Presents research findings and suggestions on how children learn to categorize shapes. Discusses specific ways to present developmentally appropriate activities designed to enhance children's understanding of basic shapes. Contains 12 references. (ASK)

This study evaluated an experimental science program which altered both content and instructional methods in teaching science to at-risk and learning-disabled middle school students. Content was framed with concepts and principles, and instruction was explicit, using rules to guide classroom activities for six students in a pull-away setting.…

Describes simple conceptual framework for academic intervention that extends functional-analysis procedures to basic academic skills. Organizes research into five hypotheses that can guide interventions. Presents treatment for six academic interventions and procedures for testing effectiveness. Discussion of procedures includes design issues,…

Presents results of an exam designed to uncover misconceptions about molecular shape and bonding based on the VSEPR model. Results are reported for high school students, beginning and advanced undergraduate students, beginning and advanced graduate students, and college-chemistry faculty. Finds that students seem to acquire both recall and…

Investigates the effects of a dynamic instructional environment and visualization on eighth-grade students' construction of reflection and rotation concepts. Also studies the effects of the environment on students' two- and three-dimensional visualization. (Author/CCM)

Discusses hierarchical complexity of tasks as a way of conceptualizing information in terms of the power required to complete a task, and its implications for developmental psychology and information science. Provides an analytic solution to the definition of developmental stages and allows for the possibility within the science of scaling the…

Correlates the kinds of strategies associated with a deep approach to learning science. Analyzes the interactions of two groups of grade 8 students while they were engaged in hands-on science activities during instruction in a chemistry unit. Focuses on two students who showed a deep approach to learning. (Contains 47 references.) (Author/YDS)

Examined beliefs and concepts about "good teaching." Fifty-five graduate student teachers completed an inventory of learning approaches, wrote essays on "good teaching," and were interviewed. A second cohort of 55 students completed a modified questionnaire that encouraged student reflection on concepts of good teaching. Individual's concepts…

Experiments with exercises that are distinguished from those employed with elite students by reducing competition and increasing cooperation through the use of tests against nature, large dynamic ranges in performance, initial prototype designs, and alternative methods of recording and presenting results. Finds that formulating easily understood…

Analyzes the design requirements of a multimedia conceptual dictionary, drawing on research identifying the role of the conceptual dictionary in native language vocabulary acquisition. The article considers both the traditional role of the dictionary in language learning and that of the conceptual dictionary and how this role can be supported by…

Uses density to engage students in making quantitative observations that conflict with qualitative observations. Encourages discussion of the discrepancy thereby providing a natural means for student self-assessment and reflection. (DDR)

Compares the worldview of Native American students of the traditional Kickapoo Band with the worldview encountered in the science classroom. Investigates by conducting periodic observation in two classrooms over an 18-month period of time. Contains 41 references. (DDR)

Presents evidence from the Yupiaq culture that demonstrates a body of scientific thought and epistemology that differs from that of Western science. Contends that this information can provide a more culturally relevant framework for science learning for some students. Contains 20 references. (DDR)

Investigates the effects of a constructivist versus objectivist learning environment on college students' conceptual change using a computer simulation of the human cardiovascular system as an instructional tool. Contains 33 references. (DDR)

Describes the Science Concept-Vocabulary Acquisition (SCVA) model which promotes simultaneous cognitive construction of science concepts and the scientific nomenclature needed to understand and communicate those concepts. Contains 19 references. (DDR)