In this Reflection on Practice we propose a triple nexus of research, public engagement and teaching that could provide a new pathway for academic developers to enable greater engagement in learning and teaching issues from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academics. We argue that the public engagement activities demanded…

Linked research and development forms the central pillar of the 5-year Wits Maths Connect Secondary Project in South Africa. Our empirical data emphasised the need for teaching that mediates towards mathematics viewed as a network of scientific concepts, and the development of the notion of 'mathematical discourse in instruction' (MDI), as an…

In the continuing debate about American competitiveness in the global economy, politicians and educators alike have pointed not to students' test scores, but to their creativity and ingenuity, as models for the rest of the world. Teaching creativity has been a hot-button topic this fall, from the National Academy of Education's annual meeting in…

Educational robotics activities are gaining in popularity. Though some research data suggest that educational robotics can be an effective approach in teaching mathematics, science, and engineering, research is needed to generate the best practices and strategies for designing these learning environments. Existing robotics activities typically do…

Two lengthy reviews are presented of a series of seven studies, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), on the subject of science education from 1950 to 1975. In "Science Education in the United States during the Third Quarter of the Twentieth Century", Rita Peterson provides an historical view of major events that occurred…

Few European countries have developed a broad strategic framework to raise the profile of science in education and wider society. However, a wide range of initiatives have been implemented in many countries. The impact of these various activities is nevertheless difficult to measure. School partnerships with science-related organisations are…

This study discusses the differences in behavior that the open-minded teacher and the closed-minded teacher exhibit in teaching elementary school science. To study dogmatism and classroom behaviors, a group of 43 teachers enrolled in an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in-service program was identified and classified into…

The purpose of this study was to determine if any differences exist in inquiry skills between science students using the Intermediate Science Curriculum Study (ISCS) materials and those using a more traditional approach. The Tab Science Test was administered to seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-grade science students in both ISCS and non-ISCS groups.…

Compares frequencies and styles of questioning strategies used in Modern Biology and Biological Science Curriculum Study--BSCS Green, BSCS Yellow and BSCS Blue secondary school biology textbooks. Findings revealed significant differences between textbooks in terms of number and type of questions used. (CP)

Utilizes a factorial design with the variables "use or non-use of Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) inquiry slides" and "BSCS biology or non-BSCS biology." Eighteen classes of high school biology students were used in the study. Among other findings, groups using BSCS slides were found to be overall superior on…

Discusses the controversy involving the effectiveness of elementary science curricula projects of the sixties and seventies. Reports on a synthesis of the research, student performance, implications, and improvements for the future. States that these innovative programs were more effective in raising student performance and attitudes than…

An attribute-treatment interaction study was conducted with two groups of teachers exhibiting contrasting natural teaching styles, teaching a Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) based biology course in a natural school setting. Annotated transcripts of lessons were analyzed to provide data for the validation and description of the…

Investigates the effects upon concept acquisition of giving second-grade children the verbal labels of science concepts with which they have had concrete experience in a classroom setting using the interaction and evidence of interaction concepts from the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS). (HM)

The purpose of this study was to determine if alternative modes of science methods instruction differentially affect pre-service elementary teachers: (1) beliefs about science teaching; (2) general attitudes toward teaching; and (3) beliefs about the relative importance of specific teacher behaviors. The subjects were 90 students enrolled in three…

Reported is a study to identify classroom practices of teachers using three new junior high school science curricular programs. Data from a 36-item student perception instrument, the Student-Teacher Participation Checklist (STPC), were obtained from a sample of 493 students. The teachers of these students were participants in a National Science…