In the past, science textbooks have been the target of criticism by educators and feminists in studies of sex bias in education. The purpose of this study was to develop a useful tool that could be used in formative or summative evaluation of the level of sexism in science textbooks and as a research tool to study the effect of sexist…

After using the "Physics: A Human Endeavor" curriculum for a period of time students and teachers in the Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, in general, suggested that there was a need for a curriculum change. This paper reports on ways to effectively change the curriculum. Topics included are: (1) need for change in the…

In this report, the search is continued for exemplary elementary science programs. Included is a chapter explaining the excellence in elementary science concept which touches upon: (1) goals; (2) characteristics of an ideal curriculum; (3) resources and materials; (4) administrative leadership; (5) classroom environment; and (6) program…

Listings of suggested topics aimed at helping university and college faculties plan courses in the main areas of the chemistry curricula are provided. The suggestions were originally offered as appendices to the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Committee on Professional Training's 1983 guidelines for ACS-approved schools. The course data included…

This elementary and secondary level world hunger curriculum guide is designed both to educate teachers and students in the basics of world hunger, and to guide them in organizing student groups to take action that will combat hunger. A background information section is presented in part 1, which describes who and where the hungry are, what it is…

Three papers are provided to assist local school districts and legislators in developing their positions when addressing creation/evolution controversies in Iowa schools. "Creation, Evolution and Public Education: The Position of the Iowa Department of Public Instruction (DPI)" presents the consensus of opinions of national and Iowa…

The Learning in Science Project (Primary--LISP(P)--designed to investigate the teaching and learning of science in New Zealand primary schools, arises from the work of the original Learning in Science Project (LISP). This paper is an attempt to clarify the direction of LISP(P) as it moves toward the central phase of the research. The ideas…

The stand taken in the Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--is that primary school science should be centrally concerned with children's present interaction with their world rather than their future science education. Further, it has been decided that one of the LISP(P) foci should be on questions that children ask and how these…

One area explored in the Learning in Science Project (Primary--LISP(P)--was children's questions about and explanations of phenomena. Data were obtained from work with classes of children, interviews with children, informal discussions with teachers, and observations of two teachers using an alternative teaching model (outlined in an appendix)…

The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--was designed to investigate the teaching and learning of science in the primary school. This paper summarizes the work undertaken and the findings obtained during the first 9 months of the project. During the first 6 months, an exploratory phase, similar to the original Learning in Science…

This paper, designed to be used in conjunction with a video-tape developed by the Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--shows excerpts from some of the interview schedules used to examine children's ideas about floating and sinking. These interviews involved the use of "interview-about-instances" (IAI) cards (included in an…

This study investigated the meanings and ideas held and questions asked by children (ages 7-14) about floating and sinking (in water). Data were collected from interviews using "interview-about-instances" (IAI) cards (included in an appendix) and 10 objects which either floated or sank. Additional data were collected from classroom…

The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--investigated the ideas and interests children have about flowering plants (in particular whether these plants have a life cycle). Data were obtained from: individual interviews with children, ages 7- to 14-year-old (10 students for each age level), using the "interview-about-instances"…

This report describes the results of an attempt to identify a learning hierarchy for each of a number of science concepts mainly encountered first in the high school grades. The concepts studied relate to stoichiometric calculations and molarity, both from chemistry; to food web relationships and problems involving Mendel's laws from biology; to…

This paper provides background information for setting science education goals. The first part, "History of Reform in Science Education," describes: (1) the National Science Foundation (NSF) curriculum materials and their characteristics in the late 1950s; (2) the milestone studies and the status of science education in the 1970s; and (3) the…