Investigations in Science Education. Volume 10, Number 4.

Overview & Synopsis

Presented are abstracts and abstractors' analyses of eight studies related to teacher education and two studies related to the nature of science. Analyses in the area of teacher education are on studies of: attitudes of elementary teachers in Trinidad and Tobago (P. Fraser-Abder and R. Shrigley); educators' categorizations of different models of teaching (H. L. Jones et al.); the effects of televised instruction on attitudes of in-service elementary teachers (D. S. Sheldon and D. Halverson); methodologies used to evaluate teacher education programs (G. D. Herman and R. Willings); methods for improving preservice elementary teachers' process skills (D. Gabel and P. Rubba); student teachers' competency in diagnosing student misconceptions (J. Nussbaum); teachers' perceptions concerning the relative importance of some curricular objectives (R. A. Schibeci); and the characteristics of male and female science teachers (in an attempt to identify factors that attract people to a particular career choice) (W. W. Welch and F. Lawrenz). Analyses related to the nature of science (critiques and responses) are on studies of junior high school students' adherence to certain misconceptions about the nature of science (P. A. Rubba et al.) and science teachers' concepts of the nature of science (M. B. Ogunniyi). Responses to the analyses by the authors of the last two studies are included. (JN)