Discusses the responses of science graduates (N=34) to control of variable problems. Two content areas (biological/plants and physical/pendulum) and two formats (experimental planning and data interpretation) were employed in their study. Results suggest that different problems elicit a variety of solution procedures and are affected by prior…

Investigated the efficacy of an instructional program designed to induce students to construct a mental scheme in which experimental design and natural experiments are understood as facets of the same problems and which incorporates a general solution procedure applicable to both. Results show a highly significant posttest achievement by the…

Examines the following hypotheses: (1) a relationship exists between school achievement and success in first year university physics; (2) tertiary success is a function of the motivation and metacognitive strategies of the learners; and (3) a weighted combination of indicators will allow significant discrimination between levels of tertiary…