A laboratory experiment is described in which a simple characterization of a historical lime mortar is made by the determination of its approximate composition by a gravimetric method. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are also used for the qualitative characterization of the lime mortar components. These…

Our Introduction to Research Methods course is a first-year majors course built around the idea of helping students learn to work like chemists, write like chemists, and think like chemists. We have developed this course as a hybrid hands-on/ lecture experience built around instrumentation use and report preparation. We take the product from one…

As emerging technologies become increasingly inexpensive and robust, there is an exciting opportunity to move beyond general purpose computing platforms to realize a new generation of K-12 technology-based learning environments. Mixed-reality technologies integrate real world components with interactive digital media to offer new potential to…

This paper deals with a course intended to teach individuals a method of convergent thinking, or "idea focusing", in seeking inventive solutions to problems and designing innovative artefacts. The course participants (mathematics, science, or technology teachers) learned a range of "inventive principles" often used for problem-solving in…

Most studies indicate primary students' attitudes towards and interest in science decline as they progress into the secondary years. Longitudinal qualitative research exploring this phenomenon is rare as is research which focuses on the students' voice as they cross the interface. In this study multiple qualitative data sources, supported by a…

Considered are two commonly used techniques, the interview and word association techniques. Highlighted is a third technique called the repertory grid. This third technique can be used to interpret students' knowledge based on an explicit, psychological theory of human behavior. (Author/CW)

Described is an experiment in which four college professors volunteered to participate as students in a university-level physics course. The procedures of the investigation and the results of this experience are discussed. Suggestions for improving physics teaching are included. (CW)

Described is an experiment in which four college professors volunteered to participate as students in a university-level physics course from the perspective of one of the professor participants. Suggestions for improving physics instruction are included. (CW)

Interview data exemplify students' attempts to integrate the concepts of electrochemistry with related knowledge that they had previously constructed or acquired in other classes. The implications for minimizing potential misconceptions center on the difficulties students experience when using more than one model for explaining scientific…

Discusses children's ideas about colored objects and colored shadows, with special attention to the organization of these ideas into mental models. The clarification of these models provides instructional tools that serve to assess and confront students' naive conceptions. Subjects were visitors to a science museum who engaged in interactive…

A qualitative study was undertaken to create lesson plans that integrate science and social studies with the hope that teachers will expand them and incorporate them into their curricula. An instructional package of lesson plans that teachers can use to integrate the science and social studies curriculum was devised. The "Mississippi State…

Discusses the frequent misconception displayed by students that chromosome structure is a function of chromosome number or ploidy. Provides detailed analyses of the evidence concerning the prevalence of this ploidy/structure misconception among students of introductory genetics and the potential sources for inaccurate communication that it can…

In this monograph, an overview of research on learning environments in science classrooms is provided. Various forms of classroom research are compared, including student perceptions, direct observation, case studies, and combinations of ethnographic and student perception methodologies. Included are: (1) "Background," including…

During the 1984-85 academic year, 41 educators representing grade levels from kindergarten through twelfth grade received Project EQUALS inservice education in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina) Schools. The purpose of this two-year study was to describe the impact of that inservice experience from the perspective of the participants one…

Examined are the type of physics applications that students are interested in learning more about in school. Gender differences within that choice are explored. Interview methodology and the results of the interviews are discussed. (CW)