Presented is a discussion on the value of science and technology centers in providing learning experiences for visitors. The discussion is not limited to science centers but includes applications possible to any museum interested in providing interactive experiences. (SA)

Implications for science curricula and instructions of new perspectives on scientific knowledge, on nature of evidence, and on how knowledge changes are considered. Argues that much of science education is mired in positivist assumptions and suggests ways in which science instruction can promote a more appropriate epistemological attitude and…

Examines (1) how students evaluate information obtained in the science laboratory; (2) the effects of use of microcomputer-based laboratory; and, (3) the effects of explicit instruction on critical evaluation skills. Discusses results in terms of students' propensity to accept incorrect graphs and in terms of the effect of the enhanced instruction…

To increase the connection between educational research and educational practice, a process called "curriculum reformulation" was used to incorporate recent advances in research on learning and instruction into science classroom experiences. The cognitive demands of a thermodynamics curriculum were successively refined while maintaining…

Examines a free choice program and ways seventh graders choose their own activities in five science categories: (1) Mechanical; (2) Physics; (3) Chemistry; (4) Biology, and (5) Combinational. Results suggest that the challenge format for the activities allows students to practice what they have learned and consolidate their knowledge. (HM)

Discusses the gender differences revealed on the science content items of the National Assessment of Educational Progress Science Assessment. Examines explanations for the differences, including differential prior instruction, differential response to uncertainty, differential response to figurally presented items, and different attitudes toward…

This book discusses making science accessible to all students, noting the role of computers as learning partners. It provides theoretical and practical insights into learning, assessment, and technology, exploring innovative ways to support students' multiple pathways in learning. It draws on experience with the Computers as Learning Partner…

The procedures, major findings, and conclusions of the Adolescent Reasoning Project are summarized in this final report to the National Science Foundation. Eleven different experiments were conducted to investigate the role of naturalistic and laboratory task content on scientific reasoning. Participants involved 1500 seventh, ninth, eleventh, and…

Reports on an investigation designed to study the ability of 11 to 17 year old students to control variables when presented with science problem situations in three types of question formats (free response, multiple choice, screen question). (HM)

Compared laboratory and naturalistic content influences on formal reasoning tasks of 90 13-, 15-, and 17-year-olds, focusing on tasks requiring ability to control variables. Results indicate that 8 to 20 percent of performance variance was associated with task content. Content effects were also shown to reflect expectations about task variables.…

Reports on a study that investigated the effects of various instructional practices on programming proficiency focusing on characteristics of Pascal classes. States that instructional practices involve extensive on-line access, explicit instruction, and extensive feedback. (ML)

Examines content and problem effects of formal thought in 13-year-olds (N=120). Three controlling variables tasks with different content and two question-type tests (analysis and controlling questions) were administered. Findings, among others, indicate that content and problem effects contribute to variance on formal reasoning problems.…

Discusses whether and how computer programing courses can teach problem solving. Provides results of an integrated set of studies of middle school programing students whose problem solving skills increased in a programing class. Argues that "exemplary" instruction is more efficient than "typical" instruction. Examines the influence of students'…

This document discusses the relation between adolescents' expertise (their informational background, which can be accurate or inaccurate, about a particular task or subject) and their formal operational reasoning, and reports the results of three studies of the effects of children's expertise on reasoning. In Study I, adolescents from a rural…