Presents an experiment to measure the threshold limit of the adhesion of water. Discusses types of thresholds and pseudo thresholds. Provides 13 examples of thresholds in science. (MVL)

Investigates the influence of five cognitive variables on high school students' performance on balancing chemical equations by inspection. Reports that reasoning, restructuring, and disembedding variables could be a single variable, and that working memory capacity does not influence overall performance. Results of hierarchical regression analysis…

Identifies an induced incorrect generalization as a generative cause for the formation of misconception. Analyzes students' protocol of an exploratory learning experiment about the laws of reflection of light. Suggests recommendations for textbook, teaching, and practical work. (Author/YP)

Discusses laser demonstration for invoking interest in science, especially physics. Describes some examples, such as diffraction, scattering, expansion by diverging lens, internal reflection in a light pipe, and illumination through optical cable. Provides some practical hints for the demonstration. (YP)

Presents the mathematics of body size and surface area to volume. Examines arguments used related to the topic. Concludes that while some of the traditional arguments are valid, most are not. One analysis for an organism is provided in an appendix. (YP)

Applies the concept of entropy to aging, evolving systems, inanimate systems such as corporations, and structural complexity for classroom teaching. Presents many mathematical expressions as well as explanations. Lists 37 references. (YP)

Discusses the shock wave sweeping through traffic flow. Describes the characteristics of kinematic waves in different traffic flows. Presents the author's experiences in studying traffic flow. (YP)

Urges science teachers and their students to gain an understanding of the nature of science. Describes this field as a blending of various aspects of the social studies of science such as the history, sociology, and philosophy of science. Contains 118 references. (DDR)

Describes a physics laboratory exercise that focuses on an idea common to all scientific disciplines; that is, there are scaling laws that relate one measurable physical variable to another. (WRM)

Describes the results of a study of the current level of evolution instruction in public schools in Louisiana. Finds a significant and positive correlation between emphasis placed on evolution instruction and teachers' knowledge-base. Also finds no pressure on biology teachers to regard evolutionary theory as a unifying theme in biology, and…

Describes the background and outcome of the McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education case heard in federal court in the early 1980s. The decision repealed a legislative act which called for "equal time" in science classrooms for presenting evolution and creationism. The decision also established that "creation science" had no scientific merit or…

Discusses Emirates preservice (n=31) and in-service (n=224) teachers' views about the nature of science. Finds that Emirates teachers' views are mixed where traditional views of science are attributed to history and the educational system, and constructivist views are attributed to religious beliefs. Argues that the traditional view of science…

Discusses ways for teachers to help science students understand what makes a good description of a problem in a scientific investigation. (WRM)

Reviews and assesses the effectiveness of the attempts undertaken to improve prospective and practicing science teachers' conceptions of the nature of science (NOS). Categorizes reviews as implicit or explicit. Indicates that the explicit approach was more effective in enhancing teachers' views. Assumes that developing an understanding of NOS is…

Seeks to justify the inclusion of meteorology within the science curriculum. Reflects upon the nature of science and some current issues in science education, and examines the reality of including meteorology within worldwide science curricula. Contains 37 references. (Author/DDR)