Interest in school science and technology (S&T) remains an important issue as it is linked to achievement and the intention to pursue studies or careers in S&T. Around the world, a number of studies have shown that interest in S&T declines with school years. However, some divergences from the general trend have been demonstrated in…

This quasi-experimental and pre/posttest study was designed to examine whether fourth-grade students who engaged in collaboratively writing letters to 11th-grade students performed better on tests of conceptual understanding of a unit on force and motion than students who did not. The participants included 835 fourth-grade students and 416…

Thermal cameras offer real-time visual access to otherwise invisible thermal phenomena, which are conceptually demanding for learners during traditional teaching. We present three studies of students' conduction of laboratory activities that employ thermal cameras to teach challenging thermal concepts in grades 4, 7 and 10-12. Visualization of…

Assessed is the level of scientific and natural resource knowledge possessed by fourth-, eighth- and eleventh-grade students. Misconceptions are noted. Discussed are implications for teaching about acidic deposition. (CW)

Many current studies have discovered that students tend to use either an Aristotelian or the Medieval impetus model rather than the Newtonian view in order to explain their experience. This preconceived knowledge may be important for students in learning mechanics. The purpose of this study was to identify and confirm the existence of a…

The Connecticut Assessment of Educational Progress (CAEP) is modeled after the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and has been in operation since 1971. This report is the culmination of a multi-year effort by the Connecticut State Department of Education to make its CAEP program even more useful to classroom teachers and other…

The purposes of this study were to: (1) assess the present level of scientific literacy of students in twelve public school systems in Georgia on an abbreviated form of the "National Assessment of Educational Progress Science Test"; (2) compare the performance of these students on specific test items with the performance of…

Reports on a study designed to compare student attitudes concerning their science teachers at the third, seventh, and eleventh grades where students participated in exemplary science programs. Results indicated significantly more positive attitudes of these students in a variety of ways. Included is the questionnaire used with the students. (TW)

This seven-chapter report presents information on the 1980 assessment of students' science performance in the province of Manitoba. Chapter I describes the nature of and steps involved in the assessment. Chapters II, III, and IV present, analyze and discuss achievement and attitude results for grades 5, 8, and 11, respectively. Achievement results…

In 1985-86, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will undertake the fifth national assessment of science knowledge, skills, and attitudes in 9-, 13-, and 17-year old Americans. The science objectives have been developed and reviewed by committees of scientists and educators. The objectives presented in this document are grouped…

The purpose of this booklet is to articulate the student outcomes expected for children at the end of grades 3, 5, 8, and 11. This document seeks to reflect the major themes of science education. These common curriculum goals have been developed not to detail separate facts of science needed to be taught by every science program, but to detail a…

This study assessed the level of scientific and natural resource knowledge that 4th, 8th, and 11th grade students in Maine possessed concerning acidic deposition. A representative sample of public school students (n=175) was interviewed on 12 concept principles considered critical to a full understanding of the acidic deposition problem. These…

GRADES OR AGES: K-12. SUBJECT MATTER: Science. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into three sections, one each for elementary grades, middle grades, and high school. The first two sections are further subdivided by grade level and the last section is subdivided by course. Sections are laid out in four columns across two…