Primary school teachers' responses to interview questions about science concepts are described and compared in general terms with views of scientific concepts held by children. Some possible implications of the findings for the development of primary science are outlined. Sample interview questions are included. (Author/CW)

Analyzes the concept of teaching from various aspects. Reviews research on students' conceptions of natural phenomena, conceptual change, and teacher thinking. Suggests an appropriate conception of teaching science. (YP)

Perspectives on the need for consistency in considering the promotion of conceptual change in science students and teachers (and in some circumstances, researchers) are presented in this paper. The parallels between the consequences of this consistency and the literature on educational change are also highlighted. A particular focus is directed to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the thinking underlying the questions posed by a science teacher to her seventh grade students in an instructional activity called Mind Games, in which hypothetical situations focussed on scientific issues are proposed and explored at least once during each major instructional unit. Mind games are conveyed…

Research on propositional reasoning is summarized. Retrieval of facts and concepts, linkages, short-term memory limitations, and the processing advantages are discussed. Suggestions for maximizing teaching are presented. (CW)

Described are the use of two different tests designed to test for selected inquiry skills. Procedures, tests used, and results in several different countries are presented. Implications for classroom instruction are discussed. (CW)

Reports on a study which tested eight categories of logical fallacies with secondary students, student teachers, and teachers from Australia, South Africa, and Israel. Results indicate that logical fallacies were exhibited by all the groups. Implications are discussed. (ML)

Reports on a study to test the validity of the assumption that a teacher's conception of the nature of science directly influences his/her classroom behavior. Recommends a redirection in science education to promote more adequate conceptions of the nature of science in secondary schools. (TW)

This book is the result of the accumulated research of five researchers from the United States and Australia on a school in Coastal Australia. The research team shared a constructivist epistemology and interpreted the qualitative and quantitative data collected over a 10-week period in two classrooms from that perspective. Each chapter discusses…

Current reform efforts in the teaching of high school biology demonstrate the need for a synthetic treatment of prominent concepts. There exists insufficient research that delineates the global content understandings--in this paper designated subject matter structures (SMS)--of biology teachers; or that assesses whether these SMS do, in fact,…