In July 1999, the Board of Studies in New South Wales released five new senior high school science syllabi for implementation in 2000. The study reported in this paper examines the perceptions of a small group of experienced biology teachers towards syllabus change and in particular those concerning the Stage 6 Biology syllabus for the Preliminary…

This book features a history of women in science and an assessment of the role of gender in shaping scientific knowledge which poses the questions: (1) Do women do science differently? and (2) How about feminists--male or female? It is argued that science is both a profession and a body of knowledge, and how women have fared and performed in both…

This book seeks to improve the way science is taught in the elementary school. It suggests that there are three main contradictions that make it difficult for teachers and students to engage in meaningful activities from which understandings result. The central issues in this book are framed in terms of three dichotomies that lead to tensions…

Developing an understanding of the nature of science (NOS) among students is one of the goals of scientific literacy. According to research, K-12 students do not have contemporary views of NOS and teachers' views of NOS generally are not consistent as well. This paper presents a study investigating the effects of different types of NOS…

For more than a decade, there has been a call for reform in science education. This effort stresses the creation of a scientifically literate population. Required in this effort to create a more scientifically literate populace is an understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS) on the part of the average citizen. This call for reform recognizes…

In this study, the nature of scientific explanations generated by two groups of prospective elementary school teachers were studied in the context of a life science course. Both groups participated in long-term investigations of insect cultures in which they crafted testable questions based on observations, designed experiments, collected and…

This paper examines the concept of nature from the perspective of Chinese history and culture, and is partially based on personal experiences. The perspective used to understand science education in the culture is one that science itself maintains a culture-independent existence. Students in China worry about the lifestyle of the West, however…

Describes the steps involved in using the "principles" approach in teaching science, illustrates the process of using science principles with an example relating to rock formation, and discusses the relevance of this approach to contemporary trends in science teaching. (JR)

Discusses Jacobus Henricus van't Hoff's revolutionary theory of the asymmetric carbon atom and its early reception among his contemporaries in the Netherlands. Indicates that the extension of the new idea to practical problems gives the impetus to the development of stereochemistry. (CC)

Presents fundamentals of the glassy state which can serve as an introductory, phenomenological, and nonmathematical exposure to undergraduates in at most two lectures. Suggests the use of the material following students' acquisition of an elementary knowledge of thermodynamics, liquids, and the crystalline state. (CC)

Discusses the flow characteristics of thixotropic and negative thixotropic fluids; various theories underlying the thixotropic behavior; and thixotropic phenomena exhibited in drilling muds, commercial paints, pastes, and greases. Inconsistencies in the terminology used to label time dependent effects are revealed. (CC)

Discusses the origin of de Broglie's concept and its influences on his contemporaries, notably on Einstein, Schrodinger, Elsasser, Davisson, and Thomson. Indicates that the theory served not only as the starting point of quantum mechanics, but also opened new experimental possibilities. Historical inaccuracies are corrected with new material…

Discusses theories underlying the phenomena of solution viscosities, involving the Jones and Dole equation, B-coefficient determination, and flickering cluster model. Indicates that viscosity measurements provide a basis for the study of the structural effects of ions in aqueous solutions and are applicable in teaching high school chemistry. (CC)