This paper examines discourse among fifth-grade students in a science classroom. The authors assess students' participation in small-group activities by focusing on their roles during conversation. The issue of gender equity is raised as an important question to be addressed by teachers, students and researchers in the context of science…

To what degree do teacher participants in one science enhancement institute intend to use the information in the classroom the next fall? What factors assist this extension of learning? What factors detract from teachers applying new knowledge in the classroom? Sixteen second- to eighth-grade science teachers from a physical and life science…

Two studies on students' conceptions/notions about the energy concept are presented. The first (study A) dealt with learning the energy concept during a grades 7/8 instructional unit ("energy, work, force, and power"). The second (study B), using students in West Germany, Switzerland, and the Philippines as subjects, examined outcomes of…

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the field experience component of an undergraduate science methods course for preservice elementary school teachers was effective in: (1) shifting student concerns about science teaching from concerns about themselves to concerns about the impact of inquiry-oriented science programs on pupils;…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an instructional unit on inventing affected the inventive abilities of fifth and sixth graders and investigate the possible effects of the unit on students' creativity scores and attitudes towards science. Concomitantly, this study attempted to determine whether relationships existed between…

This report enumerates the activities of the Educational Technology Center (ETC) during 1987. The guide's theme for the year was Teaching with Technology. The report includes brief descriptions of five different types of research projects by area. In science education, the projects concerned with weight and density, heat and temperature, and the…

Many current studies have discovered that students tend to use either an Aristotelian or the Medieval impetus model rather than the Newtonian view in order to explain their experience. This preconceived knowledge may be important for students in learning mechanics. The purpose of this study was to identify and confirm the existence of a…

Two previous papers of the Learning in Science Project recorded the thinking of the project team at the outset of the exploratory and in-depth phases of the project. This paper briefly reconsiders the work done in the in-depth phase and then discusses some central issues and tentative ideas as the project moves into the third and final…

Overviews of three studies which focused on achievement as related to instructional time are presented. The first study investigated whether or not time spent in science with fourth and fifth graders (N=86) detracted from learning in more basic areas. The second study examined reading and mathematics achievement in grades 1 and 3 as related to…

A major study of Canadian science education was undertaken in 1980 to establish a documented basis for describing the present purposes and general characteristics of science teaching in Canadian schools, to provide a historical analysis of science education in Canada, and to stimulate active deliberation concerning future options for science…

The problem-solving mode of teaching science implies change for teachers, administrators, state education departments, and other individuals charged with implementing educational innovation. This study provides a descriptive record and interpretation of the words and actions of an elementary school teacher beginning to learn about teaching science…

A significant alternative to the traditional text-based approach to elementary science has been represented by the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS). Although the literature documents the process of the investigative approach, greater utilization of available programs and support from teachers are not evidenced. This investigation was…

The purpose of this project was to find and make clarifications about the uniqueness and similarities on various aspects of science education programs in Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States, and the Philippines that could provide the basic considerations on curriculum development. Included are: (1) an introduction to the research; (2)…

This study was conducted to identify information about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) that educators should know to effectively teach about the disease in the classroom. The references identified were divided into seven major categories: (1) current scientific research concerned with the virus that causes AIDS; (2) the effects of the…

Because density is unobservable and must be inferred from knowledge about weight and size, it is a difficult concept to teach and learn. Even after traditional instruction, many students still have an undifferentiated concept that mixes characteristics of both weight and density. In this study, researchers tested the effectiveness of a unit they…