Nuffield Science Teaching Project



Nuffield Science Teaching Project

Select bibliography and archival sources

The bibliography does not attempt to be exhaustive. References in the synthetic accounts and reviews will provide more information. Waring’s notes are especially helpful in this regard, for both published and unpublished sources, up to about 1978. The bibliography prepared by Dawson & Letton is helpful in identifying studies, especially by higher degree students, that may not be found in standard literature searches. For later studies, see the lists of theses published from time to time in Studies in science education. Published schemes of work, laboratory guides, text and other material for pupils and teachers are not listed here.

The records of the Chelsea College part of the project are in the Archives of King’s College London, in 591 boxes (including one outsize) and 2 files. The collection contains records of the Nuffield Foundation Science Teaching Project (NFSTP), 1949-1993 but mainly dating from the 1960s and 1970s, including general administrative papers, 1961-1974; the Secondary Science Education Programme, 1965-1974; the Junior Science Project, 1960-1974; the Combined Science Project, 1964-1970; A-level in Physical Sciences, 1955-1974; Physics A- and O-level, 1963-1972; Chemistry O-level, 1962-1974; Chemistry A-level, 1962-1974; Biology O-level, 1962-c1973; Biology A-level, 1963-1972; records relating to publications, also including material on NFSTP administration, 1949-1992; published texts, 1960-1993; and film loops and accompanying teaching notes, 1966-1978, for various subjects and age groups. A detailed catalogue is available at ()

for each of the headings:

• STP Science Teaching Project -- General Administrative Papers

• SS Secondary Science Education Programme

• JSP Junior Science Project

• CSP Combined Science Project

• ALPS A-level in Physical Sciences

• PAL, POL Physics A- and O-level

• COL, COL/NCR Chemistry O-level

• CAL Chemistry A-level

• BOL Biology O-level

• BAL Biology A-level

• TEXT Published texts

• PBN Publications

• /FL Film loops

•

Because the project involved practising scientists as advisers and providers of material, a wide range of archives is likely to contain some relevant items. For example, Professor A J Cain’s papers contain (an unknown amount) of correspondence with William Anderson, the publication manager based at Chelsea (); the papers of W.L Bragg at the Royal Institution contain some material; and the papers of Bunny Dowdeswell held at the University of Bath contain material related to his involvement with the biology projects ().

Alexander, D. Nuffield Secondary Science: an evaluation. London: Macmillan, 1974.

Atkin, M. J., and Black, P. J. Inside science education reform. New York: Teachers College Press. 2003.

In some personal reflections, Paul Black illustrates a number of important curriculum issues by reference to his involvement with Nuffield projects.

Dawson, B. E., and Letton, K. M. Science education research and development abstracts. London: Royal Society Chemistry. Volume 1, 1889, volume 2, 1992.

Volume 2 contains an index to the whole work. The list of higher degree theses is especially useful, but the word ‘Nuffield’ does not necessarily appear in the title of every relevant thesis, e.g. Harding 1975 (q.v.).

Dorling, G. ‘Nuffield Coordinated Sciences: aims and history’, Physics education, 23: 207-211, 1988.

Fairbrother, R. W., and Swain, J. R. L., ‘The assessment of project work in Nuffield Advanced Biology and Nuffield Advanced Physical Science’, Educational research, February, vol. 19: 92-99, 1977.

Givens, N. ‘Curriculum Materials as a Vehicle for Innovation: A Case Study of the Nuffield Design and Technology Project’, Research in science and technological education, 18:71-83, 2000.

Harding, J. M. M. ‘Communication and support for change in school science education’, Doctoral Thesis, University of London (Chelsea College), 1975.

Hargreaves, J., and Hargreaves, T. ‘Some Models of School Science in British Curriculum Projects, and Their Implications for STS Teaching at the Secondary Level’, Social studies of science, 13: 569-604, 1983.

Holford, D. ‘Nuffield Combined Science: Teams for the Seventies, Themes for Eighties?’, Education 3-13, 9(1):38-42, 1981.

Ingle, R. B. ‘Nuffield Chemistry in Britain 1961-1982. Part I. Development and Reception of the O-Level Publications by the Teaching Profession’, Science education, 68:523-39, 1984.

–––, ‘–––, Part II. Evaluation and Revision of O-Level Publications’, Science education, 68:541-61, 1984.

Kelly, P. J. ‘Evaluation studies of the Nuffield A-level Biology trials. 1. Overall achievements of students’, Journal of biological education, 5:315–27, 1971.

–––, ‘––– 2. Evaluation of specific objectives’, –––, 6:29–40, 1972.

–––, ‘––– 3. Student characteristics and achievement’, –––, 6:99-107, 1972.

–––, ‘––– 4. School characteristics and achievement’, –––, 6:197–205, 1972.

–––, ‘––– 5. Students after the trials’, –––, 6:259–66, 1972.

Lewis, J. L. ‘A Nuffield view of physics’, Physics education, 12:70-73, 1977.

–––, ‘16+ Examination for Nuffield Physics’, Physics education, 16:157-60, 1981.

Lucas, A. M. and Chisman, D. G. A review of British science curriculum projects: implications for curriculum developers. Columbus: Ohio State University ERC Information Analysis Center for Science Mathematics and Environmental Education. 1973.

The report, primarily descriptive accounts aimed at the science education community of the United States, concentrates on projects that produced materials for secondary science courses that “integrate the special sciences”. There are chapters on Nuffield Combined Science and Nuffield Secondary Science. The accounts of other projects and brief accounts of the educational systems in Britain at the time allow the projects to be placed in context.

Meyer, G. R. ‘Reactions of pupils to Nuffield Science Teaching Projects trail materials in England at the Ordinary level of the General Certificate of Education’, Journal of research in science teaching, 7:283–302, 1970.

Shayer, M. ‘Nuffield combined science: do the pupils understand it?’, School science review, December, vol. 60:, 210-223, 1978.

Stevens, P. ‘On the Nuffield Philosophy of Science’, Journal of philosophy of education, 12:99-111, 1978.

Tawney, D. A. ‘Evaluation and science curriculum projects in the U.K.’, Studies in science education, 3:31–54, 1976.

Summarises, contrasts and compares published evaluations of five science curriculum projects in a useful discussion of general issues of evaluation, and helps situate the approaches to the two Nuffield projects: Nuffield Secondary Science (Alexander, 1974) and Nuffield A-level Biology (Kelly (1971 –72) q.v..

Tebbutt, M. J. Teachers' Views about the Nuffield Advanced Physics Course’, Physics education, 16: 228-33, 1981.

Waring, Mary. Social pressures and curriculum innovation: a study of the Nuffield Foundation Science Teaching Project. London: Methuen. 1979

Deals with the various political, social and education factors influencing the foundation of the Project, details of its execution, and its outcomes. O-level Chemistry is the major exemplar in this analysis.

Wastnedge, R. ‘Nuffield Junior Science: fifteen years on’, Primary education review, Number 19, 10-12, Spring 1984.

Arthur Lucas, November 2006

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