Presents the epistemology of scientific concepts from a schematic modeling perspective. Discusses students' initial cognitive states based on the level of commensurability between students' own concepts and their scientific counterparts. Contains 87 references. (DDR)

Examines how children's misconceptions regarding scientific phenomena change over time through instruction and other mechanisms. Asserts that Piagetian and Vygotskian theories offer insights into children's misconceptions related to how they are formed and how they are influenced by personal experience and social factors, and that these theories…