This study examined the effectiveness of a conceptual change teaching strategy over the traditional method on high school students' (N=152) attitudes towards learning biology. The study employed a two-group experimental control design. The experimental group was taught using a conceptual change teaching strategy. A 21-item instrument that is…

This book contains questions for secondary school science students that require them to analyze data presented in various forms and apply knowledge and skills developed in novel situations. The content for the questions is derived from a science curriculum developed by a group of Caribbean nations. The material is organized into four sections: (1)…

This study suggests the use of a systemic process approach to the analysis of students' understanding of biological systems. A unified model was employed to enable the capture of the dynamic nature of biological processes and phenomena. The study is based on the integration of two conceptual frameworks, one related to systems and the other to the…

This study explored the traditionally opposite psychological domains of cognition and emotion by investigating self-regulation and self-efficacy in third graders. The study assessed the relationship between cognitive self-regulation measurements (monitoring of time, planning, and persistence) and affective self-efficacy measurements (prediction of…

Designed so that it can be adapted to a wide range of student abilities and institutional settings, this learning module on the human dimensions of global change seeks to: actively engage students in problem solving, challenge them to think critically, invite them to participate in the process of scientific inquiry, and involve them in cooperative…

The epistemological beliefs of teacher-credential students were studied to determine if their beliefs change in sophistication after a semester of training. Also studied was the extent of the relationship between academic and home background variables and epistemological beliefs. A convenience sample of 52 white females in their fifth year of…

Effective argumentation is the distinguishing feature of a classroom that employs discovery teaching and student inquiry methodologies. In the long term, the objective of the program is to understand how to design learning environments and curriculum, instruction, and assessment models that promote student self-reflection. The study evaluates the…

This qualitative study investigated the temporal identities of 4- and 5-year-old children in Mexico and the United States, and the conditions that shaped changes in their ideas about time after they entered public school kindergarten. The study also examined the children's families, communities, and classrooms to gain a comprehensive view of the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the conceptual nature of shyness by examining its relationship with social phobia and social anxiety in a non-clinical sample. The participants in the present study were 132 introductory psychology students who completed the Cheek-Buss Shyness Scale (CBSS), Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), and Liebowitz…

This book explores concept-based learning across disciplines and grade levels. Teachers can use the specific strategies to create a seamless learning program that teaches students the skills they need to think conceptually and to solve problems in today's complex, changing world. Chapter 1 reviews national, state, and local standards through a set…

A study examined the impact of song writing, dramatization, and performance on third graders' ability to learn and retain social studies concepts. Students (n=18) were taught a unit on natural land forms and bodies of water in which they dramatized and performed songs which incorporated the main ideas of each unit. Upon completion of each unit,…

Science has many explanatory concepts that have been proposed to account for the observable features of things. Such explanatory concepts often have associated with them hidden or unseen "theoretical entities." The electron is a key concept in understanding phenomena described by science. The question arises, however, as to how students…

Little research has assessed the role of student-initiated metacognition in the learning of mathematics. In this study, secondary school students (junior high school and high school) were asked to consider their own thinking in terms of how they learn and when they know that they know (the "aha" experience). Students were able to define and…

For the past eight years postgraduate science teachers in training (approximately 50 each year) have been given Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) questions under strict test conditions as part of an initial learning experience in an education course. The APU questions were originally devised to explore the range of understanding of 15-year-old…

This paper focuses on two aspects of the development of international approaches in peace studies: one concern is to examine the conceptual evolution of global thinking about social conflict and peace, while the other is to investigate the origins, goals, and work of international institutions which conduct research and education related to world…