Sixty-eight studies on conceptual development in the biological sciences are reviewed. These studies originated in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Each study was classified by type of concept(s) under investigation and by the research method employed (focusing on the mode of inquiry and the mode of assessment used). When…

Reported are the findings of the Panel on Undergraduate Major Curricula which define the specific content on an undergraduate core curriculum in the biological sciences. In-depth analysis of the detailed information content of the core program is presented. Content descriptions of the core programs at four colleges are provided, and a composite…

The science of education has been influenced by the basic sciences to the extent that educational research now has been able to modernize its approach by accepting and using the basic scientific methodology and experimental techniques. Using primarily the same steps of scientific investigations, education today holds a place of much greater esteem…

Describes a course in which pollutant health impacts are discussed in the context of unifying concepts such as threshold v nonthreshold responses. (CS)

Presents the viewpoints of a prominent behavioral scientist concerning the role of the environment in the evolution of behavior. (CS)

Presents a practical problem to students in a junior-level thermodynamics course in which a human body regulates its own internal temperature. This problem can be utilized as well (with modification) in an introductory physics course for life science majors. (HM)

Discusses alternative theories to evolutionism. Five theories are mentioned, but most attention is given to the steady state theory of species which the author considers the most suitable partner for Darwinism in O- and A-level biology courses in the United Kingdom. (HM)

Discusses strategies for teachers to get back in touch with the earth and re-connect with the environment. Argues that the teacher's appreciation for nature's beauty will bring about a sensitivity not experienced before and help students develop a reverence and awe for the natural world. (JRH)

Reports on some potential teaching problems associated with children's scientific ideas about the concept of mutation. Provides information on the sample, methodology of study, and analysis. Concludes that in biology teaching the treatment of the concept must ensure that its genetic sense is specifically delineated. (RT)

An examination of high-school biology textbooks reveals that the majority of authors and publishers place concepts dealing with ecology and environmental principles in the final chapters of the book. Suggests it is time to move away from a phylogenetic approach and focus on ecological concepts throughout textbooks. (LZ)

There is growing interest amongst educationalists in the relationship between education and neuroscience; for example, the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) recently hosted an event entitled "Bridging the gap between neuroscience and education". While students' quotations are informative about what promotes or facilitates their…

THE AREAS OF STUDY ARE--LIVING THINGS, OUR GROWING BODIES, AIR, WATER, AND WEATHER, THE EARTH AND ITS COMPOSITION, THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND BEYOND, AND MATTER AND ENERGY. THOUGH THESE ARE DIVISIONS FOR PURPOSES OF CLARITY, THE TEACHER SHOULD CONTINUALLY POINT OUT HOW THEY OVERLAP. EACH SECTION HAS A SIMILAR FORMAT CONSISTING OF--AN EXPLANATION OF THE…

This volume, the third of four, includes part six of the eight parts in the series. The author writes of a "second scientific revolution" in the twentieth century and states "for the first time in history science and scientists have been involved directly and overtly in the major economic, industrial, and military developments of their time." This…

Discusses techniques for teaching science and science concepts (including the role concept), learning contrasts, biology in the press, social responsibility, and development of thinking in students. (SL)

Considers the importance of the development of fundamental concepts in chemistry. Proposes an "anticipative" chemical education which would foster a more complete understanding of life sciences. Discusses widening the scope of chemistry and providing a better understanding of brain chemistry. (TW)