Ability to distinguish between causal (cause-effect) and teleological (means-ends) explanations was measured in 1905 twelfth-grade biology students and found to be dependent on student knowledge. Although the inability to make these distinctions contributes to misconceptions in biology, appropriate instruction can easily remedy the problem. Sample…

Determined the factor structure of tasks which require students to visualize how diagrams should be drawn to represent effects of rotating three-dimensional structures about the three Cartesian axes. Results obtained from 149 English and 231 Singapore students show that visualization about X-, Y-, and Z-axes are factorially distinct. (DH)

Assessed Venezuelan college freshmen's (N=709) level of formal or concrete operations and its correlation with performance in various courses. Findings show 84 percent were concrete; achievement in chemistry had the highest correlation with formal operations, and decreasing correlations occurred with mathematics, biology, biology lab,…

Good problem solvers and poor problem solvers in advanced physics (N=8) were significantly different in their ability in translating, planning, and physical reasoning, as well as in problem solving time; no differences in reliance on algebraic solutions and checking problems were noted. Implications for physics teaching are discussed. (DH)

Surveyed 170 English schools (for 13- to 16-year-olds) to determine the extent to which industrially relevent materials were adopted in science classes and attitudes of science teachers toward these materials in science syllabi. Indicates that although teachers believe the industrial materials should be emphasized, traditional science courses…

Examined ability levels, attitudes, expectations, and affective outcomes of junior high students (N=147) who voluntarily enrolled in extracurricular science activities at Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel). Results indicate that for high ability students there is a need for theoretical and experimental independent study which can be found in…

Eleven-year-old secondary school students (N=2065) were given a variety of attitude and achievement tests. Although both boys and girls had positive attitudes toward science, boys preferred studying physical science while girls preferred studying biology. Implications of these and other findings are discussed. (Author/JN)

Presents a theoretical framework for and a detaled description of a model for teaching scientific analogies. The framework focuses on the definition of an analogy, analogical learning, variables related to analogical learning, evaluating outcomes of analogical limiting, and limitations of using analogies in teaching. (JN)

Investigated the self-esteem of physics teachers of students taking pre-service physics teacher education courses. Findings indicate that students who dropped out from the courses had lower self-esteem than either students who satisfactorily completed them or similarly qualified students who did not take the courses. Implications for teacher…

Assessed and compared the attitudes of a national random sample of students who were in junior high school during 1976-77 with the attitudes of a national sample of this same cohort in 1981-82. Implications of findings (related to various attitude categories) for science curriculum development are addressed. (JN)

Compared the outcomes achieved by students taking biology courses based on either the revised/updated West African Examination Council (WAEC) syllabus or a WAEC-developed alternative syllabus which emphasizes relationships to agriculture, nutrition, and other practical topics. Also examined factors associated with these outcomes, including teacher…

Investigated the claims made by science teachers as to how they write and use worksheets, validating these claims against an analysis of worksheets collected from these teachers. Some weakness of readability theory in terms of validity and reliability when applied to these materials are discussed. (JN)

Investigated use of overhead transparencies containing a sequence of diagrams to represent a three-dimensional structure at different stages during a rotation. Significant learning occurred among 120 Bahraini boys (aged 15-16) when the transparencies contained multi-colored diagrams which were exposed simultaneously or individually in a cumulative…

Investigated the effect on student performance of changes in question structure and sequence on a GCE 0-level multiple-choice chemistry test. One finding noted is that there was virtually no change in test reliability on reducing the number of options (from five to per test item). (JN)

This investigation showed no sex difference between boys and girls with regard to practical work at the end of their first year of secondary school and no difference between schools and groupings (all boys, all girls, mixed schools with mixed science classes, and mixed schools with single sex science classes). (JN)