Explains the two ontological convictions that played the role of epistemological obstacle for Bolzano, a contemporary of the founders of non-Euclidean geometry. Forms part of the body of work aimed at identifying obstacles in the history of mathematics in order to confront them with obstacles to learning and to establish their epistemological…

Addresses questions concerning the cognitive character of 19th century British molecular discourse. Suggests that, precisely because of its fluid character, molecular discourse produced a common universe of meanings that sustained an ongoing thought experiment regarding the intimate structure of matter and that, by so doing, initiated a process of…

Critiques a particular trend in educational research and practice, "cognitivism", which is a result of the reception by education of epistemological theories that have an objective alien to that of education, which is the all-round development of human personality. Suggests that present mainstream theories of science education be complemented with…

Examines the history of major achievements in computer science as portrayed by winners of the prestigious Turing award and identifies a possibly unique activity called Theory-Guided Technology (TGT). Researchers develop TGT by using theoretical results to create practical technology. Discusses reasons why TGT is practical in computer science and…

Uses a Galilean thought experiment to enhance learning in a college-level physical science course. Presents both modern and historical perspectives of Galileo's work. As a final project, students explored Galileo's thought experiment in the laboratory using modern detectors with satisfying results. (Contains 25 references.) (Author/ASK)

Presents data collected concerning scientific, religious, and magic-occult connections from Finnish, Estonian, and Michigan primary teacher students to answer questions such as Do we find any differences between the credibility estimates?, Are there any differences between primary teacher students raised in different societies and educated in…

Presents two case studies that describe attempts by legislators in Arkansas and Michigan to restrict the teaching of evolution and the responses of science educators. Demonstrates that the same discredited arguments that have been used elsewhere continue to recur and that those interested in promoting quality science education can respond with…

Analyzes the Discovery Institute's "Bibliography of Supplementary Resources" submitted to the Ohio Board of Education (OBE). Discusses the real significance of the publications in the bibliography, its reliability, and its pedagogical value. (KHR)

Explores the evidence and reasoning behind the claims of biologists that variations in the genetic code are compatible with the claim of common ancestry. (Author/KHR)

Presents a theoretical classification of relationships between the philosophy of science and didactics of science, based on the metadiscursive nature which philosophy and didactics share. Describes five different relationships between the two disciplines: material, instrumental, explanatory, rhetorical, and metatheoretical. (Author/MM)

Investigates the role that social mediation plays in the destabilization of preconceptions of the concept of light among primary school pupils. One experimental group participated in a teaching process which aimed to lead students to cognitive conflict. Another group was taught with traditional methods. Differences between groups in pre- and…

Explores the reasons why we learn science. Asserts that 'wonder' incorporates three important dimensions: wondering about, wondering at, and wondering whether. Suggests that the system fails to trust students to learn and expects teachers to 'know it all' before beginning to teach. (Author/MM)

Describes a laboratory experiment in which common chemical gases are trapped inside soap bubbles. Examines the physical and chemical properties of the gases such as relative density and combustion. (Author/MM)

Offers three types of fixed-response questions that are designed to overcome drawbacks appearing in the conventional forms of fixed-response questions such as not allowing the examiner to investigate reasoning, background, or prevent guessing. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/YDS)

Explores three questions that are considered to have difficult answers and suggests ways to explain the answers to students. (Author/YDS)