Education is the foundation to almost all successful lives, and it is important that a high level of schooling be available on a global scale. Studying the trends in accessibility in education will allow educators to improve their own teaching techniques, as well as expand their influence to more remote areas in the world. "The Future of…

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…

Examines the ratings of 395 science teachers on 38 Intellectual Skills Co-ordination Controls in Teaching (ISCONT) variables. Identifies 5 factors using factor analysis. Proposes a structural model of an Integrated Teaching Plan. (YP)

American preservice science teachers' responses on Kimball's Nature of Science Survey (NOSS) were used as a basis for analyzing the sense of the nature of science held by a group of Nigerian preservice science teachers. The differences between the two groups and implications for international scientific cooperation are discussed. (Author/YP)

Identified and described (using a slight modification of Flander's interaction analysis categories) the nature of biology, chemistry, and physics teachers' verbal behaviors exhibited during science instruction. Results indicate that verbal behaviors are dominated by teachers in the study (N=24), with students remaining mostly passive. (JN)

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)

The purpose of this study was to determine the socio-cultural factors which mitigate against the learning and teaching of science in the secondary school. It was found that authoritarianism, goal structure, the African world-view, societal expectation, and sacredness of science have significant effects on the learning of science. (CW)

A study comparing cooperative and competitive learning approaches in science was conducted with 630 eighth-grade Nigerian students using five different treatments. Combinations of cooperation and competition were found to be the best methods of instruction. Procedural demands on teachers using these methods were relatively easy. (DH)

Reported is a study in which secondary school students assessed their teachers for characteristics of effective science teaching. It was shown that the instrument used was highly valid and reliable and that secondary school students could effectively assess their teachers' pre-classroom characteristics, teaching behaviors, personality, and…

Science teacher stress is a topic that has attracted only a few studies in recent years. The itemized scores of 206 respondents to the 40-item Science Teacher Stress Inventory were pooled and ranked. The top six stressors were found in descending order: (1) Difficulty in obtaining equipment and materials for teaching science effectively; (2)…

The extent to which students' home characteristics, school factors, teaching and learning variables account for the variance of a measure of students' (n=2059) attitude toward science was investigated. The results indicate that most students come from homes that may not foster positive attitudes toward science and that variables that could lead to…

In considering implications for teaching and learning found in research, a number of writers have urged teachers to probe students conceptions before teaching a concept. The purpose of this probing is to allow the teacher to begin instruction from the conceptual position or positions of the students. This approach carries with it the assumption…

In recognition of the vital role socio-cultural variables play in science classrooms, researchers are now beginning to call attention to, and encourage serious considerations of the socio- cultural background of pupils which affect their learning and understanding of science. An effective point to begin the empirical study of socio-cultural…

Reports on a study which investigated the effect of instructional objectives on seventh grade students' attitudes toward science. Results indicated that students in the integrated science program had better attitudes than those receiving traditional instruction. (TW)

Describes a study in Nigeria comparing achievement in biology with a student's preference for cooperative or competitive learning situations. Proposes that rural children prefer cooperative learning strategies while urban children prefer competitive ones. Presents data proposing that learning preference (cooperative vs competitive) directly…