Suggests that scientific thought experiments (TEs) draw upon three epistemological resources: conceptual-logical inferences, visual imagery, and bodily-motor experience. Argues that TEs are powerful because of students' thought capabilities related to imagination and visual imagery. Claims that TEs are not currently exploited by school learning…

Describes children's conceptions of the structure and function of the human digestive system based on an investigation carried out with children aged 4-10 (n=45). Finds that children possess biological knowledge as an independent knowledge domain from the age of four. Discusses acquisition of and barriers to scientific concepts related to human…

Investigates the effects of both computer animations of microscopic chemical processes occurring in a galvanic cell and conceptual-change instruction based on chemical demonstrations on students' conceptions of current flow in electrolyte solutions. Finds that conceptual change instruction was effective at dispelling student misconceptions but…

Describes a study of preservice elementary teachers' (n=179) perceptions of geologic time. Finds that the respondents perceived events in Earth's geological past as falling into three distinct clusters: extremely ancient, less ancient, and geologically recent. Finds also that the teachers' grasp of relative time is more secure than their grasp of…

Reports on a study of the attitudes of South Australian primary school students toward science. Finds that overall interest in studying science has decreased since a similar study was performed in 1980. (Contains 22 references.) (Author/WRM)

Describes the affective factors involved in the academic progress and achievement of newly-arrived bilingual twins in a secondary school in London. Finds that different personality traits and self-perceptions resulted in the development of their divergent personal learning styles, and that task interest, appropriate learning strategies, and…

Employs discourse analysis techniques to examine the approach taken in addressing minority group knowledges in two recently-published sets of junior secondary science texts, with a specific focus on the incorporation of indigenous knowledge into the texts. (Contains 44 references.) (Author/WRM)

Students' conceptions about "microbes" tend to condition their understanding of biotechnology. Explores connections between the status given to diseases, a hygiene-oriented culture, layman's versus school knowledge, personal experience, socio-cultural mediation, linguistic confusions, and students' conceptions. (Contains 21 references.)…

Argues that knowledge of social aspects of science are important and relevant for science education for citizenship. Presents a teaching model for engaging students in thoughtful decision-making on controversial socio-scientific issues. (Contains 48 references.) (Author/WRM)

Addresses deaf pupils' conceptions of directly-observed phenomena of the earth and sky. Studies 7-, 9-, 11-, and 17-year-old deaf pupils and uses 9-year-old Norwegian pupils with normal hearing as the control group. Reports that the children's conceptions are scientifically accepted. Indicates that the shape of the sign representing an object may…

Investigates the idea that teachers are not passive transmitters, and that some general trends can be found in the way they transform proposed strategies. Presents the case of elementary optics in grade 8 in France in which four sets of data--interviews before teaching, logbooks, assessment tasks, and video-recorded class observations--lead to…

Describes the development and validation of an instrument on Student Perceptions of Teachers' Knowledge (SPOTK) in relation to their pedagogy. Uses features of teachers' knowledge from the research literature related to instruction, representation, subject matter knowledge, and assessment of students' understanding to generate categories in the…

Reports that learners' alternative ideas in science may be coherent, stable, and theory-like. Studies how a learner can simultaneously hold several alternative explanatory schemes, each of which is persistent over time and applied coherently across a wide range of overlapping contexts. Concludes that the manifold nature of learners' conceptions…

Investigates how Russian teachers interested in adopting aspects of the U.S. science education reform movement compared with two groups, traditional U.S. science teachers and constructivist U.S. science teachers. Analyzes the total rubric score and Russian/traditional U.S., and Russian/constructivist U.S. groups. (Contains 20 references.)…

Analyses the effectiveness of the "Get Electronics" project that aimed to support 60 science teachers and 60 technology teachers in field courses. Considers the importance of the study of the basics of electricity and electronics at the comprehensive school, and how they succeeded in promoting elective courses by producing new learning materials…