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This study aims to examine pre-service science teachers' (PSTs') model-based (MB) content knowledge (CK) and knowledge of students' understanding (KSU) of chemical bonds. The participants of the study consist of 229 senior pre service science teachers. The study is a case study from qualitative research designs. The data of the study were collected by using the "Chemical Bonds Model Knowledge Test (CBMKT)". The obtained data were analyzed using the "Model Based-Content Knowledge Rubric (MB-CK Rubric)" and "Model Based-Knowledge of Students' Understanding Rubric (MB-KSU Rubric)". The findings showed that PSTs mostly have an understanding of wrong modeling and not being able to make any modeling in terms of MB-CK on chemical bonds. In addition, it has been determined that the majority of pre-service teachers have an invalid and weak level in terms of MB-KSU. These findings indicate that PSTs' professional knowledge of chemical bonds in their undergraduate education should be supported by model-based teaching.

This study aims to reveal whether there are any relations between secondary school students' perceptions of scientists and the images of scientists in secondary school science textbooks. The participants of the study were 140 secondary school students from a public school. The study is based on a qualitative research methodology. Qualitative research methods were used in the research. As a data collection tools, the Draw a Scientist Test (DAST) and secondary school science textbooks were used. The drawings obtained from the students and the images of scientists in the science textbooks were analyzed in the context of the determined themes. As a result of the study, it was determined that the students generally drew the scientist as male, thoughtful, wearing a lab coat and glasses, and young, with long and curly hair. It has been observed that scientists express their working environment as people who work alone in the laboratory and library environment. It also stands out that they benefit from computers and other technological apparatus like telescopes. It was determined that the students mostly included the drawings of Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, and Albert Einstein at each grade level as famous scientists. It has been determined that the drawings made by the students were influenced by the images from the textbooks.

Developing students' attitudes toward science is an important issue because societies need individuals who can contribute to scientific and technological developments. That's why using various and different instructional tools in science education may have an impact on students' attitudes towards science positively. Within this respect, the goal of the study is to investigate the effects of serious games on primary school students' (fifth-grade) science achievement related to the topic of light and sound, and attitudes towards science. A quasiexperimental research design was used in the study. Fifth-grade students from two different classes were the participants in the current study. The data was gathered by the science achievement test and the attitude scale. The findings revealed that whereas students in the experimental group, who were taught by serious games, developed their attitudes towards science significantly positive, their counterparts did not. There was no significant effect of serious game on students? achievement. This result showed that serious games as a different instructional tool may have crucial impacts on primary students' attitudes toward science.

The aim of this study is to examine the "Knowledge of Student Understanding (KSU) of pre-service science teachers on "Heat and Temperature" topics. The sample of the research consists of 268 pre-service teachers studying at the 4th grade in the science teaching program of five different universities in Turkey. This research is a case study. The data of the study are collected with "Student Thinking Comprehension Test" and "Interview Form". "Scoring Rubrics for Knowledge of Student Thinking" and "Rubric for Analysis of Interviews" are used for the analysis of data. The data of the research are analyzed descriptively on the basis of these rubrics. The results of the study reveal that the vast majority of pre-service science teachers cannot effectively diagnose the student's inaccurate knowledge that emerges in solving specific problems in Heat and Temperature? topics. In addition, it is shown that the majority of pre-service science teachers have a little knowledge regarding the difficulties and limitations of students while learning "Heat and Temperature" subjects. According to these results, the KSU of the pre-service science teachers in "Heat and Temperature" topics is insufficient in the process of starting their profession.

Textbooks are one of the primary sources for students to obtain knowledge, so they should present accurate knowledge through textual and visual representations. The goal of the current study is to examine the representations in middle school science textbooks based on the diagram coding scheme to find out a general picture of how representations used in the science textbooks over the fifteen years. The sample consists of 6247 representations from twelve middle school science textbooks (four each of sixth, seventh, and eighth grades) from 2002 to 2017. Content analysis was used to analyze the representations in textbooks, which were gathered by document analysis. The representations were evaluated concerning the combination of two main diagram coding schemes. Findings showed that iconic representations are prevalent in middle school science textbooks. There are limited charts, graphs and augmented reality representations in the science textbooks. Furthermore, there are more male representations than female ones, representations are mostly indexed in the main texts, and captions are mainly problematic in middle school science textbooks. The findings based on the two diagrams coding scheme are mainly coherent with each other. Science textbooks should encourage students to interpret and translate between different representations to enable them accurate knowledge.

How teachers use technology efficiently in their classes is an important issue because learning environments are also affected by rapid developments in instructional technology. In the current study, we investigated how designing an inquiry-based technology-enhanced lesson plan on the virtual platform influences the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) self-efficacy of pre-service teachers and also how they integrated educational technology into their lesson plans. A total of 38 undergraduate students at a teacher education programme participated in the study. Data were gathered by the self-efficacy scale and the lesson plans developed by the pre-service teachers. The findings revealed a significant increase in the TPACK self-efficacy of the pre-service teachers after they designed an inquiry-based technology-enhanced lesson plan on the virtual platform. Besides, lesson plan analysis showed that pre-service teachers generally followed the phases of inquiry-based learning and integrated online scaffolding tools and virtual laboratories into their plans at a moderate level.

Simulations, which is a type of educational technology has started to be used widely in classes. Contradictive results show that there is no certain conclusion about the effects of them on students' domain knowledge, inquiry skills and attitudes towards science. The goal of the study is to compare the impacts of simulation-based and textbook-based instructions on the middle school students' science achievement, inquiry skills and attitudes towards science. The study was done with 188 middle school students and three science teachers. Whereas 98 of them enrolled in the classes where simulation-based instruction was used, 90 of the participants were from the classes in which textbook-based instruction followed. A quasi-experimental research design was used in the study. The data was gathered by the achievement test, the inquiry skills, and the attitude scale. The findings revealed that simulation-based instruction is significantly efficient in enhancing middle school students' science achievement and inquiry skills. Yet, it was also reached that both of the instructions have no significant impact on students' attitudes towards science. Possible reasons behind the results were also discussed.

The purpose of the study was to propose a new socioscientific issues based instruction model and to investigate the impacts of new model on PSTs? critical thinking skills and dispositions in climate change unit. Quasiexperimental method was applied. The sample of the study was determined by convenient sampling and it was comprised of 90 junior PSTs. The experimental group in which SSI based instruction was implemented, consists of 45 pre-service teachers, and there were 45 pre-service teachers in the control group. Data was gathered quantitatively with the help of Turkish version of the Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test (E-WCTET) and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine the impacts of new model on the critical thinking skills and dispositions of PSTs in experiment and control groups. Findings of the study revealed that there is no statistically significant difference between the treatment and the control group's critical thinking skills scores. However, the posttest scores of the treatment group were increased. Also, results indicated that there is a statistically significant difference between the treatment and the control group's critical thinking dispositions scores. Implications for teaching practice are discussed.

Providing individuals with environmental awareness from a young age is very important for a livable and sustainable world. In this context, this study aims to investigate the impacts of the environmental science project, the Water Explorer Program, on middle school students' water usage behaviors, and attitudes. A quasi-experimental research design was used. The participants were 87 (36 girls and 51 boys) eighth-grade students from four different classes in a public school. Whereas the textbook-based instructional approach was used in the control group, the Water Explorer Program was used in the experimental group. Water usage attitudes and water usage behavior scales were administered to the groups at the beginning and end of the study. In addition to pre-post tests, reflection papers were gathered from students in the experimental group. The findings of the study revealed that students in the experimental group developed significantly better water usage behaviors, and attitudes than their counterparts in the control group. Therefore, environmental projects should be involved in science curricula.

Rapid developments in educational technology show its impacts on classes. One of the recent trends in science education is virtual laboratory environments. The goal of this study is to reveal the effects of inquiry-based hands-on and virtual laboratory environments on pre-service science teachers' inquiry skills. A quasi-experimental research design was used in the current study. There were a total of 42 pre-service science teachers as participants. Whereas 21 of them were taught in the hands-on laboratory environment, the other 21 pre-service science teachers were instructed in the virtual laboratory environment. The guided inquiry-based approach was used. The experiments were from physics and chemistry domains. Due to the limited number of participants in each condition, the nonparametric versions of the parametric tests were used in this study. The findings showed that the inquiry skills of pre-service science teachers in the two conditions enhanced significantly. There was no significant difference between the conditions. This result shows that hands-on laboratories can be replaced by virtual laboratories to enhance pre-service science teachers' inquiry skills.

Although physical hands-on laboratory experiments are commonly used in schools, virtual laboratory environments are also being used in science classrooms. Their possibilities and impact on students' achievement, conceptual understanding, and inquiry skills have been investigated by other researchers. Yet, it is difficult to find studies about the effect of virtual learning environments on written argumentation in science classrooms. In the current study, the influence of hands-on and virtual laboratories on pre-service science teachers' scientific writing was investigated using the science writing heuristic. The participants were 52 pre-service science teachers who were assigned to two conditions. One group used the hands-on laboratory to design and implement experiments and used a paper-based worksheet to write their arguments; the other group did their investigations through a computer-based virtual-tool laboratory and wrote their arguments on the online learning platform. Pre-service science teachers' written arguments were evaluated using content analysis. The findings revealed that the overall quality of written arguments created by pre-service science teachers in both laboratory environments was at an intermediate level. Furthermore, pre-service science teachers who learned in the virtual laboratory posed better testable questions, presented strong and valid evidence, and used multiple representations better than their counterparts in the hands-on laboratory. An important conclusion of the current study is that the science writing heuristic can be used effectively in both virtual and hands-on laboratory environments.

Inquiry-based learning can be an effective approach when students are provided with sufficient guidance. However, there is an ongoing debate among practitioners about the nature, type, and level of such guidance. This study investigated the effects on middle school students' (N = 116) conceptual knowledge and inquiry skills acquisition of providing two different levels of guidance (support or direct presentation of information related to the inquiry process) in hands-on and virtual science laboratories on the topic of electricity. The study was based on a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial quasi-experimental design. The effects of two different levels of guidance combined with either a hands-on or a virtual laboratory were examined. Findings revealed that although the level of guidance was important for students' conceptual knowledge development, it had no significant impact on their acquisition of inquiry skills. In terms of laboratory environments, it appears that a virtual laboratory and a hands-on laboratory are equally effective for the development of middle school students' conceptual knowledge and inquiry skills.

In this study, we aimed to improve preservice teachers' attitudes toward socioscientific issues through socioscientific issue course. Moreover, we investigated whether this course influences preservice teachers studying in a science education and non-science education in a similar way. For this purpose, a semester-long socioscientific issues course was designed and implemented. Data were collected from a science education group (preservice science teachers) and a non-science education group (preservice social-science teachers). In order to evaluate participants' attitudes towards socioscientific issues, Attitudes towards Socioscientific Issues Scale was utilized before and after the course. This scale evaluates attitudes under three themes: liking of socioscientific issues, interest and usefulness of socioscientific issues, and anxiety towards socioscientific issues. The result revealed that socioscientific issues course provided similar gains for both preservice science teachers and preservice social-science teachers on interest and usefulness of socioscientific issues, liking of socioscientific issues, and anxiety towards socioscientific issues. That is both groups derived a similar benefit from the socioscientific issues course. Specifically, socioscientific issues course contributed to preservice teachers' interest and usefulness of socioscientific issues, and liking of socioscientific issues positively. On the other hand, their anxiety scores did not change significantly after the course. These findings imply that, regardless of majors, socioscientific issues course has potential to favor preservice teachers' attitudes toward socioscientific issues.

Learning in laboratories for students is not only crucial for conceptual understanding, but also contributes to gaining scientific reasoning skills. Following fast developments in technology, online laboratory environments have been improved considerably and nowadays form an attractive alternative for hands-on laboratories. The study was done in order to reveal pre-service science teachers' preferences for hands-on or online laboratory environments. Participants of the study were 41 pre-service science teachers who were enrolled in a 13-week course on laboratory applications in science education. Findings showed that more than half of the pre-service science teachers would prefer to use hands-on laboratory environments for both conceptual teaching in their classrooms and to develop their students' science process skills. The reasons behind their choices are discussed.

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief literature review and useful suggestions for using advertisements as tools for organizing and accomplishing science teaching and learning. Newspapers and advertisements can be used as a context for developing scientific literacy and for promoting the development of critical thinking skills, through questioning, creating flexible course content, and exploring science beyond the classroom.

It is important for students to learn concepts and using them for solving problems and further learning. Within this respect, the purpose of this study is to investigate students' abilities to apply science concepts that they have learned from Science-Technology-Society based approach or textbook oriented instruction. Current study is based on quantitative research methodology. The participants of the study are 609 students. Science classes were designed based on STS approach curriculum for 301 students, which is called as experimental group and textbook oriented instruction was followed with 308 students as a control group. The students were from sixth grade to ninth grade (age 12-15). The Iowa Assessment Handbook for the Chautauqua Program was used to collect data. The mean differences, standard divisions and t-values were calculated and used to assess pre- and post-test results. The results indicate that students, who experienced STS based curriculum through one full semester, are able to apply basic science concepts to new situations meaningfully better than students who exposed to textbook oriented instruction.

The purpose of this study was to investigate preservice science teachers' conceptual understanding of astronomy concepts. Qualitative research methods were used. The sample consists of 118 preservice science teachers (40 freshmen, 31 sophomores, and 47 juniors). The data were collected with Astronomy Conceptual Questionnaire (ACQ) that includes 13 open-ended questionnaires, and measured various aspects of astronomy such as sun, planets, and moon. Moreover, semi-structured interviews were carried out in order to examine further thoughts of the participants. The results indicate that preservice science teachers have several misconceptions about astronomy concepts. Each misconception is generally based on a common incorrect astronomy knowledge. They have also difficulties with basic definitions and interpret visuals of astronomy concepts. Moreover, there is no difference among the levels of students concerning understanding of astronomy concepts.

Misconceptions are one the biggest troubles for both teachers and students. In order to have scientifically valid knowledge, students should have meaningful conceptual understanding. Researchers have been designing studies based on different teaching methods so as to reach beneficial outcomes to handle with misconceptions. In this study, the main purpose is to reveal misconceptions about particulate nature of matter held by middle and high school students in Turkey by examining the related studies done since 2010. In addition, another goals are to see which kind of data gathering instruments have been used frequently and to determine these studies have been implemented in which level, whether middle school or high school. With specific keywords and criteria, 21 related articles were reached and examined. The findings shows that open ended questionnaire or interview forms are the most frequent instruments in order to gather data in the studies which were done for diagnosing misconceptions about particulate nature of matter. The participants of studies are usually from middle school students. Lastly, misconceptions are common among students.

The science learning environment is an important factor in students' attitudes toward their science experiences in school, as well as toward science courses. This study compares how learning in different laboratory environments (hands-on or virtual) influences these attitudes for middle school (7th grade) students. Participants were 143 seventh-grade students from a public school. They were enrolled in four different seventh-grade science classes, all taught by a single teacher. Pretest and post-test responses were compared to investigate participants' attitudes toward different forms of laboratories and toward science courses. Data were gathered by giving students an attitude questionnaire (pretest and post-test) and by conducting interviews (post-test). Findings revealed that laboratory experiences have a strong impact on middle school students' attitudes toward science; after working with the laboratory environment (either hands-on, virtual, or in a combination) students had a more positive attitude toward science. Data based on the questionnaire revealed no differences in attitudinal improvement between hands-on, virtual, or combinations of these labs, although descriptive data suggested that virtual labs are more effective for attitude change than hands-on labs. This may be linked to students' overall, but slight, preference for virtual laboratories over hands-on laboratories, as became apparent from the interviews.

The study reports on an investigation about the impact of science-technology-society (STS) instruction on middle school student understanding of the nature of science (NOS) and attitudes toward science compared to students taught by the same teacher using traditional textbook-oriented instruction. Eight lead teachers used STS instruction an attempt to improve student understanding of NOS concepts. The major findings of the study suggest that students experiencing STS instruction improve their understanding of the nature of science and attitudes toward science significantly more than do students who were instructed with traditional instruction. Analysis of the data indicates that students in STS classrooms attain more positive changes in their views about the NOS. Specifically, the STS students displayed powerful changes in their understanding of the ways in scientific theories and the scientist. Implications for improving teacher professional development programs are suggested.

Although hands-on laboratory experiments are traditionally used in schools, virtual laboratories have entered today's classrooms, due to their specific affordances. In this study, we compared the effect of using hands-on and virtual laboratories in isolation to two different combinations on middle school (7th grade) students' acquisition of conceptual knowledge and inquiry skills. Our findings indicate that using hands-on and virtual laboratories sequentially instead of in isolation gives better results for students' acquisition of knowledge and inquiry skills. This result, together with similar findings from other studies, suggests that virtual and hands-on laboratories may have complementary affordances. In the current study, no advantage was seen for either of the two different combinations used.

The National Science Education Standards emphasize a goal that students should achieve scientific literacy, which is defined as the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts needed in daily living. Scientific literacy enables people to not only use scientific principles and processes in making personal decisions but also to participate in discussions of scientific issues that affect society. Understanding scientific knowledge and processes contributes in an essential way to these skills. The economic productivity of society is related to the scientific and technological skills of the people. The results of this study indicate that students in the student-centered STS sections achieved significantly better than students in the teacher-directed STS sections in terms of understanding and use of process skills, use of creativity skills, development of more positive attitudes; and the ability to apply science concepts in new contexts.

The arguments about the dimensions of nature of science and the strategies for teaching it are still controversial. In this research, as part of these arguments, a context based on the issue of demarcation of science from pseudoscience was offered and questioned for its effectiveness in nature of science teaching. The research was planned for an educational term and astrology was examined as a case in this context for the criteria proposed by philosophers. A questionnaire composed of open-ended questions which was analyzed qualitatively and used as data source. The results of the research indicated that the context designed was effective in developing the nature of science understandings in various dimensions such as science as an enterprise, experiments, observations, theories, laws, models, scientific methods and the role of socio-cultural values in science.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether Science, Technology, and Society (STS) learning increases student concept mastery, general science achievement, use of concepts in new situations, and attitudes toward science in middle school classrooms. The study involved two teachers and fifty-two students in grades 6 through 8. Two sections of middle school science were taught by two longtime teachers where one used an STS approach and the other retained a typical use of the textbook as a class organizer. Each teacher administered the same pre- and post-assessments. Major findings indicated that middle school students experiencing the STS format with constructivist teaching practices: (1) learned basic concepts as well as students who studied them directly from the textbook, (2) achieved as much general concept mastery as students who studied in a textbook dominated way, (3) applied science concepts in new situations better than students who studied science in a more traditional way, (4) developed more positive attitudes about science, (5) exhibited creativity skills that were more individual and occurred more often, and (6) learned and used science at home and in the community more than students in the typical textbook dominated section. Further, the STS approach coincided well with the kind of teaching across the curriculum that is (recommended as) central to teaching in middle schools. (Contains 7 tables.)

The Iowa Chautauqua Program was developed in 1983 with support from National Science Foundation (NSF) which awarded the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) a major grant to study an inexpensive in-service model for stimulating reform in K-12 science classrooms. Iowa was one of the six Chautauqua sites which were modeled after a program for teachers from small colleges and operated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In Iowa this new Chautauqua effort focused upon Science-Technology-Society (STS) materials and teaching strategies with primary attention directed to teachers in grades 4 through 9. The program began with 30 teachers enrolled in a program in one center and increased annually to number 230 teacher enrolled in five centers across the state. The program was expanded with funds from various of private industries and Title II projects. Over 15,000 teachers have been enrolled during last two decades. The focus and unique feature was the STS teaching approach as reform in science education. This study investigates the effectiveness of the Iowa Chautauqua Professional Development Program. (Contains 7 tables and 1 figure.)

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate science teaching and assessing what is learned via using concept maps. Concept mapping is a technique for visually representing the structure of information. Concept mapping allows students to understand the relationships between concepts of science by creating a visual map of the connections. Concept map have been used in science to promote meaningful learning and effective teaching. It can be used by students as a study tool or by teachers to evaluate students understanding of science and to enhance science teaching.

The purpose of this article is to provide an example of using real world issues as tools for science teaching and learning. Using real world issues provides students with experiences in learning in problem-based environments and encourages them to apply their content knowledge to solving current and local problems.

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a Science Technology and Society (STS) approach in terms of student understanding of major processes of science. Participants included twelve teachers who agreed to participate in an experimental study where Science, Technology, and Society (STS) strategies were utilized with one class section and in a school class where the teacher determined the course structure and the form of instruction (textbook-oriented) that is typically used by most science teachers. A total of twenty-four sections of students were in STS sections (199 students) and a similar number in textbook-oriented sections (204 students). The data collected were analyzed using quantitative methods. The results indicate that students in the STS sections achieved significantly better than students in the textbook-oriented sections in terms of understanding and using science process skills. Differences in success by male and female students of varying ability levels were examined as well.

Science/Technology/Society (STS) as a reform effort has been active in Iowa for three decades. A program called Iowa Chautauqua has evolved over the four decades to promote K-12 STS teaching in Iowa's 300 school districts. This is a study of how teachers have become Teacher Leaders of the reforms and lead other teachers who enroll as new teachers and schools each New Year. All were involved with Action Research projects each year while also assisting graduate student teams who serve as research associates. In this study, students were asked to identify specific teacher actions that were designed to make student learning more successful. The study examines general student views of teacher actions as well as specific examples of how students interact with the teacher and how the teachers encourage greater student/student involvement. The results show success with STS and how it defines science and affective actions of teachers in classrooms. Student views of Teacher Leaders, new Chautauqua teachers, and Control Teachers with no STS or Chautauqua experiences provide ways of recognizing successes of current reform efforts.

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of the Chautauqua Professional Development Program in terms of the mastery of basic science concepts, understanding major science processes, use of creativity skills, improvement of student attitudes toward science, and the ability to apply science concepts and processes in new situations. Participants included twelve teachers who agreed to participate in an experimental study where Science, Technology, and Society (STS) strategies were utilized with two class sections where in one class the teacher determined the course structure and the form of instruction that was typically used. Conversely, the experimental class was almost exclusively student-centered. A total of twenty-four sections of students were in STS sections (365 students) and a similar number in control sections (359 students). The data collected were analyzed using quantitative methods. The results were tabulated and contrasted for students enrolled in the two sections for all the teachers. The results indicate that students in the student-centered STS sections achieved significantly better than students in the teacher-directed STS sections in terms of understanding and use of process skills, use of creativity skills, development of more positive attitudes; and the ability to apply science concepts in new contexts. However, there were no significant differences noted with respect to mastery of basic science concepts. Apparently student-centered STS approaches result in students with conceptual understandings but it is no better than the situation where teachers guide and direct inquiry STS approaches which focus much more exclusively on specific concepts and their definitions. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

Science writing opportunities are used as a resource to enable students to understand science concepts. This study represents three different writing-to-learn tasks that enable students to learn science and to demonstrate their developing understanding about the human body system. The teacher and students engaged in a variety of science enquiries connected with writing opportunities that worked together to develop student understanding about the human body system. (Contains 2 tables and 4 boxes.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the advantages of an approach to instruction using current problems and issues as curriculum organizers and illustrating how teaching must change to accomplish real learning. The study sample consisted of 41 preservice science teachers (13 males and 28 females) in a model science teacher education program. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to determine success with science discipline-specific "Societal and Educational Applications" courses as one part of a total science teacher education program at a large Midwestern university. Students were involved with idea generation, consideration of multiple points of views, collaborative inquiries, and problem solving. All of these factors promoted grounded instruction using constructivist perspectives that situated science with actual experiences in the lives of students.

The study reports on an investigation of the impact of a Science-Technology-Society (STS) approach in promoting more positive student attitudes toward science that are recommended by current reform documents. A total of 609 students from grades six through nine were selected for a survey of attitudes in two class sections assigned as either experimental (STS oriented class) or control group (textbook oriented class). The results indicate that students in classes taught with an STS approach develop more positive attitudes toward science when compared to students in classes taught with a textbook-oriented approach. The STS approach to science teaching works equally well for male and female students regarding student attitudes toward science. Significant differences were not found between male and female students in terms of improving positive attitudes concerning science study. (Contains 2 figures and 8 tables.)

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of the Iowa Chautauqua Professional Development Program in terms of changes in concept mastery, use of process skills, application of science concept and skills, student attitudes toward science, student creativity, and student perceptions regarding their science classrooms. Participants were 12 teachers who agreed to participate in an experimental study where an inquiry approach was utilized with one section and traditional strategies in another section. A total of 24 sections of students were enrolled in inquiry sections (365 students) and traditional sections (359 students). The data collected were analyzed using quantitative methods. The results are tabulated and contrasted for students enrolled in the two sections for each teacher. The results indicate that student use and understanding of science skills and concepts in the inquiry sections increased significantly more than they did for students enrolled in typical sections in terms of process skills, creativity skills, ability to apply science concepts, and the development of more positive attitudes. (Contains 7 tables.)

The purpose of the study was to discern the beliefs of pre-service science teachers (PST) concerning science technology and their implications in society. A quasi-experimental design was used. The results indicate that students who experienced Science Technology and Society (STS) approach perform better than students enrolled in section where traditional approaches in terms of student understanding of scientific process, student ability to apply scientific concepts related to science and technology, more positive student attitudes, and demonstration of more and better creativity skills. The STS approach was found to have an impact on the beliefs of PST in science education.

The purpose of this study was to examine how different inquiry experiences affect in-service science teachers' performance in terms of their questions and classroom actions. Teachers in a workshop experience proceeded through structured, guided, and full inquiry stations where materials to make foam were provided. Participants were 26 in-service science teachers who were enrolled in an 8-day workshop learning about science-technology-society (STS) approaches to teaching. Those who experienced full inquiry first resulted in more curiosity, more questions, and more unique experiments than at the other two stations. Success in guided inquiry was observed when the guidance was provided by more open-ended questions posed by the leader teachers. The study raises questions concerning the limitations on student thinking when in structured and guided laboratories that characterize traditional science teaching. An analysis of this study may contribute important direction and information for science teaching and learning and encourage more moves for STS successes.

The main goals of these activities are to help students learn how a convex lens can serve as a magnifying lens and how light travels and creates images. These explorations will introduce middle school students to different types of lenses and how they work. Students will observe and describe how lenses bend light that passes through them and how the distance of a lens from an object can make an object appear smaller or larger. In the photography activity, students will investigate how a camera works. This study of the camera leads to discussing the similarities and differences between science and technology. Is it possible to separate them? Do they feed into each other? (Contains 7 figures.)