Observes the progressive change in the cognitive development of students (n=141) over the course of their secondary education in an Australian private school. Analyzes data to investigate children's cognitive development across years 8, 10, and 12. Examines the influence of the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) Thinking…

This annual publication contains 43 research papers on a variety of issues related to science education. Topics include the following: mature-age students; teacher professional development; spreadsheets and science instruction; the Learning in Science Project and putting it into practice; science discipline knowledge in primary teacher education;…

Administered a laboratory process skills test to 147 year-5 students to assess their investigations, performance, and reasoning in biology, chemistry, and physics. Reports significant correlation between performance and amount of homework done and students' perceptions of several aspects of the classroom environment including personalization,…

Tasmanian students' (n=1,040) perceptions of the learning environment were collected in the final stages of primary school and again in the initial term in secondary school. First exposure to specialized science learning environments and teachers changed students' perceptions. Both school size and student gender were found to be influencing…

Investigates high school students' perceptions and attitudes toward mathematics and science and their perceived reasons for not performing well in mathematics and science. Reports that boys have more favorable attitudes and that gender differences in attitudes increased as students progressed through high school, irrespective of school type and…

Discusses students' understandings of their own internal structure. Analysis shows the extent to which student understanding increases with age and the degree to which students know more about some organs and organ systems than others. Gender differences in the drawings were generally not large and there were some intriguing differences in the…

Reports on a longitudinal study based on Years 7-12 for girls' achievement in mathematics and science. The data suggest that Year Nine is crucial for girls' perceptions of how they have performed in math and science in relation to boys' achievements in these fields. (AIM)

Presents a study of science teachers (n=5) who serve as cooperating teachers. Discusses the impact of gender-sensitive cooperating teachers on student teachers' teaching strategies, questioning patterns, and interactions during their teaching practicum. Contains 47 references. (DDR)

Young pupils find collaborative learning hard to sustain, even though it is recommended by developmental psychology and classroom intervention theories. Investigates the effect of two role attribution strategies on communication in peer groups of different gender composition in 8th grade science classes. Confirms the effectiveness of social role…

Presents an investigation into associations between students' (n=3215) perceptions of their interactions with teachers, the cultural background of students, and their attitudinal and cognitive achievement outcomes. Finds that students' attitude scores were higher in classrooms in which students perceived greater leadership, helping/friendly, and…