Nuffield bibliography page 1
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helpful in this regard, for both published and unpublished sources, up to about 1978.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, 19631972; Chemistry O-level, 1962-1974; Chemistry A-level, 1962-1974; Biology Olevel, 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
(http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/iss/archives/collect/1nu30-0.html)
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
(http://www.amphilsoc.org/library/mole/c/cain.htm#boxfolder1); the papers of W.L
Bragg at the Royal Institution contain some material; and the papers of Bunny
Nuffield bibliography page 2
Dowdeswell held at the University of Bath contain material related to his involvement
with the biology projects (http://www.a2a.org.uk/html/1128-ncuacs83499.htm).
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.
Nuffield bibliography page 3
–––, ‘––– 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. Olevel 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