The aim of physics education is to generate understanding of physics and there is considerable anecdotal evidence that passing examinations in physics is not the same as understanding the subject. This paper describes how the areas of difficulties in understanding of physics were determined for pupils in Taiwan aged 13-15. Test material which…

Any instructional theory that ignores the limits of working memory when dealing with novel information or ignores the disappearance of these limits when dealing with familiar information in unlikely to be effective. (Kirschner et al. 2006, 77) (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)

A range of characteristics of learners is described and their relationship to working memory discussed in the context of teaching and learning in the sciences. The characteristics are extent of field dependency, visual spatial abilities, divergency and convergency. These learner characteristics were measured for a large sample of school pupils…

This paper describes the analysis of data collected by Durham University's YELLIS project, over the period of 1999 to 2004. Included in this data was the degree to which pupils in England at the end of their secondary education "liked" or "disliked" different subjects, and their expected examination grades in these subjects.…

Attitude measurement has had a somewhat chequered history since the possibility of achieving it successfully was demonstrated by Thurstone in 1929. It has been an important area in science education, particularly in the context of falling uptakes in the physical sciences in many countries, and there have been many attempts to measure learner…

An earlier paper in this Journal (Jenkins & Nelson, 2005) drew upon the findings of the Relevance of Science Education Project (ROSE) to report the attitudes of students in England towards their secondary school science education. The present paper draws upon the same project to explore what the same students, almost all in their penultimate…

There are increasing calls in the science education community for "science for citizenship" as an important goal for the school science curriculum of the 21st century. The potential influence of portrayals of science and scientists in popular culture on the achievement of this goal is explored in this paper through a review of the literature. We…

Studies the interviews of 24 professional scientists to seek their views on the long range effects of their initial training. Analyzes the interviews for content, teaching, and types of learning experience. Concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for science education. Argues for a reduction in content. (CW)

Reports findings on variable-handling aspects of pupil performance in investigatory tasks, using data from the British Assessment of Performance Unit (APU) national survey program. Discusses the significance of these findings for assessment methodology and for understanding of 15-year-olds' approaches to the variable-based logic of investigation.…

Describes an attempt to ascertain the validity of the assumptions of the developers of a technology-based biological curriculum. Considers the organization of its learning materials and the transfer of key concepts. Illustrates some of the crucial issues faced by scientific curricula emphasizing technology. (CW)

Discusses Walberg's psychological theory of educational productivity, which is based on the Cobb-Douglas economic production function. The empirical finding that the educational production function is approximately homogeneous of degree one in the productivity factors, in accordance with theory, is noted, and it is shown how this agreement could…

Describes the method used to probe students' associative meaning of the concepts of regulation and equilibrium. Results from students of grades 6, 9, and 11 and student teachers of biology indicated that a discrepancy exists between connotative meanings and cultural, standardized meanings. (ML)

Offers perspectives on research related to students' ideas about science prior to instruction. Discusses possible origins of prior knowledge, the requirements for conceptual change, and reviews instructional implications. (ML)

Assessed and compared the attitudes of a national random sample of students who were in junior high school during 1976-77 with the attitudes of a national sample of this same cohort in 1981-82. Implications of findings (related to various attitude categories) for science curriculum development are addressed. (JN)

Discusses aims and objectives of the "Modular Courses in Technology" project. Project aims include developing intellectual ability in a technological context and practical technological skills. Modules, module format, different approaches in forming examination syllabi, and other areas are considered. (JN)