Presents a method for representing students' knowledge about basic scientific concepts by classifying ideas produced in a free-writing task. Implies that those differences which exist can best be attributed to general fluency in the language of instruction rather than factors that are specific to the learning of science. (Author/CW)

Examined the effects of Piagetian-like tasks' characteristics on the performance of those tasks by different age group students. Indicates the method of task presentation had an effect only on young students' performance, while numerical content had an effect on the majority of students in all grades. (Author/CW)

Explored the relationships between gender and achievement as measured by the Secondary School Certificate Examination in Kuwait. Found that girls attained significantly superior results compared with boys in all science subjects and lower results in mathematics. Also reports comparisons of urban-rural and Kuwaiti-non-Kuwaiti students. (Author/CW)

Studies the interviews of 24 professional scientists to seek their views on the long range effects of their initial training. Analyzes the interviews for content, teaching, and types of learning experience. Concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for science education. Argues for a reduction in content. (CW)

Reports an investigation of the perceptions of technology of teachers who are the heads of their school science departments. Relates these perceptions with those of a sample of 13-year-old pupils. Reveals that many teachers have a restricted view of technology. Discusses the implications of findings for curriculum change. (CW)

Reports findings on variable-handling aspects of pupil performance in investigatory tasks, using data from the British Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) national survey program. Discusses the significance of these findings for assessment methodology and for understanding of 15-year-olds' approaches to the variable-based logic of investigation.…

Investigates the effects of using scientific apparatus versus household objects on the accuracy of primary school children in a simple titration exercise. Indicates no significant difference between the accuracy obtained using the two types of apparatus at the beginning, but improved performance for children using scientific apparatus by the end.…

Reports on a study in which the Introductory Science Teacher Education (ISTE) instructional package was used to promote favorable science related attitudes in preservice teachers in Nigeria. Reports that the ISTE could produce better science related attitudes than the traditional science teacher program. (CW)

Reports the results of a survey of 70 experienced primary school teachers in Australia designed to explore respondents' concepts of technology and their attitudes about curriculum change. Discusses the implications of their findings on technology curriculum improvement. (CW)

Describes an attempt to ascertain the validity of the assumptions of the developers of a technology-based biological curriculum. Considers the organization of its learning materials and the transfer of key concepts. Illustrates some of the crucial issues faced by scientific curricula emphasizing technology. (CW)

Reported are compulsory education pupils' representations of electric current in a constructivist approach to introducing direct current (DC) circuits. Suggests that the pupils views can be modelled after an energy framework. Makes suggestions about the content, the apparatus and the experiments used in teaching DC circuits. (CW)

Explores the variables that affect students' decisions to enroll in elective physical science courses in high school. Reviews the results of a survey of 875 eleventh grade students in Israeli academic high schools. Infers relationships between attitude and enrollment using regression analysis. (CW)

Evaluated effectiveness of six instructional programs (each dealing with a different aspect of a spatial task related to diagrams of three-dimensional structures) with Bahraini students (ages 13- to 17-years-old). All brought about a significant degree of learning over all age groups. Implications of these and other findings are discussed.…

Freshmen and sophomore science education students (N=32) were observed to determine their performance (attentive responses) on four cognitive variables. One result found is that 44 percent of students used the fastest mode of short stimulation/short response time, but had the lowest mean score on the four cognitive variables. (JN)

Discusses Walberg's psychological theory of educational productivity, which is based on the Cobb-Douglas economic production function. The empirical finding that the educational production function is approximately homogeneous of degree one in the productivity factors, in accordance with theory, is noted, and it is shown how this agreement could…