Explores the relationship between the descriptive categories and structural characteristics of students' conceptions so that a theoretical framework may be developed to explain and predict students' alternative conceptions in science. The descriptive categories were developed through a process of coding, grouping, and labeling; the structural…

Investigates patterns of students' science thinking across four different science phenomena focusing on changes that come with age and science education. Asks secondary school students whether offered sentences appearing on a computer screen that gave different explanations for four common changes in materials made any sense to them. (Contains 20…

Examination of senior secondary and tertiary level chemistry students' descriptions of their mental models for chemical bonding revealed prevalent alternative conceptions. Some 20 alternative conceptions were revealed, the most common being belief that continuous ionic or metallic lattices were molecular in nature, and confusion over ionic size…

Considers the process of conceptual change and describes empirical studies into children's naive theories of physics concepts. Uses the Representational Redescription model to explain how naive theories are a feature of conceptual change. Provides a starting point for considering how children's naive theories might mediate their ability to learn…

Previous research has shown that students often have multiple conceptions within any particular topic area in science, and these conceptions are usually strongly linked to specific problem situations or contexts. Investigates the nature of any possible relationship between these conceptions. (Author/MM)

Concepts used by two classes of grade eight students, one advanced and the other average, to explain the changes that occur when water is heated to boiling are presented. Little difference was found between groups in terms of the personal misconceptions used to explain boiling. The changes that take place in conceptual knowledge immediately after…

Analyzes senior high school students' astronomy conceptions by means of a written questionnaire presented during the beginning of the first semester. (Contains 42 references.) (Author/YDS)

This study investigates student misconceptions in the areas of continent, ocean, permanence of ocean basins, continental drift, Earth's magnetic field, and plates and plate motions. A teaching-learning model was designed based on a constructivist approach. Results show that students held a substantial number of misconceptions. (Author/DKM)

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)

Offers perspectives on research related to students' ideas about science prior to instruction. Discusses possible origins of prior knowledge, the requirements for conceptual change, and reviews instructional implications. (ML)

Aims to quantify the models that 13- and 14 year-old students hold about the causes of the greenhouse effect and ozone layer depletion. Assesses the prevalence of those ideas that link the two phenomena. Twice as many students think that holes in the ozone layer cause the greenhouse effect than think the greenhouse effect causes ozone depletion.…

Reports on the procedure and results of the trial of support materials that were developed for primary teacher mentors to help trainee teachers improve their medium-term and individual lesson plans. Concludes that trainees' practice in science improved in subsequent unmentored lessons, but good practice was not transferred to other subjects.…

Reported are compulsory education pupils' representations of electric current in a constructivist approach to introducing direct current (DC) circuits. Suggests that the pupils views can be modelled after an energy framework. Makes suggestions about the content, the apparatus and the experiments used in teaching DC circuits. (CW)

Presents findings from a case study into the development of student understanding of chemical bonding. Reveals significant progression in student understanding but also highlights issues of how such progression should be addressed. Emphasizes factors associated with blocks to appropriate concept development. (33 references) (Author/MKR)

Presents a method for representing students' knowledge about basic scientific concepts by classifying ideas produced in a free-writing task. Implies that those differences which exist can best be attributed to general fluency in the language of instruction rather than factors that are specific to the learning of science. (Author/CW)