Outlines four levels of biological literacy for high school and college students: nominal, functional, structural, and multidimensional. Also describes characteristics of students at each level and suggests teaching strategies to promote the continued development of biological literacy beyond the nominal and functional levels. (ZWH)

Describes the development and implementation of an investigative laboratory for nonmajor undergraduate science students. (ZWH)

Provides the results of a project completed by the Educational Affairs Committee of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The goal of committee members was to collect and tabulate information necessary to outline a "typical curriculum" for biochemistry and molecular biology. (ZWH)

Some misconceptions about the roles of action and problem solving in environmental education are examined. It is argued that the use of the term problem solving exaggerates the abilities of environmental educators and students. The implications of establishing problem solving as a goal of environmental education are discussed. (KR)

Suggests using general system theory as a unifying theoretical framework for science and technology education for all. Five reasons are articulated: the multidisciplinary nature of systems theory, the ability to engage complexity, the capacity to describe system dynamics, the ability to represent the relationship between microlevel and…

Defines inquiry and inquiry-based instruction. Indicates the importance of inquiry in science education. (YDS)

Argues that physics education reform has been focused on classroom-based innovation rather than on the more political and institutional conditions required for long-lasting change. Stresses that reformers should pay attention to exogenous variables that get in the way of real reform. (Author/CCM)

The realization that teaching demands more than a sharing of information and testing for recall springs from an ever-increasing understanding of intelligence as modifiable, multiple, and multifaceted. Basic assumptions are that traditional methods are inadequate for some students; teaching is a strategic act of engagement; and changing one's…

Discusses how evolution and natural selection should be taught in the classroom. Presents a study investigating the effects of a nontraditional curriculum including creation stories on student attitudes toward evolution. Reports that a curriculum with creation stories is more effective in fostering scientific views about evolution. (Contains 22…

Explores the nature and type of evidence employed by participants in an issue of public concern. Examines how the different types of evidence were brought to bear on a socio-scientific issue involving environmental regulatory policy and the implications of this for school science curricula. (Contains 33 references.) (Author/YDS)

Defines the changes in the nature of biology during the past 50 years and relates biology to science education. Argues that biology curriculum should focus on human beings and the realities of life and living. (YDS)

Investigates pupils' perceptions of their experience with school science. Documents a range of views that pupils held about the science curriculum, aspects they found either interesting and/or valuable, and their views about its future content. Conducts 20 focus groups with 144 16-year-old students. Pupils' perspectives of school science reveal…

Describes a successful pilot program to develop and test a program that facilitates the linking of undergraduate research and education through radio astronomy. Based on the pilot experiences, students everywhere should be able to exploit the opportunity to strengthen their education through practical research using radio astronomy. (Author/SAH)

Describes a method of instructing students with a range of abilities that involves dividing the curriculum into layers. Provides a discussion of four steps for differentiating a science curriculum. Features of this approach include student choice of assignments based on their ability and motivation; oral evaluation of student assignments; and the…

Responses from 213 of 259 Arkansas agriculture teachers demonstrate strong support for granting science credit for agriculture. The most powerful predictors of support were perception of student benefits, enhancement of agriculture's status, and no adverse impact on existing agriculture programs. (SK)