A questionnaire was used to explore the prevalence of ideas about global warming in Year 10 (age 15-16 years) school students in Turkey. The frequencies of individual scientific ideas and misconceptions about the causes, consequences and "cures" of global warming were identified. In addition, several general findings emerged from this…

Third in a series of three posters designed for an energy-enriched curriculum, this poster deals with nuclear energy. Learning activities for secondary students are provided on the reverse side. (RM)

Provides technology educators with an overview of the electric utility industry and present and future developments in energy technology. Discusses the process of teaching about energy in technology education programs. (SK)

Designed for use with upper form secondary school and lower-tertiary level students, the three exercises described here each examine one aspect of the nuclear power debate in Great Britain. Each takes the form of a structured case study or debate. (LLS)

Fundamental principles governing nuclear explosions and their effects are discussed, including three components of a nuclear explosion (thermal radiation, shock wave, nuclear radiation). Describes how effects of these components depend on the weapon's yield, its height of burst, and distance of detonation point. Includes effects of three…

Examines senior high school students' cognitive orientation toward scientific or social information, designated as information preference, and associated preferential reasoning modes when presented with an environmental issue concerning nuclear energy usage. Investigates the association of information preference variable with academic and personal…

In this activity intended to develop thinking and writing skills secondary students are given a worksheet dealing with either nuclear energy or the Civil War. On the worksheet the order of items is scrambled. Students must organize the information, decide what is important, and write an essay on the topic. (RM)

Examines various types of software useful in teaching about nuclear energy. Includes a list of 11 software resources (including program name, source and cost, system requirements, and brief comments about the program). (JN)

Presents new evidence to show that nuclear radiation is associated with impaired cognitive functions. Links changing levels of radiation from U.S. nuclear bomb testing to the long decline--and now the beginnings of a rise--in Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. (Author/RW)

Stresses the importance of energy education and discusses various aspects of and trends related to energy in the United States. These include energy costs, recession and energy conservation, the nuclear debate, environmental concerns (including acid rain), solar energy, technological developments, energy policy/politics, and projection of energy…

Recommends that simulation games be used to teach high school students in social studies courses about contemporary and controversial issues such as nuclear power. A simulation is described which involves students in deciding whether to build a nuclear power plant in the California desert. Teaching and debriefing tips are also provided. (DB)

Uses the teaching method of models or analogies, specifically the model called "Piekara's chair," to show how teaching classical mechanics can familiarize students with the notion of energy levels in atomic physics. (MDH)

Reviews a study that attempted to obtain baseline data on variables that may be related to the nuclear attitudes of students. Presents survey results of the attitudes of college students, secondary school age students, and members of an anti-nuclear action group toward the generation of electricity from nuclear energy. (ML)

This article provides descriptions of various aspects of the three comprehensive energy bills pending before the U.S. Congress. All three bills assign nuclear energy a prominent role through support of the electric utility industry's stated goal of ordering a new nuclear energy plant by the mid-1990s. (JJK)

A third-semester physics course that covers the topics of atomic physics, the theory of relativity, and nuclear energy is described. Activities that include the phenomenon of radioactivity, field trips to a nuclear power plant, a simulation of a chain reaction, and comparing the size of atomic particles are presented. (KR)