The direction and magnitude of sex-related differences in science attitude and achievement have been topics of conjecture and research. Reported here are findings of a quantitative synthesis of completed research relating to these issues. A comprehensive literature search revealed 83 "articles" (journal publications, books, unpublished…

Presented in this document are the results of the five focus groups involved in Project Synthesis, a research study designed to synthesize and interpret the information found in the three National Science Foundation-funded status studies (the literature review, the national survey, and the case studies "The Status of Pre-College Science,…

This narrative analysis presents one teacher educator's self-study of her first year in teacher education. It occurred when she was the junior partner in redesigning and teaching a science discipline subject to preservice elementary educators. The three-part learning and teaching model they developed included cooperative groups, learners'…

Instruments were developed to measure the confidence and self-image of preservice elementary school teachers in relation to both biology and physical science. High reliability and convergent and discriminant validity were displayed by the instruments, both in the initial test development stage and in subsequent confirmatory studies. (Author)

This research examined the impact of the first-year implementation of an instructional intervention to promote achievement and equity in science and literacy for culturally and linguistically diverse elementary students. The research addressed three areas: (a) overall science and literacy achievement, (b) achievement gaps among demographic…

The science achievement of 226 5th graders from districts that have a kit-based inquiry science curriculum supported by intensive professional development (PD) is compared with data from a group of 173 5th graders from other districts that use nonkit science materials and do not have systematic science PD for teachers. Within the kit-based…

Teachers and researchers alike have advocated over the last decade writing across the curriculum, which has tremendous potential both for improving the writing process and as a tool for helping students develop subject matter understandings. In particular, evidence shows that writing-to-learn has promise as a powerful tool for supporting students…

This document examines how a unit on model rockets, designed to be a "hands-on" activity within the "Mission to Mars" curriculum that was implemented in the Nashville (Tennessee) area middle schools, has been used to investigate children's understanding of experimentation. A literature review explores some of the traditional…

A study examined a new collaborative consultation process to enhance the classroom implementation of whole language science units that make use of computers and multimedia resources. The overall program was divided into three projects, two at the fifth-grade level and one at the third grade level. Each project was staffed by a team of one…

In this article, the authors discuss a two-year long professional development research project that took place in the borderlands of the U. S. Southwest and involved a partnership between university and local school district faculty. This intervention project, called Maxima, was designed to positively impact the attitudes and participation of…

Twelve pupils from each of 13 middle school science classes participated in this study. Findings, among others, indicate that two of nine engagement measures (attending and generalizing), together with formal reasoning ability, were related to process skill, achievement, and retention. (JN)

This synthesis of research in academic engagement addresses studies in several academic areas. A general relationship of teacher performance and student engagement in learning tasks is noted. Cites studies indicating a relationship between degree of engagement and achievement and suggests numerous research questions for science education…

This article is about one school district's effort to reform its elementary science curriculum through a program of professional development called Science, Parents, Activities and Literature (Science PALs). The differential exposure of the district's K-6 teachers to Science PALs and differences in how well teachers implemented Science PALs-type…

A major goal of any teacher education program is to prepare prospective teachers to know what to do in a classroom of children and how to do it effectively. The purpose of this research study was to examine the level of first-year teachers' science content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge in order to evaluate the…

The question of why so few women enter scientific fields of study is important to American society. This paper examines two questions concerning the career aspirations of students: (1) What attitudes do students have about science and careers in science? and (2) How do variables such as classroom structure, grade level, gender, peer influence,…