Pedagogical content knowledge is defined as the blending of subject matter knowledge, general knowledge of learning and teaching, knowledge about specific learners, and knowledge of instructional representations of subject matter such as activities, examples, demonstrations, analogies, and illustrations. This study was conducted to identify…

This study guide was developed for individuals preparing to take the Georgia Teacher Certification Test (TCT) in science. Content objectives of the test are listed and encompass: (1) scientific processes, research, and classification; (2) earth sciences; (3) characteristics and properties of matter, energy, and chemical change; (4) biology of life…

Abstracts and abstractors' critiques of ten articles dealing with various aspects of teacher education are presented in this journal issue. Studies reviewed focused on: (1) preservice secondary science teachers' understanding of the nature of science; (2) laboratory teaching skills; (3) science backgrounds of elementary teachers; (4) use of…

Designed primarily for practicing teachers and for use in pre- and in-service courses in science education, this book focuses on how 10- to 15-year-old children learn science. Findings are analyzed and suggestions are offered for improving the teaching/learning process. Issues are discussed and organized into five major sections. These include:…

A center-based program for science student teaching at the University of Iowa is described. The characteristics that distinguish the science student teaching centers from the older, traditional approach are listed. A list of tasks associated with establishing a science student teaching center is included. (KR)

Study examined science methods courses and characteristics of instructors (n=65). Of the responding institutions, 24% had only a general methods course. Most science methods courses were for three credits. Instructors were mainly male with an average age of 50 years. Differences were found between three groups of faculty teaching science methods:…

In 1993, at Wright State University (WSU), the College of Science and Mathematics (COSM), and the College of Education and Human Services (CEHS) began hiring faculty with joint appointments in both COSM and CEHS. That began the process of reforming the undergraduate education of preservice elementary teachers. Then, when the state called for a…

A longitudinal case study was conducted to explore changes in how beginning science teachers conceptualize science teaching. The current study explored the development of two of these teachers who were chosen because of their contrasting levels of expertise after their first semester of independent teaching. The research was designed to elicit the…

Abstractor's analyses of 15 science education research studies are presented in three sections. The nine analyses in the first section focus on studies dealing with preservice and inservice teacher education. Areas investigated in these studies include: effectiveness of some inservice practices; teachers' perceptions of the importance of some…

Issues related to the improvement of science teaching are examined in this collection of proposals and papers from the 1985 National Forum for School Science. Generalized comments are offered on strategies for strengthening science teaching and on selected proposals concerned with the recruitment and retention of science teachers. Topic areas…

Abstracts and abstractors' critiques of six science education research studies and six responses to critiques are presented in this issue of "Investigations in Science Education" (ISE). Each of the studies addresses some aspects of teacher education. Areas investigated include: (1) effects of inservice training on student learning; (2)…

There is general agreement that the current teaching of secondary science is not as good as it should be. Different critics identify different weaknesses, but there is agreement that students are not learning how scientists make knowledge claims and use this knowledge. This paper assumes that one powerful influence on the development of teachers…

This study examined teachers' content knowledge about the nature of science and how this knowledge was expressed in their classrooms. Understandings about science influence not only explicit lessons about the nature of science, but also shape an implicit curriculum concerning scientific knowledge. Consideration was also given to ways in which…

A collection of working papers from the course design process of two education courses is presented with attention focused on the category systems employed to set out course objectives and methods. The two studies illustrate the use of a grid to establish the relationships between various course objectives. The first collection of papers is based…

Over the past 7 years the authors have been involved in the development of a new model for the education of science teachers that has the potential to address teacher education in challenging urban settings characterized by problems such as teacher turnover and retention, low job satisfaction, and contradictions arising from cultural and ethnic…