Current reforms emphasize the development of scientific literacy as the
principal goal of science education. The nature of science is considered a critical
component of scientific literacy and is assumed to be an important factor in decision
making on science and technology based issues. However, little research exists that
delineates...
The purpose of this study was to analyze the individual reasoning of
24 adults as they made decisions for two communities regarding municipal
wastewater treatment. The two western Oregon communities were both
responding to notices from governmental agencies of higher environmental
standards for the purification of wastewater before it could...
A large body of research has examined how children enter the science classroom
with previously formed ideas about the content they will learn. These ideas influence how
the child interprets instruction. This study reversed the investigative focus by exploring
how children's ideas in science influence teaching. Specifically, the study examined...
This study assessed the influence of three history of science (HOS) courses on college students and preservice science teachers' conceptions of the nature of science (NOS), and examined whether participants who entered the investigated HOS courses with a conceptual framework consistent with current NOS views achieved more elaborate NOS understandings....
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the levels of group cooperation on students' achievement during a series of physical science laboratory activities. Six intact seventh grade physical science classes taught by two teachers, with each teacher instructing three classes, were selected from two middle schools....
This study examined the dynamics of student, teaching assistant (TA), and faculty learning in relationship to implementation of a genetic technologies project in a university introductory biology course. Research focused on the types of learning that occurred and the various factors impacting that learning. Study participants included 25 undergraduate non-science...
Given the high probability of national and federal research laboratories continuing to sponsor science education partnerships between their staff and classroom science teachers and the dearth of research in this area, this study set out to delineate best practices associated with such partnerships for the purpose of increasing the effectiveness...
A teacher may say, "I have twenty years of experience,"
but just what does it mean? This study suggests explanations
for the meaning of "Experience," not by looking at the number
of years in a classroom, but at what teachers did in those
years that could make the teaching experience...
The purpose of this study was to identify the management demands that may
be unique to science classrooms. The sample consisted of three biology teachers and
three language arts teachers from two high schools located within the same school
district. To establish a basic framework, two quantitative questions were addressed:...
A large amount of research has been conducted that establishes that students
of all ages hold conceptions about a variety of science topics that are not in line
with accepted scientific beliefs. These preconceptions have been identified in a
variety of ways in research situations; this study focused on how...