This study investigated whether there was a significant relationship between the predominant teaching approach to which an individual had been exposed during school life and: (1) level of communication apprehension (CA); and (2) preferred teaching approach if the individual became a teacher. A sample of 61 student teachers in the middle of their…

This paper presents an inquiry into teaching and learning practices in a Year 11 mathematics class at a private college for girls in Western Australia, studying a topic on vectors. The focus is on learning through problem-solving, where students used graphics calculators as a matter of routine. Constructivist and sociocultural theories were…

After participating in a graduate level Science, Technology, and Society course, a third grade teacher utilized constructivist approaches with her students to foster life-long learning. The focus of this paper is how students searched for patterns while participating in collaborative discussions focused on current events in science. The tools in…

The Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR) program has successfully capitalized on human fascination with the ocean by using the marine environment to develop interest and capability in science. The Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences, as the managing agency of the JC NERR, makes its faculty, staff resources, and…

This study examined what 16 female family and consumer sciences (FCS) preservice teachers learned given 1 instructional environment. Participants were enrolled in three FCS teaching methods and curriculum courses. A 2-hour lesson on classroom management using small group theory was selected. On the first day of class, participants completed…

Med-Start is a 5-week program that encourages rural, minority, and economically disadvantaged high school seniors throughout Arizona to pursue careers in the health professions. In order to assist these students in making the transition from high school to college and then to professional school, Med-Start provides academic coursework and seeks to…

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the epistemology of a discipline is interactionally accomplished, acknowledged, and appropriated in a university oceanography course. Drawing from sociological and anthropological studies of scientific communities, this study uses an ethnographic perspective to explore how teachers and students came to…

This study examines the changes in students' conceptual thinking and problem solving abilities. Conceptual thinking skills and problem solving abilities are important factors for medical school applicants as diagnosis and treatment procedures strongly depend on these skills. Underrepresented minorities in medicine is a concern in United States,…

This paper reports on a case study that examined the development of two high school science student teachers. Teacher education programs are having difficulties helping preservice teachers develop the necessary skills required for the implementation of the contemporary vision of science instruction. Student teaching experience maintains the most…

The field of early childhood education has long been marked by intense controversy concerning appropriate curriculum and teaching methods and goals. This paper explores some implications of the traditional dichotomies of the field and suggests that while there are many reasons to resist the side that advocates formal academic instruction, it does…

Classic theories in pedagogy such as those of John Dewey and Jean Piaget establish the foundation upon which preservice students in a social studies methods course build new knowledge about the teaching/learning paradigm. The constructivist philosophy emanating from these theories provides the rationale for a technique designed to enable students…

Multidimensional knowledge structures, described from a constructivist perspective and aligned with the "Mind as Rhizome" metaphor, provide support for constructivist learning strategies. This qualitative study was conducted to seek empirical support for a description of multidimensional knowledge structures, focusing on the…

An instructional systems approach to learning draws on principles of instructional design and development but also draws from theories such as behaviorism, information processing, cognitive theory, adult education, and systems theory among others. This paper focuses on how instructional designers can benefit from awareness of different adult…

This paper describes a qualitative research study concerning the use of the World Wide Web to create electronic teaching portfolios in a preservice teacher education pilot course at the University of Virginia. The goal of the pilot course was to learn about the participants' purpose in creating an electronic teaching portfolio, the process they…

Describes a trend in science teaching marked by shifts in philosophies and practices and by a search for science content that draws from the experiences of a culturally diverse student population. (DDR)