Some researchers have begun to investigate students' attitudes toward science and their scientific attitudes as possible effectors of students' scientific achievement. In this study both of the aforementioned factors are examined by administering the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) to 35 sixth grade students, 21 seventh grade students,…

Both humanity and nature have suffered greatly from human insensitivity. Not only are the natural resources of the earth being depleted and its air, land and water polluted, the financial resources of humanity are being wasted on destructive expenditures. The "Our Only Earth" series is an integrated science, language arts, and social studies…

Two studies on students' conceptions/notions about the energy concept are presented. The first (study A) dealt with learning the energy concept during a grades 7/8 instructional unit ("energy, work, force, and power"). The second (study B), using students in West Germany, Switzerland, and the Philippines as subjects, examined outcomes of…

Based upon the recognition that the sea has great potential as a future source of energy, minerals, and water, this document was developed to provide students with learning experiences in oceanography. It contains background information about ocean tides, waves, chemistry, depths, and plant and animal life. The book provides the teacher with…

Based on the idea that active participation stimulates the processes by which learning takes place, this document provides teachers and students with a variety of information and learning activities dealing with energy. Concepts about energy are presented through the use of laboratory experiments, demonstrations, worksheet exercises and individual…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an instructional unit on inventing affected the inventive abilities of fifth and sixth graders and investigate the possible effects of the unit on students' creativity scores and attitudes towards science. Concomitantly, this study attempted to determine whether relationships existed between…

Designed to help teachers implement marine education in their classrooms, this module provides information regarding a vanishing Hawaiian resource, fishponds. Due to the impact of present day human activities on shoreline areas, the size and number of fishponds have been greatly reduced; therefore, this module focuses on fishponds as a resource…

This booklet is designed to supplement a short course on microcomputers for parents and their middle school children. The course activities are designed to increase the computer literacy of the participants and also to provide an opportunity for parents and children to spend time with each other. The course is intended to take place during a…

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…

This middle/junior high school unit on wetland ecology consists of 12 activities and activity packets containing data sheets, activity sheets, flash cards, game cards, and other materials needed to complete the activities. The first activity is the text for a slide-tape show which provides an overview of the entire unit. Each of the remaining…

Reports on a study to extend the concurrent and predictive validity of the Teacher Performance Assessment Instrument by including a sample of middle school science teachers. The validity criteria for the study involved observing student engagement and integrated process skill achievement. (TW)

The science education reform movement is difficult for parents to understand because the new constructivist paradigm is far afield from science education as parents experienced it themselves. Educators in a New England middle school developed a new science curriculum without inviting general parental input. The problem addressed by this study was…

This paper describes a 4-month discourse in Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment (CSILE) databases and the resulting classroom curriculum to identify potential factors for consideration when implementing a knowledge-building environment utilizing overlapping communities of inquiry. The study was part of a larger study of fifth and…

The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of gender and ethnic differences in science and mathematics achievement of fifth graders, taking into account student ability, item response format, and strands of learning outcomes. Subjects were 2,551 fifth graders from a large urban area in Ohio. The Ohio Off-Grade Proficiency Test was used.…

Describes POET (Principles of Educating Teachers), an ongoing statewide effort to improve the quality of Georgia's preservice teacher education in middle school mathematics and science. Explores POET's goals, foundations, processes, and activities and notes what POET staff have learned about statewide teacher education reform. (SM)