This paper reports a study on teachers' domain-specific beliefs about the chemistry curriculum for upper-secondary education in The Netherlands. Teachers' beliefs were investigated using a questionnaire focused on the goals of the chemistry curriculum. The design of the questionnaire was based on three curriculum emphases: "fundamental…

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of learner characteristics and preservice teachers' views of nature of science (NOS) prior to formal instruction. Learner characteristics investigated included metacognitive awareness, self-efficacy, attitudes toward science teaching, Perry's intellectual and ethical developmental levels,…

This article explains a simple way to demonstrate natural convection, such as from a lit candle, in the classroom using an overhead projector. The demonstration is based on the principle of schlieren imaging, commonly used to visualize variations in density for gas flows.

Everyone who teaches physics knows very well that sometimes a simple device or experiment can help to make a concept clear. In this paper, inspired by "The Jumping Pencil" by Martin Gardner, I will discuss a simple demonstration device that can be used to start the study of air pressure.

Although one role of computers in science education is to help students learn specific science concepts, computers are especially intriguing as a vehicle for fostering the development of epistemological knowledge about the nature of scientific knowledge--what it means to "know" in a scientific sense (diSessa, 1985). In this vein, the…

Classroom experiments on atmospheric pressure focus largely on demonstrating its existence, often in a most impressive way. A series of amusing physics demonstrations is widely known and practiced by educators teaching the topic. However, measuring the value of atmospheric pressure(P[subscript atm]) is generally done in a rather mundane way,…

Voices the opinion that clearer and more useful explanations of common chemistry are needed to facilitate understanding. Presents examples from the realms of atomic structure, periodic table, history of chemistry, valence, electronegativity, electrode potentials, covalent bonds, polar covalence, bond energy, and causes of chemical change. (GS)

You can't see, smell or taste air - but here's an easy method for experimenting with it. (Editor)

A CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOCIAL SCIENCE EDUCATION CONSORTIUM (SSEC) TO PROVIDE AN EXCHANGE OF IDEAS ABOUT APPROACHES TAKEN TO SOCIAL SCIENCE CONTENT IN NEW CURRICULUMS. THE CONFERENCE WAS PLANNED IN THE HOPE THAT SUCH AN EXCHANGE WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE GROWING AMOUNT OF ACADEMICALLY BASED CURRICULUM WORK IN…

The first two papers in this booklet provide a review of the pervasiveness of symmetry in nature and art, discussing how symmetry can be traced through every domain open to our understanding, from all aspects of nature to the special provinces of man; the checks and balances of government, the concept of equal justice, and the aesthetic ordering…

Written for the general public, this book illustrates the causes, status, problem areas, and prediction and control of water pollution. Water pollution is one of the most pressing issues of our time and the author communicates the complexities of this problem to the reader in common language. The purpose of the introductory chapter is to show what…

Examines two views about acceptance of Darwin's theory by scientists in Great Britain; that all scientists had accepted it within ten years after the publication of "Origin of Species," and that young scientists accepted the theory faster than old scientists. Concludes that both views are not accurate. (GA)

The effectiveness of gas warfare during World War I was increased by the lack of a basic understanding of the behavior of gases on the part of the soldiers. This was a result of deficiencies in science education. (BB)

The article deals with the problem of scientific definitions, focusing on its application to learning disabilities. (DLS)