Scientific learning in the early years quite correctly focuses on the development of skills. However, at this stage of learning, science should also be about developing motivational attitudes to encourage children to explore the world around them and convince them that science is an exciting subject. Practical experiential play activities do this…

Three papers--"The Science Gifted" by R. Youngs, "Science and the Gifted Adolescent" by K. Martin, and "Science for the Handicapped Gifted Child" by J. Schnur and G. Stefanich--address science instruction for gifted students. (SBH)

Examines the effects of formal teaching of ethical issues related to science on middle school students' attitudes towards science and science achievement. Reports that teaching ethical issues in science had a positive influence on the students' attitudes toward science, specifically the interest level in science and perception of the practicality…

Discusses the use of science history and etymology in science instruction in order to maintain students' interest. Presents a specific example of the historical background of pharmacology. (JRH)

This article is an introduction to the international assessments Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and a review of results from 2003. International comparisons, especially in the media, have elevated interest in science education and stimulated discussions…

This book contains a series of hands-on science activities for young children. The activities are designed to be done by children with an adult partner. An interactive learning feature is also included. Through these activities, children can discover that science is all around them and that science helps to explain why things happen the way they…

This case study describes the effects of two innovations implemented in a college level Organic Chemistry II class for women. The teaching innovations were a student contract and affective strategies. The student contract was designed to ensure that students attended class and help sessions by guaranteeing a C to those that fulfilled the…

Following the supposition that study of a subject through a specific problem is an effective way to develop thinking, the author advocates classroom experimentation that requires the student to put forth a hypothesis, test its validity, advance a theory, and try a new problem. (JH)

Describes the science advocate program in which a science advocate visits elementary classrooms with hands-on activities that make science exciting for students. Highlights advocate activities and benefits of the presence of the science advocate. (JRH)

In an effort to increase her students' interest in science, a teacher in an underresourced school secured large donations of science-related books for her classroom of second-language learners. By balancing her science classroom library and read-alouds with a number of interesting nonfiction trade books and storybooks, the teacher tried to enhance…

As a chemistry professor at a liberal-arts college, the author believes it is his job to find the youthful awe in his students and draw it out so that they will be intrigued once again by science and nature, so that they want to learn about equilibria, pH, and redox reactions. He has to go fishing inside their brains, to find, hook, and reel in…

Geoscience topics are playing an increasingly important role with regard to the future of our planet. Consequently, they have been moving into the educational foreground because of their societal relevance. The question is, however: Are pupils interested in these topics? This is important didactically, for interest is both a prerequisite and a…

Many short-duration science outreach interventions have important societal goals of raising science literacy and increasing the size and diversity of the science workforce. Yet, these long-term outcomes are inherently challenging to evaluate. We present findings from a qualitative research study of an inquiry-based, life science outreach program…

The "Science Related to Life" textbooks are written to supply the need of elementary science teachers with textbooks that can be used independently by pupils. Throughout the series the author has kept in mind the aims of elementary science, as recognized by modern courses of study, namely to develop in pupils an interest in the natural…

The use of independent experimental investigations of topics of the student's choosing is described in physics courses at Wittenberg University. Various projects which have been done are listed. (TS)