The purpose of this project is to help elementary school teachers get started using the computer to aid the teaching and learning of many scientific concepts in a meaningful way. The authors have developed their own software package, "Elementary Science Activities," and have selected several commercially available software packages that…

Many educators assert that the acquisition of thinking skills by students is of primary importance to science education today. This study was designed to examine the effect of an instructional approach on achievement in science process skills when compared to a more conventional method of science instruction. The DIAL(SPS)2, a directed approach to…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors responsible for the perceived decline in attitudes toward science observed in an intervention study designed to enhance scientific literacy. The literacy study focuses on a new freshman course in an urban Catholic high school. Negative attitudes toward science were found to be related to the demand…

Classroom teachers frequently express concern that textbooks and other curriculum materials are too difficult for their students. The objectives of this investigation were to develop a method for scoring the Level of Abstraction (LOA) of science reading material, and explore its relationship with certain other known methods for assessing…

The degree of predictive validity and the relationship with previous learning conditions were studied for measures used in admission procedures for upgrading courses in science and mathematics in Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. School results, achievement tests, aptitude tests, and ability tests were evaluated for students leaving secondary…

This report focuses on the proposals, materials, programs produced, and the results that occur when new teachers and their students become involved with exemplary science materials and with teachers judged to be exemplary. This project enrolled exceptional teachers who could work together in class groups with some common purpose as to science…

Presented are perspectives on the needs in science and mathematics education and an assessment of the knowledge and skills that will be of the greatest value for students in the future. Issues and trends are organized into six major sections. These include: (1) probable futures (stating predictions related to technological advances,…

This longitudinal study was designed to: (1) identify the current status of elementary science teaching and characteristics of science teachers in a sample of 100 public elementary schools (K-6) that participated in a 1970 study; (2) investigate certain changes in the foregoing since 1970; (3) identify principal's and teacher's attitudes…

This guide, the first in a series of three, provides the Spanish-speaking intermediate science student and teacher an opportunity to review selected science concepts and processes through activities which emphasize the applicability of scientific knowledge in the professional world. The three components in this guide deal with (1) ecology (what…

This teaching unit develops the possibility of using biomass as an alternative source of energy. The concept of biomass is explained and the processes associated with its conversion to energy are stated. Suggestions for development of biomass technology in different geographic areas are indicated. Lessons for 6 days are presented for use with…

This report traces the development of science education, particularly the elementary science curriculum, in Trinidad and Tobago. Problem areas are identified that have influenced science instruction and/or the lack of it. A model is presented for teacher involvement in elementary science curriculum development. Through this approach, approximately…

This study examines to what degree opportunities for scientific literacy were provided or denied to college bound and non-college bound students and the extent to which students utilized the available opportunities. An ethnographic approach was employed in this 3-year study of six high schools. Population descriptions and data are presented for…

This unit is one of a group of units written to fit the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (CSYS) chemistry course, but it could be used in most Sixth Form courses. It includes: (1) teacher notes on contents, methods, and preparation; (2) two sets of data booklets and decision sheets for two new drugs (one data booklet based on 1960 information and…

Health education is a part of the primary school science curriculum in France. Teachers often consider sexuality education and sexually transmitted diseases prevention as a topic they cannot teach without the help of partners. This paper is an account of a research carried out to study the representations of primary school pupils (Key Stage 2,…

This document presents curriculum ideas and procedures developed by the Child Development Research Group at the University of Washington for a model preschool program designed for intellectually advanced children 2 to 5 years old. The program was designed to offer teacher- and child-structured learning situations that provided instruction in…