This paper is about a study into the nature of analogies recorded from three Form 2 (Grade 10) classes in Kenya, instructed by three physics teachers. Through a case study method involving classroom observation, several analogies were recorded and analysed. These analogies were predominantly "environmental" (drawn from students'…

Previous research has shown that students' existing conceptions are critical to subsequent learning because there is interaction between the new knowledge that the students encounter and their existing knowledge from previous lessons. Taber (1999a) found A-level students in the UK had difficulty in understanding the principles determining the…

In this article, the authors present an activity that shows students how flight occurs. The "wing on a string" is a simple teacher-made frame that consists of PVC pipe, fishing line, and rubber bands--all readily available hardware store items. The only other materials/tools involved are a sheet of paper, some pieces of a soda straw, a stapler,…

All action and learning involves discovery and research. This paper puts forward the case for work-based action learning as an applied organization science process. It outlines guidelines for managers and team members on relevant knowledge, skills and processes. It reviews these in the context of my understanding of the principles and practice of…

In this study we sought to understand factors that shaped teachers' use of student inquiry projects. We examined, over 3 years, the practices and conceptions of two teachers involved in implementing student inquiry projects. Neither teacher was initially satisfied with her success at supporting student inquiry, but the two had very different…

Students frequently misconceive the process of problem-solving, expecting the linear process required for solving an exercise, rather than the convoluted search process required to solve a genuine problem. In this paper we present an activity designed to foster in students realization and appreciation of the nature of the problem-solving process,…

Radio telemetry data available via the internet are used to facilitate long-term inquiry projects. Through these projects, students gain a deeper understanding of scientific inquiry and the nature of science, while developing their own questions and procedures and carrying out those procedures before sharing their findings with peers. (Contains 1…

Using hands-on activities and the "Plan, Do, Review" approach, this physics curriculum for 3-year-old children is designed to develop an early interest in and enthusiasm for science and to excite children about learning in general. The curriculum is designed to be implemented biweekly in preschool or child care programs but may also be…

Legislation, rulings, and arguments for and against public schools giving creationism equal time or consideration with evolution are discussed. In the 1920's fundamentalists began to promote statutes prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools. Since that time the creationists have sought to supplant evolution with creationism on the…

Undergraduates from chemical engineering, applied chemistry, and environmental science courses, together with first-year postgraduate research students in electrochemical technology, are provided with an experiment that demonstrates the reduction of dissolved oxygen in aerated seawater at 25°C. Oxygen reduction is examined using linear sweep…

This article describes an exploration into improving the process and the outcome of learning in interactive teaching at the first-year university physics level, using what is becoming widely known as the "variation approach to learning." To explore this approach we chose an area of mechanics that is widely known to pose learning…

Two bibliographies list over 120 books, journal articles, reference materials, statistical sources, organizations, and media relevant to women's roles in science and in information technology. The first bibliography emphasizes books, most of which were published in the late 1970's and the 1980's, that present a feminist critique of scientific…

The multiple-choice test items collected in this volume were selected from questions submitted by teachers in New South Wales for the Science Library of Test Items. The collection is intended as a resource to assist teachers in implementing and evaluating courses in the first 4 years of Australian secondary school. To ensure quality in the…

The second volume of test items in the Science Library of Test Items is intended as a resource to assist teachers in implementing and evaluating science courses in the first 4 years of Australian secondary school. The items were selected from questions submitted to the School Certificate Development Unit by teachers in New South Wales. Only the…

As part of a series of tests to measure mastery of specific skills in the natural sciences, print masters of tests 66 through 91 are provided. Among the areas covered are: carbon compounds; evolution; map reading; genetics; energy; chemical formulae; electricity; graphs; metric measures; solubility; and physical separations. Many tests contain…