This study describes strategies fifth- and sixth-grade children used to solve the problem of determining how to control a "vehicle" they "drove" by pressing particular keys on a computer. The problem involves identifying or discovering a set of cause-effect relationships. (Author/JN)

Investigated the role of "a priori" ideas in planning experiments and data processing leading to inferences. Thirty-one students (ages 11-13) observed a "combustion/candle in a closed container" experiment and were asked to interpret sets of measurements. Findings, among others, show that children preferentially experiment on…

Presented are the results of a survey of elementary school principals designed to determine whether problem solving and critical thinking skills are an integral part of the science curriculum in elementary schools. Curriculum orientation, amount of problem solving, and problem-solving/higher-order thinking priorities are discussed. (CW)

Reviews research on the purpose and effectiveness of laboratory activities. Discusses epistemology, problem solving, cooperative learning, student involvement, assessment, and teachers as researchers. (YP)

This study reports the preferences students expressed in regard to problem-solving modes for resolving environmental problems. There were many differences between students at different grades and between girls and boys. Implications for teaching are suggested. (YP)

Described is a cost-effectiveness analysis applied to the question of the probable impact of 69 actions advocated for improving science education. The major objectives and the 11 categories of interventions are discussed in regard to effective schools and implementing educational change. (KR)

Reviews the neural modeling principles of learning, perception, cognition, and motor control, discusses their applications to sensory-motor problem solving, and explores possible relationships between that pattern of problem solving and aspects of higher order formal operational problem solving. Cites implications for science education. (ML)

Improvements in the mechanism of the whirlybird used in the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) unit "Subsystems and Variables" are presented. Variables which can be investigated using this device are discussed. An illustration of the improved device is provided. (CW)

The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project focused on science teaching/learning in the Form 1 to 4 level (ages 10 to 14) and sought to identify problems and difficulties in several areas. Provided in this paper are comments obtained during structured/unstructured interviews (from students, ex-students, teachers, headmasters,…

When children are curious they are willing to investigate the less self-evident properties of matter. It is hoped as deeper explanations and relationships are explored, children learn analytic, critical, and creative skills for later application to phenomena encountered in life. A concern of elementary science teaching is motivating learning or…

The question of how children solve force and motion problems in computer simulations without explicit knowledge of the underlying physics was investigated. Keystroke sequences made by children were saved and analyzed, and children were interviewed to understand their perception of the relationship between keyboard input and on-screen action. (CW)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether an electronic geoboard, a computer-software program, could be used to assess youngsters' ability to discover facts and relationships in an unlabled and ambiguous situation. Subjects--108 children, ages 6 to 12--were enrolled in grades 1 to 6 in Norwood, New York. The electronic geoboard served as…

Reports on a study intended to determine the science education research interests of elementary teachers and to examine the data according to certain demographic variables. Results indicate that hands-on experience, science content, cognitive development and learning styles, problem solving, and teaching strategies were the top five research…

Thirty-four authors have joined to produce this book. Among them are natural and physical scientists, psychologists, historians, writers, scholars of curriculum and instruction, teacher educators, and teachers of the young. The contributors probe many methodologies including the place of unified concepts and processes; the interaction of the…

The Search for Solutions (SFS) film series has been a popular and important component of many school science programs ranging from elementary to college level. Phillips Petroleum Corporation, funding agent for the SFS, reported that by 1984 some 26,000 schools, 83 percent of all public and private schools, had used the series. In addition, some 84…