Data were gathered, using pre and posttests and interviews, on the learning of individual students during a seven-week unit on a science topic (conservation) in a fourth grade classroom. Case studies of the learning experiences of each child, based on recordings and detailed observations of all class activities, were used to predict student…

The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of the Theory of Planned Behavior for predicting the behavioral intentions of teachers enrolled in the Institute in Physical Science. The study investigated three determinants of teachers' behavioral intentions set forth in the theory of planned behavior, namely attitude toward the behavior,…

Popular sentiment toward the teaching of thinking skills and, in particular, higher order skills, is on the rise. Many people are wondering about the best way for teachers to foster the growth of reasoning skills in their classrooms. This study attempts to improve the teaching of reasoning by investigating teaching behaviors or characteristics…

Density is the first intensive physical quantity students encounter that can be understood in terms of an underlying model, the particulate theory of matter. Learning about density provides students with explanations for a range of phenomena such as sinking and floating, and changes of state. Teachers report, however, that density is a difficult…

The National Science Foundation funded a project to: (1) identify major areas of science education research in which sufficient studies have been conducted to permit useful generalizations for educational practice; (2) conduct meta-analyses of each of these areas; and (3) prepare a compendium of these meta-analyses along with interpretative and…

A Working Paper, "Science Education: Accomplishment and Needs," published by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in 1978 was intended as an evolutionary document to be an assessment of the accomplishments and needs of science education perceived at that time. The Working Paper was organized into four major divisions: (1)…

This report describes the rationale, methodology, findings, and recommendations of "Project Synthesis," a research study which synthesized and interpreted information found in six selected databases. Using a discrepancy model, five focus groups (biological sciences, physical sciences, inquiry, elementary school science, and…

Reported are results of a study designed to determine developmental patterns in proportional reasoning and to determine if these patterns are similar regardless of educational level and regardless of problem context. Data from 2282 subjects in grades 6-13 were collected using the Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT), and then examined for subjects who…

This paper presents the results of the Science Parent, Activities, and Literature (Science PALs) project. This project aims to promote parent involvement in children's hands-on science education by using take-home, literature-based inquiry, problem solving, and design activities that connect school and home. Parents are the most effective source…

Describes a study that compared the effects of cooperative and individual learning on fifth and sixth grade student performance and attitudes during interactive videodisc instruction for science. The use of heterogeneous ability groups is discussed, time on task is examined, and further research is suggested. (22 references) (LRW)

Reviews the system of elementary education in the Republic of Ireland. Examines demographic data on the nature and size of school population and the organization of elementary education; describes curriculum at the junior and senior grade levels; presents research findings relating to reading, mathematics, science; and considers teacher and…

Both teachers believe that the most important student outcome is factual knowledge, middle-grade students learn through repeated drill and practice, and these students require a great deal of direction. Their beliefs differ from the philosophy of an intended curriculum, thus hampering its successful implementation. (PR)

Students have difficulty understanding ecosystem concepts. This article argues that the difficulty stems partly from not grasping the underlying causality that structures the concepts. We report on an intervention study designed to teach eight- and nine-year-olds to reason about domino, cyclic, and mutual causality by infusing causally focused…

The purpose of this study was to describe attitudes of first and second grade teachers in Benin, toward school science and their instructional preferences (inquiry-based and traditional noninquiry-based instruction), and determine some factors that could explain these attitudes and preferences. Three hundred (N = 300) preparatory classroom…

When planning to teach science to students who are English language learners (ELLs), science teachers and some science educators look to sheltered instruction as a potential guide. The possibility of blending inquiry-based teaching with a sheltered instruction framework seems a promising method for providing high-quality science learning…