Recommends using the history of the Kaibab deer as an example to teach about how scientific ideas change. Provides information on the history of the Kaibab deer starting from 1980s. Discusses implications for teaching biology. (YDS)

Conducted a textual analysis of Darwin's diary version of his observations of his oldest child and the published paper based on these observations to compare the degree to which Darwin identified himself in the two as detached observer or as embodied participant. Found that the embodied, relational vision evident in the diary version was absent…

Surveys middle level female students (n=215) for their perceptions about the nature of science and the nature of the science classroom learning environment. Methodologies used in the study focus on the mental constructs that girls create from those perceptions as opposed to the views gained through teacher report, classroom observation, or…

Discusses treatment of 'the nature of science' in the National Curriculum of England and Wales. Offers analysis based mainly on texts of the various policy documents that have been produced since 1989. Claims that two conflicting versions of the nature of science can be detected within these documents, one essentially empiricist, the other…

Introduces an introductory physical science course to help elementary education majors develop a realistic understanding of the nature of science. Analyzes the influence of the course on students' conceptions of scientific principles. (YDS)

Examines the knowledge, intentions, and instructional practices of two beginning secondary science teachers as they learned the subject matter of the nature of science (NOS) and attempted to teach NOS during their student teaching experience and their first year of full-time teaching. Suggests that the relationship between NOS and science subject…

Explores the reasons why we learn science. Asserts that 'wonder' incorporates three important dimensions: wondering about, wondering at, and wondering whether. Suggests that the system fails to trust students to learn and expects teachers to 'know it all' before beginning to teach. (Author/MM)

This study aimed to assess the influence of a philosophy of science (POS) course on science teachers' views of nature of science (NOS), perceptions of teaching about NOS, and instructional planning related to NOS. Participants were 56 undergraduate and graduate preservice secondary science teachers enrolled in a two science-methods course…

While an impressive body of content knowledge is associated with science courses, there is more about the scientific enterprise itself that students should learn. In addition to viewing science as a body of knowledge, students should also view science as a way of thinking and investigating and should have an understanding of how science interacts…

This article addresses the question of how science learning can be improved. It recognizes that, while learners themselves are responsible for their own learning, the quality of this learning is greatly influenced when appropriate resources are available to learners. These resources are provided through a partnership between teachers and learners.…

Even though philosophical themes in science education have been advocated for several decades, little attention has been paid to how these themes can be contextualized in the teaching of a particular domain of science. The purpose of this paper is to provide an example theoretical framework for applying a philosophical theme, reduction, in…

In light of the established validity of the pendulum as a topic in physics curricula (Matthews 2000), the study looked at the place of pendulum motion in the physics curriculum of the high school in Israel.The data is available through presenting results of the nationwide matriculation examination in its units of Mechanics and Research Laboratory…

The purpose of this study is to explore elementary students' views of (NOS) to see how well they align with national reform recommendations (AAAS, 1993; NRC, 1996). Using an open-ended questionnaire coupled with one-on-one interviews of fourth-grade students conducted at the end of the school year, the researchers explored students' understandings…

Evaporative cooling systems are commonly used in controlled environment plant and animal production. These cooling systems operate based on well defined psychrometric principles. However, students often experience considerable difficulty in learning these principles when they are taught in an abstract, verbal manner. This article describes an…

The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of three different approaches to professional development in Earth science education: preparing teachers to "adopt" expert-"design" curricula; preparing teachers to use a principled approach to design curricula; and preparing teachers to use a principled approach to "adapt" curricula. The claims…