Assessed is the effectiveness of a science methods program for inservice elementary teachers at a small rural college in terms of participants' concerns and attitudes toward science. (YP)

From observations of four Canadian elementary schoolteachers, this article describes teacher practice and teacher knowledge within the context of science education. Four assertions emerged from the study what teachers do depends of their biography and experience; teachers search for comfortable patterns of practice; teacher knowledge develops…

Described is how an elementary teacher established an environment conducive to learning in her classroom by implementing her own integrated science and mathematics curriculum. The implications for change on the county and state levels are discussed. (KR)

Measures both teaching efficacy and the holding of specific alternative conceptions of preservice elementary teachers (N=619). Uses a survey to determine the relationship between teaching efficacy and certain alternative conceptions. Contains 77 references. (DDR)

In this article, the environmental content of the textbooks used for the teaching of natural sciences in Greek primary schools was examined. Specifically, by employing the method of content analysis, both representational (metaphors, depictions, values, etc.) and cognitive ecological concepts) elements, building images of nature, and shaping our…

In this paper, we draw from a narrative life history approach to report in depth on the experiences of one teacher, Shagufta, in a high-poverty urban elementary school in Lahore, Pakistan. The purpose of reporting Shagufta's story is twofold. First, we want to make sense of her role as a science teacher--what should the children in her school…

Described is a concerns-based elementary science methods course, the design of which has been influenced by work done by Fuller on the concerns of teachers. The three phases of the Teacher Concerns Model are "Concerns About Self,""Concerns About Teaching Tasks," and "Concerns About Impact on Children." This model and…

Examines the way children learn from each other in the science classroom, and in particular deals with the question: "What can we do in teacher training to help teachers learn how to foster child-child learning?" (JR)

Investigated the change in the preferences of 361 undergraduate elementary education majors at Iowa State University for student-centered (SC) and teacher-centered (TC) teaching techniques, using the Elementary Science Teacher's Preference (ESCP) instrument. (HM)

Addresses the question: What criteria can educators use to judge the appropriateness of content and teaching procedures for the particular learners they are responsible for? Discussion includes theory base and a study of students. (SL)

Describes validation procedures involving the Moyer Unobtrusive Survey of Environmental Attitudes (MUSEA) instrument in use with 379 seventh grade students. (CP)

The relationships between 54 sixth grade students' performance on the Piagetian balance beam and bending rods tasks were correlated with their answers to value-laden questions. Significant positive relationships were observed. Implications from these findings for science instruction are discussed. (CP)

Reviews the major science curriculum programs in Nigeria which stress an integrated approach. Discusses the factors involved in curriculum development and outlines the foundations considered in program implementation and evaluation in primary and junior secondary schools in Nigeria. (ML)

Offers perspectives on how conceptual changes actually take place in students. Proposes that elements of Kuhn's concept of scientific paradigms and Wittgenstein's concept of the "language-game" be considered in an analysis of conceptual change. Explains how components of these models relate to science learning. (ML)

Describes a method for interpreting and representing children's science conceptions as expressed during clinical interviews. Also demonstrated how application of the "Interview Vee" yields important insights into the long-term growth of several children's conceptions of "molecules." (JN)