Higher education continually seeks new approaches to support students with various learning needs. At present, Finland attempts to provide such support through accessibility and reasonable accommodation efforts, but students with learning disabilities may still encounter many barriers in their studies. One approach suggested to meet the needs of a…

The development of students' science reasoning abilities is a goal of science education. Researchers measure science reasoning using a variety of instruments, each with limitations and restrictions. In this study, contrasting instructional modes were analyzed for students' science reasoning development over the course of a semester. A novel…

Louisiana Tech University has an integrated science curriculum for its mathematics, chemistry, physics, computer science, biology-research track and secondary mathematics and science education majors. The curriculum focuses on the calculus sequence and introductory labs in biology, physics, and chemistry. In the introductory biology laboratory…

This survey indicated that the image of scientists held by liberal studies majors (n=76) planning to become elementary school teachers and biology majors (n=90) was of a white male, wearing eyeglasses and a lab coat, working in a laboratory. This image was held more closely by liberal arts students than by biology majors. (MDH)

Locus of control as a potentially inhibiting factor in the acquisition of science-related attitudes was studied using 60 tenth grade biology students, 89 eleventh and twelfth grade chemistry students, and 61 college elementary education majors. Correlations between Rotter's Internal-External Scale and seven subscales of the Test of Science-Related…

Discusses the results of an attempt to provide an environment more conducive to the personal needs, learning styles, and interest orientations of elementary education majors in an introductory course in the biological sciences. (DDR)

Three groups of students--science majors, preservice elementary teachers, and all other nonmajors--are compared on the basis of their attitude toward biology, their self-concept of their ability in biology, and their cognitive style. Preservice teachers entered the course with the lowest scores but showed the greatest gains over the testing…

Describes an introductory biology course designed to enhanced the science learning of elementary education majors. A consideration of students' learning styles and interests combined with a belief that science academic talent is not a selective process, resulted in a biology course that was academically challenging and enjoyable for students. (ZWH)

Reports a study examining the concurrent validity of concept maps as vehicles for documenting and exploring conceptual change in biology. Elementary education science methods students who were instructed on marine life zones showed significant differences on their concept maps on this topic. (PR)

In response to national reform movements, an introductory biology content science course specifically designed for elementary education majors has been developed and implemented for 3 years in a collaborative manner between the School of Biological Sciences and the Teachers College. Preliminary and ongoing quantitative survey analysis of teacher…

Early career experiences of a sample of 233 University of Washington doctorates were studied. Doctorates were initially grouped into seven degree areas (physical science, biological science, social science, humanities, education, engineering, and other). As hypothesized, significant differences were found between the genders in their distribution…