While the majority of published research on conceptual change has focused on how misconceptions can be abandoned or modified, some recent research findings support the hypothesis that acquired scientific knowledge does not necessarily erase or alter initial non-scientific knowledge but rather coexists with it. In keeping with this…

This study investigates Turkish students' knowledge structure coherence in physics. In particular, this study investigates the conflicting findings reported in Ioannides and Vosniadou's [Ioannides and Vosniadou [2002] "Cognitive Science Quarterly," 2, 5-61] and diSessa, Gillespie, and Esterly's [diSessa et al. [2004] "Cognitive…

Reports on the results of an investigation into the understanding of the concepts of basic electricity by French students from grade six up through the fourth year of college. Discusses the misconceptions formed and the challenges these present to physics educators. (TW)

Describes a study that explores the instructional influence of presenting pictures at the molecular level when introducing chemistry concepts and solving chemistry problems. Explores the effect of the pictures on students' conceptions and problem-solving abilities. Contains 59 references. (DDR)