Science education is viewed from a framework that integrated sources of knowledge with the traditional processes of scientific inquiry. Sciencing is then described, and how it could be implemented with young children is discussed. (MNS)

Based on the idea that reading instruction in science means teaching simultaneously the science content and the reading and reasoning processes by which that content is learned, this booklet offers practical and theoretical suggestions for science teachers to help students improve their content area comprehension. Chapters discuss the following…

Discusses: how thought experiments (TES) are presented and used in physics textbooks; how and why teachers include TES in their explanations; and what understandings students draw from TES. Indicates that TES are only one of a broad class of "acts of imagination" which are essential in physics education. (JN)

Highlights the value and need for instruction in logic in the sciences. Describes a geology course for nonmajors which incorporates elements of logic. Explains how principles were identified and how materials and activities were developed for the course. (ML)

The goal of this article is to identify and disseminate several important messages from recent research on formal thought. Reasoning by adolescents, measurement of Piagetian formal reasoning, the importance of additional factors, stages, and working memory are discussed. (MNS)

This article discusses problem solving and how science educators can integrate problem solving into their instruction. The Search, Solve, Create, and Share (SSCS) model was developed based on the findings of problem solving research. (YP)

By carefully watching and listening to his students explain how they solved simple physics problems, one college instructor gained insight into how students visualize problems and developed techniques to help students change perspective more easily. Student metacognitive skills, student confidence, and student-teacher communication have also…

The Information Age has been shaping the conception of thinking in education through the capability of computerized problem solving, through the resulting application of the information processing model to human thinking, and through the theories emerging from other cognitive science research in metacognition, construction of knowledge, and…

Reviews findings from three diagnostic studies which focused on the problem of tautological explanations. Includes a report on a teaching intervention strategy which resulted in the improvement of pupil performance. Suggests that avoidance of tautology can be taught. (ML)

An overview is provided of 50 years of research on naive theories in human biology. A set of recommendations aimed at confronting student misconceptions and facilitating conceptual change about the structure and function of the human body is presented, with five lessons described. (MNS)

Argues that children develop knowledge in layers, increasing those layers each time the topic is covered. Reviews three sets of materials that provide a background of experience, vocabulary, and text structure for use in science instruction. (FL)

The instructional effectiveness of diagrams has been substantiated by research; however, research findings are limited for the identification of the conditions that are necessary for learning from diagrams. The study reported in this paper investigated certain properties of diagrams and how they relate to cognitive processes that students use when…

Linguistics, as one of the cognitive sciences, has much to offer the teaching of basic science, i.e., the teaching of how to ask and investigate interesting questions. Linguistics is particularly well-suited for teaching about the process of "doing" science because the methodology appropriate to the study of language from a generative…

Reported the development and validation of an integrated model of performance on chemical concept-volumetric analysis. Model was tested on 265 chemistry students in eight schools.Results indicated that for subjects using algorithms without understanding, performance on volumetric analysis problems was not influenced by proportional reasoning…

Reports on a study designed to investigate secondary school students' misconceptions of conservation principles and fields. Results indicate that misconceptions appear to persist and that students were unable to transfer knowledge readily. Also teachers appear not to be fully aware of students' misconceptions. (ML)