Presents anecdotes that portray, in narrative mode, the attributes of personal science consisting of personal knowledge, indwelling, tacit knowledge, commitment, and objectivity. (PR)

Posner's theory of conceptual change forms the background for this study which focuses upon conceptual ecology, specifically upon the heuristics children appear to employ in sense-making. The study focuses upon two children who demonstrate remarkably different sense-making heuristics; a recognizably scientific one and one that involves the…

An analysis of interactions between 154 visitors to a science museum revealed significant differences between age group and the holding power of exhibits. No significant differences were found for gender or social grouping and attraction, holding power, and engagement levels. (PR)

Reports the results of various concepts held by children of different ages dealing with weight, heaviness, gravity, and force. (PR)

Using ordering tasks in which 51 grade-12 students arranged fragmented text passages, it was observed that students produced a high number of texts with top-level structures that employed minimal organizational components and had recourse to local coherence criteria to organize the text. (PR)

Explores two ways of critically examining scientific knowledge in the context of a current socioscientific dispute: the unsterilized spacecraft in NASA's Galileo Mission to Jupiter. (PR)

Analyzes difficulties of students experiencing their first contact with heuristic hypotheses. Attempts to interpret these difficulties and suggest remediations. Uses an example from the chemistry of aqueous solutions. (MKR)

Explores beliefs about reform of life science teachers of grade-seven life science teachers (n=4) and their intentions to introduce physical science activities in their classes. (Author/MKR)

Using conceptual change as theoretical lens, describes the structure of (n=4) learners' conceptual ecology within biological evolution and illustrates how this ecology influences the process of conceptual change. Prior conceptions relate to evolutionary theory, scientific and religious orientations, view of biological world, and acceptance of…

Summarizes a 10-year Chinese secondary school chemistry teaching experiment, programmed elicitation, which was found to be more effective than traditional Chinese elicitation. Includes sample programmed elicitation textbook section and lesson. (Author/MKR)

Examines the position of students' understanding of natural phenomena as being theoretical. Reviews philosophical and cognitive arguments presented by G. Hills in support of such a position. Advances alternate viewpoints. (Author/MKR)