Discusses the use of school science in students' everyday lives. Argues that the goal of connecting school science to students' everyday lives moves the discussion of public understanding of science to public understanding of technology. Examines the implications and limitations of this movement. Contains 40 references. (Author/WRM)

Argues that citizens need to recognize that science is a human social activity like any other. Calls for socially responsible science and a public mindful of its strengths and weaknesses. Explores two case studies of public construction of knowledge about controversial health-related issues to illustrate the problematic nature of public…

Reviews book that explores the nature and potential of interdisciplinary research. Presents not only a history of both disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity but also a review of the major problems confronting interdisciplinary research and some possible solutions. (VWC)

This review of computer-mediated communication (CMC) on the Internet focuses on empirical research in noninstitutional and nonorganizational contexts. Highlights include modes of CMC; appropriate uses; social effects; effects on language and communication; freedom of expression; community; personal impacts; privacy; ethics; democracy;…

This paper provides a current picture of what is happening to homosexual students in science classrooms, and discusses the necessity of promoting an understanding of what needs to be done to make science classrooms inclusive for gays and lesbians. A summary of a research study that used a survey of homosexual students' attitudes toward school and…

Several bodies of literature that shed light on some aspects of the relationship between information technology (IT) and research practice in science and engineering are reviewed. Subjects include: (1) the importance of calculation in research endeavors; (2) productivity in science and technology; (3) the philosophical differences between science…

Designed to provide a link between academic thought and research and the practice of teaching, this monograph explores the appropriate educational response to technological change. The central argument of this study is that future job opportunities will lie essentially with low tech jobs, i.e., traditional, basic, industrial jobs, rather than the…

Differentiates between utopian societies and their opposite, anti-utopias. Cites literary works which refer to the relationships between utopias and technology. Provides a bibliography of works cited as well as secondary sources. (TW)

The development of a uniquely Australian system of innovation and its relation to the vocational education and training (VET) system is considered in this discussion paper. It asserts that the Australian system of innovation fits the pattern of incremental innovation and diffusion of technical knowledge. It focuses on arrangements prior to the…

This publication is the fifteenth in the series of biennial Science Indicators reports. The Science Indicators series was designed to provide a broad base of quantitative information about U.S. science, engineering, and technology for use by public and private policymakers. Because of the spread of scientific and technological capabilities around…

Technology enthusiasts and politicians portray the Internet in unrealistic and misleading ways that inflate its suitability for school education. The Internet is not a library, "community," or panacea for difficult problems of teaching and learning. Determining the benefits and pitfalls for education requires extensive research and evaluation of…

In 1996, the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum set out principles for effective science education focused on the overall goal of "scientific capability." Five aspects of capability (scientific curiosity, competence, understanding, creativity, and sensitivity) are examined from theoretical and empirical perspectives,…

Traces the history of futuristic predictions of environmental changes. Focuses on particular documents published on environmental change predictions. Identifies particular instances of environmental change, such as the rate of species loss and the greenhouse effect. Maintains that predictions of future environmental changes are fraught with…

Examines how the new sociology of science can approach data access issues. A perspective is developed based on an analysis of the process of scientific production, data streams, and intellectual policy issues. (Contains 55 references.) (JLB)

Offers a concise, abstract description of the scientific method different from the historical, philosophical, and case-study approaches, which lead to comprehension of this method. Discusses features of scientific models, dynamic interactions underlying scientific progress, ways that scientist successfully understand nature, mechanisms for…