The Prime Minister's Committee on Natural Science in Education in Great Britain reported in 1918 that "...in many schools more time is spent in laboratory work than the results obtained can justify." Seventy years later this conclusion can often still be drawn. This is particularly a problem in open distance education where laboratory practicals,…

Describes changes initiated in the Level-Three laboratory course of the chemical engineering curriculum at the University of Adelaide that were useful in fostering higher-level skills and reducing the reliance on reports handed down from previous years. Highlights report writing and data analysis workshops and the laboratory project design…

Describes a unit of laboratory work which was unusual in that the teacher's purpose was to develop students' understanding of the way scientific facts are established with little expectation that they would understand the science content involved in the experiments. The unit was very successful from both a cognitive and affective perspective.…

Presents an interview protocol used to identify and evaluate students' conceptions of plants which is an invitation to participate in the third national study exploring elementary students' science conceptions. (YDS)

Describes experiments used during recent history to explain the nature of the quantum world. Explains the essential elements of experiments using polarized light and magnetic flux. Illustrates differences between classical theories in physics and quantum theory. Shows how experiments in the microscopic and macroscopic world appear to support…

Describes the results of a study on the similarities and differences in laboratory tasks used in science education at upper secondary school and university level in the three main science subjects in seven European countries. Some differences are noted between the science subjects and educational levels, but the dominant impression of the analysis…

Discusses the characteristics and development of a computer simulation laboratory for educational administration research at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and reviews an experimental study performed at the laboratory on stress in decision-making. Explores how simulations provide researchers access to experimental conditions unavailable…

Examines the psychology of learning and its application to work in the laboratory. States that the working memory capacity of students is limited; therefore the amount of information they can process needs to be controlled and "recipe following" in the laboratory is perfectly reasonable. (RT)

Examines the usefulness of cyclic voltammetry to the determination of a complex compound's stoichiometry. Discusses the experimental design, laboratory equipment, and results. (CW)

Describes a survey of the views of students, teachers, advisers, and inspectors on school science at key stages 3 and 4 (11-16 year-olds) in the United Kingdom. Finds a mismatch between the intended purposes of the Science National Curriculum and supporting documentation, and its translation into classroom practice. (Author/WRM)

Discusses general construction principles for miniaturized laboratory glassware. Describes a prototype experimental kit that allows the carrying out of all standard laboratory operations and discusses a trial use of the equipment with students 16- to 17-years-old. (CW)

Describes research projects and experiments in graphic design conducted at a number of colleges and universities. (GT)

Describes a method to detect the presence of microgram quantities of nearly any metal in samples of alloys, minerals, water, and air. This chemical-spot testing technique requires no elaborate equipment and can be done by an amateur. (SK)

Argues that many laboratory experiments are designed to be clever and challenging but instead are confusing and frustrating for most students. Describes the use of a teaching approach in English courses for chemistry laboratories in which students get to do the experiment for fun and practice, then meet with the teacher for discussion before…

Reports on a study which investigated the effects of having students analyze circuits in the laboratory compared with troubleshooting from homework problems. Results indicated that laboratory experiences provide a richer learning experience than lecture and homework alone. (TW)