Describes a doctoral dissertation entitled "World-Future Images in Childrens Literature" which analyzed books on science fiction or utopian fiction by 43 authors of children's literature to determine whether presentations were optimistic or pessimistic. Results indicating generally optimistic stories are discussed, as well as strengths and…

The imagination of human beings and the exploration of novel ideas have always contributed to developments in science. These developments lead us to re-examine the existing structures in our environment and society so that they can be further improved. The review of literature regarding science fiction and its place in education also highlights…

An exploratory study investigated preoperational children's understanding of the fictional movie character E.T. (The Extra-Terrestrial). Of 40 participating children (ages 40 to 66 months), 85 percent indicated they had seen the movie. Data were collected according to an interview method, and responses were recorded on audiotape, transcribed, and…

In this article the authors resort to a qualitative analysis of the plot of science fiction stories about a group of scientists, written by two 11th-grade Earth and Life Science students (aged 17), and to semi-structured interviews, with the double purpose of diagnosing their conceptions of the nature of science (namely, as regards scientists'…

A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between understanding the setting and understanding the causal chain of a science fiction story. The 72 subjects, ranging in age from 16 to 54 and in educational level from high school seniors to those holding the doctoral degree, were divided into two groups that were labeled as sophisticated…

The "Star Wars" trilogy is a fairy tale projected into the future which exemplifies in a clear-cut manner many of the archetypes of Jungian psychology. These films are modern retellings of ancient myths. Carl Jung has described myths as "fundamental expressions of human nature." In the films, fairy tale motifs such as typical…

Data on women readers and authors indicated that: (1) women write more heroic fantasy and politically liberal science fiction than hard science fiction (physical science and technology), (2) women readers like hard science fiction less than men, and (3) many women authors use their fiction to advocate social change from a feminist perspective.…

Critiques three contemporary films, "Rocky IV,""Blade Runner," and "The Terminator." Constructs an evolving dystopian shadow myth that expresses the culture's repressed fears about its relationship to technology. Offers implications for the reinterpretation of the dystopian myth and for the conduct of other cultural…

Analyzing the setting of six recent "blockbuster" films, this study outlines numerous instances of the Western's influence on several contemporary science fiction films, "Star Wars,""Battlestar Galactica,""Star Trek: The Motion Picture,""The Black Hole,""The Empire Strikes Back," and…

Study of library holdings on OCLC compared with book reviews listed in "Book Review Index" showed a positive correlation between the number of reviews a book received and the number of libraries holding it. Positive and negative reviews were not differentiated, and the correlation was strongest with general and science fiction, weakest…

Presents the results of the 1988 Books for Young Adults Poll. Includes the 31 most popular reading choices of Iowa and Illinois high school students. Provides brief summaries and publication information on books in the following categories: contemporary realism; historical fiction; science fiction; nonfiction; and adventure, mystery, suspense. (MM)

Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" (1927) is a seminal film because of its concern, now generic, with the profound impact technological progress has on mankind's social and spiritual progress. As in many later science fiction films, the ascendancy of artifact over nature is depicted not as liberating human beings, but as subjecting and corrupting…

Results of a study investigating the effects of three high school courses (science fiction literature course, biology course, and English composition course) on students' (N = 55) attitudes toward science indicated that none of the courses had a measurable effect when pretest scores were compared to posttest scores. (SK)

This report examining the status of science fiction in libraries during the 30-year period of the genre's infancy discusses past attitudes toward science fiction and policies concerning its selection and acquisition. In order to determine how strong an influence reviews would have been on the purchase of science fiction, the book announcements and…

Presents a case study of a fourth grade boy writing science fiction in a writing workshop. (HTH)