Presents results of a study pertaining to the types of activities used in high school science classes and the academic work of students. Suggests researchers need to study classrooms, construct a picture of classroom life and communicate their findings to those with an interest in curriculum design and implementation. (Author/BSR)

Discussed are three themes related to changes taking place in secondary school education in Great Britain. The themes considered are curriculum, assessment, and school organization. (RH)

Factors which make a science program effective are discussed, including such skills as: observation; data collection; classification; inference; measurement; prediction; communication; relationships; hypothesis; and models. (CB)

Proposes doing away with dimensions and replacing them with base units, extending the checking of feasibility of equations and deriving relationships to base units. (JM)

The paper describes secondary science curriculum extension projects. Individual extension projects are developed from the base of the school curriculum but extend into broader, more unusual areas according to the individual's particular interest. Pupils discuss their intended goals, draw up a plan of action and contract to complete the task.…

Discusses issues related to teaching about orbitals in beginning chemistry courses. Lavoisier's rule, Lewis's orbitals, Pauli's principle, the physics related to chemical concepts are examined. The American Chemical Society's Committee on Professional Training's position on these issues is briefly addressed. (JN)

Creationism and its attack on science in the curriculum are examined from the perspective of several contemporary theories of science, democratic rights are considered, and the social source of fundamentalism is examined. Creationism is seen as an attempt to restore unity to science. (MSE)

Discusses why polymer chemistry should be added to the general chemistry curriculum and what topics are appropriate (listing traditional with related polymer topics). Also discusses when and how these topics should be taught. (JN)

This paper discusses the research on three questions to improve physics instruction: (1) What is involved in understanding and using physics? (2) What do students bring to physics classes? and (3) How do students respond to physics instruction? At the heart of physics education research is a shift in emphasis on: "What are the students learning…

This study investigates the effectiveness of the U.S. Forest Service's "Wilderness and Land Ethic" curriculum. Students and teachers from three states--Colorado, Minnesota, and Montana--participated in the study. Comparisons were made between grade level, state, and gender to determine any differences. Results indicate that school-based wilderness…

This book aims to raise questions by addressing the ways that teaching can and should be reflective practice. Throughout the book the question, "How can teachers continue to evolve and rethink their teaching methods?" is addressed. Tracking six prospective biology teachers from their university training through their first years in the classroom,…

This digest provides an introduction to action research in science education and includes examples of how action research has been used to improve teaching and learning, as well as suggested resources for those seeking to incorporate action research into their own teaching or research. Action research is defined and is examined in science…

This collection of essays by various authors draws on resources from a series of "EETAP Resource Library Info Sheets" developed for the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) by the Ohio State University (OSU) Extension and the OSU School of Natural Resources. Forty Info Sheets are categorized using six major themes intended to…

Studies indicate that there are attitudinal problems toward chemistry that keep students from achieving relevant objectives; thus, positive attitudes need to be developed by having a learning environment that fosters a warm and relaxed atmosphere in which students feel accepted and are willing to take risks in achieving complex objectives.…

This article presents numerous limitations in present state guidelines in regards to elementary science education and suggests to satisfy the guidelines' spirit without being stalled by their logic. (Editors/JA)