Discusses the gender differences revealed on the science content items of the National Assessment of Educational Progress Science Assessment. Examines explanations for the differences, including differential prior instruction, differential response to uncertainty, differential response to figurally presented items, and different attitudes toward…

This study represents one of the first major summative evaluations of the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS), a federally funded, six-year elementary science program. An instrument was designed for measuring the effects of SCIS on the stated goal of the curriculum, the development of scientific literacy. Subjects were rural sixth-grade…

Combines meta-analysis and process analysis to clarify the nature and magnitude of gender differences in cognitive, psychosocial, and physical tasks and their implications for mathematics and science careers. Findings indicate that learning and working environments should be redesigned to promote gender equality. (FMW)

Examines how students use evidence, determines when they add further ideas and claims, and measures progress in understanding light propagation. Uses the Scaffolded Knowledge Integration (SKI) instructional framework for design decisions. Discusses design studies that test and elaborate on the instructional framework. (Contains 33 references.)…

Two studies were conducted to clarify the influence of experiences and aptitudes on male-female differences in formal thought. Participants were 788 seventh-, ninth-, and eleventh-graders in three school districts differing in location, socioeconomic composition, and course offerings. Formal thought was measured with tasks involving proportional…

The article discusses two interrelated aspects of computer education: the computer's potential for developing cognitive skills and ways in which the differential participation of males and females in computer experiences may lead to inequitable outcomes. The Assessing the Cognitive Consequences of Computer Environments for Learning Project…