third World Gender and Science and Technology (GASAT) Conference. The theme of the conference was "Science and Technology, A Future for All?" The papers are presented in two parts and organized into four frames. Part one contains papers, reporting empirical…

To explore the potential of computer controlled videodiscs for simulating undergraduate science laboratory instruction, the Annenberg/CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) Project funded the University of Nebraska to create and field test six videodisc laboratory experiments, two each in biology, chemistry, and physics. The six discs were…

In the action-research phase of the Learning in Science Project, four groups of people worked on problems identified in the project's second (in-depth) phase. The Physics action-research group considered problems related to the teaching and learning of ideas associated with force and motion, suggesting that children's ideas of these concepts might…

This paper describes the implications of constructivism both for what to teach and for how to teach. The first part discusses three approaches on what to teach: (1) relating mathematical knowledge to other knowledge; (2) checking for self-consistency; and (3) putting thinking before facts. The second part is on how to teach based on…

Numerous studies indicate that performance in solving single step multiplicative word problems is influenced by both problem structure and the types of numbers involved in the problem. For example, including numbers less than one often increases the difficulty of a problem. What remains unclear is how problem structure and number type interact in…