Summarizes a debate over biology education that took place during a symposium sponsored by the School Science and Mathematics editors in 1908. The six published symposium contributions were meant to address such questions as whether zoology, botany, and human physiology should be studied in one biology course, and what the general purposes for…

Describes and analyzes five years of an attempt to introduce the public understanding of science as a subject in its own right to be taught in The Netherlands. Concludes that in spite of its status as a separate subject, the current vision of the course does not yet have a clear identity that distinguishes it from traditional school science…

Contributes to the development of a rhetorical approach to the public understanding of science or science literacy. Proposes a resolution that builds on the view that rhetoric is socially constituted and leads to the conception of public understanding as witchcraft. (Contains 69 references.) (DDR)

Science education reform is an ongoing process. In recent years many have begun to look not only to teachers for change, but they are also insisting on the involvement of administrators, parents, community members, and some business organizations to bring about this change. This book presents facts and insights regarding science education reform…

This activity guide is designed to be used with the Growing Together program. Tree-related activities are correlated to the Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy, the recommended standards for mathematics, science, and technology suggested by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The Treature Educational Program is dedicated…

Addresses the need for a public understanding of science. Presents both an historical perspective and a current view of the public's understanding of science. Reviews international examples of adult science programs and discusses the need for adult scientific literacy. (ML)

Four papers on science instruction are presented: "Science as a Human Activity" (Harmon Dunathan); "Science as a Historical Process" (Robert Proctor); "Science as a Creative Process" (Robert Pollack); and "Making Science Assessible" (Walter E. Massey). (MSE)

Speculates on the effect of the debate about evolution as a scientific theory on public perception of science. Cites poll data that suggests that the public and a good number of science teachers have not resolved the issue for themselves. Focuses on the hidden curriculum. (DDR)

Explores the potential suitability of the press as a teaching resource for raising scientific literacy for citizenship within science education. Reports that the press is potentially a useful tool for teaching certain aspects of science and technology. (Contains 71 references.) (Author/YDS)

Presents a framework for the study of Science-Technology-Society (STS) interactions and some uses of the framework. States six tenets of the STS interaction. (YP)

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) endeavored to achieve a balance between student learning of school science in a competitive sense and the variety of science learnings that contemporary curricula for science expect. The impact of science-technology-society (STS) on science curricula is used to explore these tensions in…

Discussed is the linkage between science, technology, and religious ideas. Tillich's continuum of existentialism, philosophy, and theology and his concepts of the multidimensional unity of life have been used to develop a technology and religion course. Included are the core ethic and basic tenets for STS education. (KR)

Described is an instrument for assessing science/technology/society (STS) literacy developed for a STS course. The interactive character of key science concepts used by various scientists, engineers, humanists, and social scientists lecturing in the course is emphasized. A copy of the exam and an STS literacy dictionary are included. (KR)

Examines one of the key methods used to stimulate bourgeois interest in science in France during the Second Empire and early Third Republic; the campaign to create a popularized science. Concentrates on the "science writings" of Jules Michelet and Jules Verne, both of whom were immensely successful in creating a favorable climate of…

Recounts news stories published in the United States in 1989 that reported possible cancer risks from eating apples treated with a growth regulation chemical. Discusses how the initial alarmist stories launched a vigorous media debate over pesticide risks. Contains 27 references. (DDR)