Not only are rubber bands great for binding objects together, but they can be used in a simple science experiment that involves predicting, problem solving, measuring, graphing, and experimenting. In this article, the author describes how rubber bands can be used to teach the force of mass.

People can use a variety of different strategies to perform tasks and these strategies all have two characteristics in common. First, they can be evaluated in comparison with either an absolute or a relative standard. Second, they can be used at varying levels of consistency. In the present article, the authors develop a general theory of task…

Explains the characteristics and importance of random assignment in experimental research on education. Considers factors supporting causal inferences, the nature of "assignment units," differences between random sampling and random assignment, the characteristics of randomization tests, forms of random assignment, and effects of experimental…

Focuses on the nature of understanding by detailing the process of clinical interviewing. Examples from experiential learning in curriculum and teacher development lead to discussion of curriculum activity that celebrates the complexity of subject matter and the value of engaging learners in pursuing their own learning. (SK)

Comments on this issue's article by Ward, Vela, and Hass on children's category learning. Suggests that aspects of the authors' methodology may have led them to underestimate holistic processing. (PCB)

Lab reports are the dreaded assignments of the laboratory course. Students dislike them, because they can be tedious and time-consuming. Instructors dislike them, because they significantly increase the grading load. For this reason, lab reports are often omitted or replaced by alternatives such as responses to lab questions, fill-in-the-blank lab…

Provides the National Science Teachers Association guidelines to enrich education by encouraging students to observe living organisms and to learn proper respect for life. Major areas include: care and responsibility for animals in the classroom; experimental studies of animals in the classroom; and research investigations involving vertebrate…

In psychology, experimental studies are susceptible to the biases of the investigator in problem formulation, operationalization, sample selection, and data interpretation. Thus, what we regard as an objective, value-free approach to science is neither unbiased nor value-free. (GC)

Discusses the relation between science education and the philosophy of science, and changes in the philosophy of science over the past 20 years. Includes notes on the nature of science, Einstein's contributions, scientific methodology, and justification for doing laboratory work. (SK)

A high school teacher's narrative of his engagement with Thoreau and experience of schooling explores themes in Thoreau's writing: experimentation, wholeness, and primacy of place. He uses these themes to critique contemporary educational practices, arguing against prescriptive teaching and for reexamination of all assumptions. (Contains 24…

Criticizes an earlier essay that questioned the validity of contemporary educational research practices, especially those involving experimentation. Argues that research using experimentation is valid and can lead to new and generalizable knowledge. (FMW)

Discusses a dimension of hermeneutics in science that has to do with the production of the experimental object, or with act rather than text hermeneutics. Examines the hermeneutics of experimentation and differing perspectives of technique. (LZ)

The advantages of using invertebrates in teaching physiological principles are discussed. The ability to illustrate with greater clarity physiological principles, the range and variety of physiological processes available for examination, and the unlimited possibilities for student research are topics of discussion. (KR)

This article defines high technology, identifies some of the reasons it should be studied, and suggests some ways that it can be studied in industrial arts/technology laboratories. These suggestions include identifying topics for study, gathering information, organizing information, performing laboratory activities, and presenting the study. (CT)

Reviews the contributions of anthropology in educational experiments designed to help educationally and socially disadvantaged children. Cautions that educational psychology will retain its hegemony in educational research, unless anthropology is able to show how educational failure can be reversed. (GC)