Science education research has shown that students use causal reasoning, particularly the model "agent--instrument--object," to explain or predict the outcome of many natural situations. Students' reasoning seems to be based on a small set of few intuitive rules. One of these rules quantitatively correlates the outcome of an experiment…

One of the factors influencing teachers' and pre-service teachers' self-efficacy beliefs is the use of innovations and research in education (scientific articles, thesis, and new teaching materials). This study aims to examine to what extent pre-service science teachers follow the innovations in the field of education and use these innovations in…

Scientific modeling has been advocated as one of the core practices in recent science education policy initiatives. In modeling-based instruction (MBI), students use, construct, and revise models to gain scientific knowledge and inquiry skills. Oftentimes, the benefits of MBI have been documented using assessments targeting students' conceptual…

Improving teacher quality is arguably the most effective way to improve student achievement. Online professional development (OPD) has great potential to improve teacher quality. There is a dearth of scientific research, however, on whether changes in teachers' knowledge and instructional practices resulting from OPD are linked to changes in…

This study suggests a novel approach, which integrates an explicit-reflective nature of science (NOS) instruction into the teachers-as-researchers approach to improve pre-service science teachers' conceptions of NOS. Participants were 48 university fourth-year students in a four-year pre-service science teacher-training program in Turkey. The…

This publication contains 12 (A3 open-out) poster-style reports of teacher experimental research. The style of presentation parallels the type of preliminary reporting common at academic conferences and postgraduate events. At the same time, it aims to act as a form of short primer to introduce teachers to the basic options that there are when…

Although teaching and teacher education are related, the knowledge base for teacher education is not the knowledge base about teacher education. Differences are described and implications of research are discussed. The study of the professional development of teachers needs to be informed by multiple conceptions of the world. (MT)

This book presents a report on the nature and value of scientific research and with the increasing trend in evidence-based education, explains the similarities and differences between scientific inquiry and inquiry in other disciplines. Contents include: (1) "Accumulation of Scientific Knowledge"; (2) "Guiding Principles for Scientific Inquiry";…

This article presents three versions of what may happen in post-1989 research on teaching. In the first version, the quantitative approach dies of wounds inflicted by its critics. In the second, different approaches work in harmony, and in the third, the wars continue among competing approaches to educational research. (IAH)

An analytical scheme is developed in this study from selected theoretical perspectives on the nature of science and the concept of teaching. The divergent interpretations of science of several science philosophers are examined and used to develop five dimensions of the analytical scheme. Selected philosophical analyses of the concept of teaching…

Process oriented educational research has failed because it has relied too heavily on scientific method and has neglected "unscientific" but important questions. Educational research should study the society and how social forces influence teaching practices. Teachers can not be expected to change at will. They are constrained by pre-existing…

A computer-assisted simulation of experiments in eyelid conditioning was conducted as part of an introductory psychology course. This instructional format was then compared with a traditional instructor-led seminar and with a seminar in which computer-produced information obtained elswhere was used. A total of 120 students participated in 11…

This monograph updates a 1978 publication titled "The Scientific Basis of the Art of Teaching." Based on lectures presented during the 1983-84 academic year, this work discusses research on teaching to provide a substantial scientific basis for the art of teaching and for the education of teachers in that art. For several decades, one research…

Teacher beliefs have become important constructs in educational research with the recognition that beliefs are the best indicators of teachers' planning, decision-making and subsequent classroom behaviour. In this movement many probes and strategies have been employed by researchers for effective data collection and analysis. This paper discusses…