Most important, we are at a critical point in terms of encouraging adolescents to
consider careers in science. Many American jobs are being shipped overseas to highly
qualified individuals who are well trained in science. Many American students turn away
from science-related disciplines because they have had bad experiences in science classes
during high school. Young women and minorities are under-represented in science
careers in the academy and in business and industry. We strongly argue that many of
negative experiences associated with the learning of science in schools can be avoided if
science educators are cognizant of both the cognitive abilities of all adolescent learners,
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and the types of learning environments that are most conducive to fostering the use of
these abilities.