Reports a study of the correlation between intellectual development and students' understanding of scientific concepts and science processes. Results are reported concerning the reliability and validity of Piagetian or Piagetian-like tasks as measures of students' level of formal reasoning. (Author/SA)

Many chemists want to be effective teachers but have little background in psychology or education on which to build successful practices. The primary audience for this book is chemistry teachers at the secondary and tertiary levels, and its purpose is to encourage readers to construct a new understanding of how their students learn. This book is…

Discusses the nature of the internal representation of cognitive structure, the methodological problems involved in mapping it, and the proposed kinds of "maps." Reviews research on the organization of scientific concepts in semantic memory. (GA)

Examines whether participation in physical experiments together with social interaction with adults and school-mates favor the development of causal knowledge and the understanding of a complex physical subject. Concludes that the treatments can lead students to give up pre-causal explanations and to resort to physical ones. (Author/YP)