Asks the question: how does society assist citizens to stop deluding themselves with ESP, UFOs, astrology, polygraphy, water dowsing, channeling, and all manner of New Age gimcrackery? Supplies an answer: educators should emphasize instruction in probability models and scientific inference, while imparting an appropriate, scientific skepticism to…

Reviews several surveys on public attitude towards science and technology. Provides some questions and the response distribution tables across years. Discusses the survey research organizations, survey methodology, evaluation of the survey, and conclusions. (YP)

Provides an overview and description of the metric system. Discusses the evolution of measurement systems and their early cultures, the beginnings of metric measurement, the history of measurement systems in the United States, the International System of Units, its general style and usage, and supplementary units. (RT)

Explains science teachers' perceptions and decisions about the development and implementation of a science/technology/society curriculum. Discusses the teacher interviews based on teachers' decisions. Summarizes five themes: concerns over content, discomfort with grouping, uncertainties about evaluation, frustrations about student population, and…

Informal, museum-based technology education is discussed. A program in which family groups work together and learn robotics is described. Projected gains in technological and scientific literacy are highlighted. (CW)

Suggests that a major reappraisal of school science education in England and Wales is urgent and relevant to other nations' science education programs as well. Suggests that science instruction should be centered in technologies that will directly affect students' lives. Argues that science imparts values in spite of a reputation for neutrality.…

Analyzes efforts by school districts reorganizing science curricula in Illinois. Describes state goals for Illinois: Knowledge and Vocabulary; Science-Technology-Society; Scientific Enterprise; and Science Process. Discusses how school districts emphasize the 4 state goals for grades 3, 6, 8, and 11. (YP)

Discussed is the twentieth anniversary of Cornell's program on science, technology, and society (STS); one of the country's largest and most influential. Described is the current status of STS programs around the country. Surveys social problems affecting STS areas. (MVL)

This guide to science, technology, and society (STS) education was assembled to assist school districts, curriculum specialists, and teachers in implementing STS in schools. The following categories of resources are included: newsletters and journals; academic series; general reading list; recent periodical literature; selected STS literature in…

This paper provides background information for setting science education goals. The first part, "History of Reform in Science Education," describes: (1) the National Science Foundation (NSF) curriculum materials and their characteristics in the late 1950s; (2) the milestone studies and the status of science education in the 1970s; and (3) the…

Described is a two-year course for non-college-bound high school students called Principles of Technology. The goals, design, and units of the course are discussed. Criticism of the course is reviewed. (CW)

Research studies have indicated the role curriculum plays in the crisis confronting science education. Many states have begun to reorganize and evaluate their science curricula for a more coherent and improved educational program. Curricular changes have traditionally included teacher input through a local school district committee. Information…

Discusses the importance of implementing new approaches in science teaching which will elevate citizen concerns to science-related issues confronting society. Outlines a biology application course designed to counteract current problems in this area. (RT)

The Science/Technology/Society (STS) theme describes a contemporary trend in education which focuses on the teaching of issues such as air quality, nuclear power, land use, and water resources but justification for including STS in the high school core curriculum has a precedence based on historical connections among science, technology, and…

Discusses the definition of scientific literacy, the curriculum of primary and secondary schools, scientists and teachers, cooperation with industry, and the resources and morale of teachers. (YP)