The purpose of this study was to establish the technical and economic feasibility of using solar energy for the heating and cooling of buildings and to provide baseline information for the widespread application of solar energy. The initial step in this program was a study of the technical, economic, societal, legal, and environmental factors…

The 2 essays on educational vouchers given in this publication are: (1) "The Economics of Educational Vouchers: Schools and Parents", and (2) "The Alum Rock Voucher Program". "The Economics of Educational Vouchers: Schools and Parents" traces the roots of the voucher concept from Adam Smith to the conservative…

Possible educational uses of the proposed space-shuttle program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are outlined. Potential users of information developed by the project are identified and their characteristics analyzed. Other space-education programs operated by NASA are detailed. Proposals for a methodology for expanding…

The Education Voucher Demonstration is a large-scale educational and social intervention that began in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, San Jose, California, in September 1972. First funded by the Office of Economic Opportunity, it is now sponsored by the National Institute of Education. This technical appendix is the third of four…

The Thirteen College Curriculum Program is a cooperative venture involving predominantly Negro colleges and the Institution for Services to Education. The program is developing five new courses for the freshman year of college and two new courses for the sophomore year. The program consists of 100 students on each campus in the first-year program…

The document provides an overview of learning disabilities and described are various approaches to the detection and prevention of these handicapping conditions. Discussed in the introduction are definitions of learning disorders, the multiple nature of the handicap, and maturational lag as a cause. A section on clinical approaches covers research…

Investigated the efficacy of an instructional program designed to induce students to construct a mental scheme in which experimental design and natural experiments are understood as facets of the same problems and which incorporates a general solution procedure applicable to both. Results show a highly significant posttest achievement by the…

Assuming that dynamic features of Dynamic Geometry Software may provide a basic representation of both variation and functional dependency, and taking Vygotskian perspective of semiotic mediation, a teaching experiment has been designed with the aim of introducing pupils to the idea of function. First data coming from the observations in Italian…

This study investigates the ideas and beliefs of a small group of high school science teachers about student observations in the science classroom. Student views on science classroom observations have been previously reported on, but teachers and their students' ideas about observation is a very little researched area in science education. There…

The Springs task, an individually administered measure of ability to criticize and control experiments, is described. The task has characteristics similar to Inhelder and Piaget's Bending Rods task; it yields scores on naming variables, controlling variables, and analyzing experiments. (See also RIE: ED 163 092.) (JKS)

Explored the impact of regular reading of selected children's books in Slovenian preschools on the development of language competencies among 4- to 6-year-olds. Found significant differences in receptive language, expressive language, and storytelling between children exposed to 2 selected books per week over 2 months and those exposed only to the…

Discusses one approach to addressing lack of exposure to science for African American students, the Saturday Academy of Clark Atlanta University. Areas of interest are laboratory activities, hands-on science, and social engagement. Presents a review of related literature and a study of the program. Contains 16 references. (LZ)

Compared the effects of participation in six extra credit activities for teaching the concept of matter on female preservice elementary school teachers (n=9) to a control group (n=8). Pre- and posttests to assess changes in the students' understanding of phenomena associated with matter indicated significant changes in experimental students'…

Describes a study of college students who designed and conducted experiments involving control of variables after being assigned to one of four versions of a computer-based biology simulation learning environment. Finds that reason-justification prompts directed students' attention to understanding the employment of experimental design principles…

Contemporary theories of learning postulate one or at most a small number of different learning mechanisms. However, people are capable of mastering a given task through qualitatively different learning paths such as learning by instruction and learning by doing. We hypothesize that the knowledge acquired through such alternative paths differs…