In an attempt to establish the role of the laboratory in chemistry instruction, an historical perspective is developed, in the hope of extracting the consensus of commentators on the subject concerning the important features of the laboratory experience. We present arguments to support the idea that laboratory instruction involves student experiences that mimic what chemists do. We discuss possible techniques to formalize (i.e., in a standard classroom setting) the research experience.

We address the issues of reform in laboratory instruction by linking the critical details in that process to graduate programs designed to teach advanced students the process(es) of "doing" chemistry. The link is the theory of cognitive development, which we show is an excellent model for the training of graduate students.

The purpose of this study was to examine how Korean college students use computers within the PC-Bangs as well as at home. Data on media usage and PC-Bang usage patterns was collected from 291 University of Ulsan students. Results suggest that PC-Bangs are used mainly for game playing and have become a male-dominated play space. Female students, however, tended to use computers at home and for other nongaming activities such as chatting and emailing. Data also revealed that displacement of nonmedia-related activities by PC-Bang usage rarely occurred. However, existence of gaming habits did exist and with the abundance of gaming-related activities available in South Korea, these media-related habits may displace similar activities.

The idea of media literacy prompts an increasingly divisive debate between educators who wish to protect children from the commercialization of global markets and those who challenge critical media studies as misguided, outdated, and ineffective. We have provided a historical overview of changing conceptions of media literacy as preparation and protection in market society, arguing that contemporary concerns about children's fast food marketing and sedentary lifestyles call for new approaches to the education of citizen-consumers in a risk society. Our case study demonstrates that a media education programme can provide scaffolding for children's critical thinking about their sedentary lifestyles and media consumption.

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