In recent years science educators have placed increasing emphasis on the importance of understanding student knowledge. The research aimed at exploring student knowledge--misconception research, nature of science studies, and conceptual change research--has proved useful in telling us what concepts students know before and after instruction. However, this research tells us little about how students' science knowledge interacts with instruction to structure the teaching/learning process. Worldview is an ideal theory to help researchers answer questions about the role of science knowledge in the teaching/learning process. Yet, it is relatively new to science education literature, and there is little consistency as to which methods of handling worldview data would yield insightful studies of student knowledge. This article examines worldview literature from science education and other disciplines to tease out the theoretical commitments, methods, and applications that are most conducive to investigating the dynamic interaction of student knowledge in instructional settings. (Contains 42 references.) (Author/MM)