Presents results of a program to evaluate effectiveness of the dissemination of curriculum enrichment materials developed as part of Ohio Sea Grant in 1977. This 1980 Evaluation measured attitudes and knowledge of randomly selected schools' fifth- to ninth-grade students. A similar survey begun in September 1983 continues the evaluation process.…

Describes study that investigated the effects of instructional control and gender pairing arrangements on learner achievement, attitudes, and interaction during an interactive video elementary school science lesson. Cooperative learning strategies are discussed, results of statistical analyses are reported, and implications for instructional…

This document provides curriculum planners with models of learner outcomes that can be incorporated into a science curriculum and science essential learner outcomes. The first chapter includes a list of educational system values and learner values, philosophy of education, the mission for public education, and learner goals that describe the…

This study investigated the types of tactics and strategies students used in working with computer simulations and examined if the skills acquired when using the computer simulation could be applied in other settings. Sixth grade students (N=50) from three different schools participated in the study and were observed over a period of six weeks.…

Data on science achievement, student attitudes and educational practices in the United States and 23 other countries were collected. This data was taken from random samples of the fifth, ninth, and twelfth grade levels. This report card conveys a few of the findings of the Second IEA Science Study regarding the performance of students in the U.S.…

The direction and magnitude of sex-related differences in science attitude and achievement have been topics of conjecture and research. Reported here are findings of a quantitative synthesis of completed research relating to these issues. A comprehensive literature search revealed 83 "articles" (journal publications, books, unpublished…

Suggesting that the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in technical and science-related careers and within academic programs leading to such careers has not resulted primarily from free exercise of choice on their part, but rather has resulted in some measure from barriers to minority group participation, the literature was surveyed to…

This is the tenth in a series of general bibliographies which are being developed to disseminate information concerning documents analyzed at the ERIC Information Analysis Center for Science Education. Reported are over 40 citations to selected documents in the areas of (1) teacher characteristics, and (2) student characteristics. The documents…

This document examines how a unit on model rockets, designed to be a "hands-on" activity within the "Mission to Mars" curriculum that was implemented in the Nashville (Tennessee) area middle schools, has been used to investigate children's understanding of experimentation. A literature review explores some of the traditional…

In this article, the authors discuss a two-year long professional development research project that took place in the borderlands of the U. S. Southwest and involved a partnership between university and local school district faculty. This intervention project, called Maxima, was designed to positively impact the attitudes and participation of…

This is the seventh in a series of general bibliographies which are being developed to disseminate information concerning documents analyzed at the ERIC Information Analysis Center for Science Education. Reported are over 85 citations to selected documents in the areas of (1) science and society, (2) the history of science education, (3) science…

This article is about one school district's effort to reform its elementary science curriculum through a program of professional development called Science, Parents, Activities and Literature (Science PALs). The differential exposure of the district's K-6 teachers to Science PALs and differences in how well teachers implemented Science PALs-type…

The question of why so few women enter scientific fields of study is important to American society. This paper examines two questions concerning the career aspirations of students: (1) What attitudes do students have about science and careers in science? and (2) How do variables such as classroom structure, grade level, gender, peer influence,…

Presented are analytical abstracts, prepared by science educators, of four research studies classified as relating to science curricula, four studies about learning, and one study on the evaluation of an instrument designed to measure students' orientation toward science. Three of the curriculum studies each relate to a specific curriculum project…

Presents findings from a case study of one fifth grade student's efforts to construct meaning in her science class during a unit on light. Contends that students' efforts to construct meaning may suggest instructional approaches that guide learners to consider and grasp scientific explanations while still valuing their own insights and abilities…