Describes how Pre-Planning Evaluation (PPE) aids initial curriculum planning. Presents a case study of how PPE influenced the development of the electricity curriculum in Israeli technical high schools. Concludes that PPE is an essential component of the curriculum development process. (GEA)

The achievement of students in a first-year university biology course is related to two high school variables: the kind of curriculum followed and the level of students' high school biology courses. Students who specialized in biology are compared with students who did not specialize in biology. (Author/MLF)

Reviews four studies that provide empirical evidence in favor of the STS approach for students and teachers. Finds a positive effect from STS across the entire curriculum. (Author)

Utilizes the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) "invitations to inquiry" in teacher training in analyzing a lesson's objectives and in microteaching. (LS)

This study examines the relationship between teachers' and students' priorities regarding instructional practices and the actual occurrence of these practices in the classroom. A Likert-type inventory provided the data. Levels of agreement varied. The validity of the results and their implications for curriculum evaluation and instruction are…

Presents meta-analysis of 54 articles and dissertations dealing with cognitive preferences. Information provided includes: test reliability; comparisons by country, grade level, gender, disciplines, and curricula; relationships between cognitive preferences and career orientation, science achievement, interest, and aptitude; and effect sizes.…

A first-year university biology course with explicit prerequisites, made known to students a few weeks prior to the course, is described. Analysis of students' responses to a post-course questionnaire showed that most were satisfied with the high level of instruction. Certain preferences resulting from different high school preparation are noted.…

Comparison of differences between the top 5% of ninth- (n=1942) and twelfth-grade (n=2277) students in science achievement and remaining students found that far more high achievers were male, typically came from small families, and had parents with more formal education (often in the sciences). High achievers typically preferred questioning over…

Describes a study on the extent to which different children hold animistic notions and the meaning of those notions. Explores the idea of preservice science teachers as researchers. (DDR)

Conclusions drawn from results of the practical skills testing of the Second International Association of Evaluation in Educational Assessment Science Study are presented for the six countries participating. Data analyses have indicated that the practical skills tests measured performance that differed from that measured by the paper-and-pencil…

Although curriculum development ideas suggested by Doctor of Philosophy and Master's students have received little attention in the curriculum literature, they have existed for some time and have been gaining momentum. In Israel, a high proportion of the science education dissertations has involved curriculum development. A review of curriculum…

Research and evaluation done in relation to the Israel High School Biology Project (IHBP) are summarized. The IHBP is located at a university and directed by university faculty but maintains direct contact with schools. The IHBP is characterized by its attention to ongoing evaluation. (SLD)

The performance of 254 Israeli twelfth graders on multiple-choice tests with positive or negative item stems was studied. For items requiring low cognitive reasoning, performance does not differ, but, for items requiring high cognitive reasoning, the negative mode is more difficult. Implications for test construction are discussed. (SLD)

An investigation of biology matriculation tests in Israel was undertaken to assess the use of justifications with multiple-choice items and to compare the effect of three item formats on students' performance. More specifically, the study was designed to determine the: (1) extent to which justifications will differ if the correct answer is made…