Addresses relationships between a student's learning orchestration and learning outcome as a function of prior understanding in first year university biology courses. Employs a cluster analysis of (n=272) Australian students revealing three different forms of learning orchestration: understanding, reproducing, and disintegrating. (Contains 44…

Investigates how 11th graders think with respect to evolution and the development of species. Reports that the pupils have extensive factual knowledge, but have difficulty in relating these facts in coherent descriptions and explanations. (Author/YP)

Investigates students' experiences and attitudes about experiences in biology and human biology courses. Finds that activities which require imaginative abilities are often lacking, and notetaking and simple recall are major features of the students' experiences. Discusses some suggestions regarding these courses. (Author/YP)

Describes 10 steps for developing a diagnostic test of students' misconceptions and the use of two tests in chemistry (covalent bonding and structure) and in biology (photosynthesis and respiration in plants). Discusses the results and some implications for teaching science. (YP)

Describes biological competitions at the high school level in Poland. Argues that they can be used to enhance and maintain students' interest in the subject. (Author/YP)

Describes a diagnostic evaluation to measure the idea of the living cell as the basic unit of life. Describes the classification of student knowledge as common knowledge, wide-spread lack of knowledge, inadequate alternatives, and contradictions. (YP)

Reports on the relationship between students' propositional knowledge, measured by concept mapping tasks, and their study strategies, measured by self-report questionnaires, as it relates to the concept of photosynthesis as presented in a first-year biology course. Results indicate that involved, purposeful study strategies, prompted by relevant…

Course of study, target student population, structure of matriculation examination, student outcomes and attitudes of student toward various components of this examination are described. It was found that this examination not only offers a fair, educationally valid assessment but also provides support and direction which result in more effective…

The verbal interactions among pupils engaged in problem-solving tasks were studied in an attempt to explore the effectiveness of small-group learning in science. Interactions were predominantly task related, but their content rarely rose above the level of "factual information" interchange. Information exchange at higher cognitive levels…

Focuses on the understanding of British children (N=189) of geologic time as they participate in related activities. Indicates that 10- and 11-year-old children lack a clear chronology of geologic events. Contains 22 references. (DDR)

Analyzes middle school students' interests in biology to provide information on instructional strategies and curriculum development in Korea. Reports that the highest interest domains are genetics and microscope observations. Contains 16 references. (DDR)

Suggests that misconceptions about natural selection arise from mistaken categorization. Proposes that students often fail to understand the ontological features of equilibrium processes. Contains 32 references. (DDR)

Reflects on the origin of the misconception of inverse respiration in green plants. Proposes a series of conceptual schemes that could form the basis for teaching the subject of green plants in a way that prevents or substantially reduces the appearance of this misconception in primary- and secondary-school students. Contains 33 references.…

Presents the results of an analysis of science-classroom lab talk which focuses on topics and manner of talk as an approach to understanding the social context of undergraduate lab work. Argues that lab instructors should pay attention to how "scientific" the lab talk is, and to sociability among students. Contains 32 references.…

Suggests a new approach to teaching about biochemical cellular processes by stimulating student interest in those biochemical processes that allowed for the outcomes of modern biotechnologies. Discusses the development of students' ability to ask meaningful questions about intra-cellular processes, and the resulting meaningful learning of relevant…