Describes the use of interviews with children ranging in age from 6 to 13 to identify patterns of children's beliefs in the area of heat and temperature. Also discusses how this knowledge might be used in an instructional setting. (HM)

Focuses on the familiar problem of students' understanding of elementary electrical circuits from a much neglected point of view. Suggests that the patterning commonly found in students' ideas might have its roots in the cognitive processing with which students operate their mental models of d.c. electrical circuits. Studies Japanese 10-11 year…

This study investigates the influences and relationships between self-concept elements and students' activities in a normal school environment and focuses on individual self-construct. Interest has an important effect on an individual's learning process and behavior. There are three common definitions of interest: (1) interest as a characteristic…

Reports on part of a larger study of how 11- and 12-year-old students construct knowledge of electricity and magnetism by drawing on aspects of their experiences during the course of a school visit to an interactive science museum and subsequent classroom activities linked to the science museum exhibits. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/YDS)

The question of how children solve force and motion problems in computer simulations without explicit knowledge of the underlying physics was investigated. Keystroke sequences made by children were saved and analyzed, and children were interviewed to understand their perception of the relationship between keyboard input and on-screen action. (CW)

This volume includes abstracts and abstractors' critiques of 15 published research reports related to elementary, secondary and college science teaching and learning. Topics include: (1) assessing attitudes toward energy conservation; (2) persuasive communications; (3) questioning techniques; (4) teachers' verbal exposition on student…