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…

Describes a study that interviewed 32 students to determine their understanding of the meaning of a range of science processes. A total of 63 misconceptions was identified. (ZWH)

Explores A level students' conceptions of some common chemical reactions. Findings indicate that students apply frameworks consistently across groups of events that they perceive to be similar. What was found to be lacking was the scientists' view of all the reactions being regarded as realizations of the same underlying conceptual model. Contains…

Junior level secondary students (n=500) in Botswana and Lesotho responded to a questionnaire to paint a picture of student perceptions of science and technology. The attitudes of the students toward the two subjects and the impact they have had on everyday life were congruent with the philosophical goals of the science and technology syllabuses of…

Investigates the effectiveness of combining conceptual change text and concept mapping strategies on students' understanding of diffusion and osmosis. Results indicate that while the average percentage of students in the experimental group holding a scientifically correct view rose, the percentage of correct responses in the control group…

Considered are two commonly used techniques, the interview and word association techniques. Highlighted is a third technique called the repertory grid. This third technique can be used to interpret students' knowledge based on an explicit, psychological theory of human behavior. (Author/CW)

Analyzes conceptions of energy of physics students' in a pre-service teacher training program. Findings indicate that the students are considerably anthropocentric in their associations, their choice of pictures, and their alternative conceptions and hold a number of different, alternative conceptions when describing physical situations. Contains…

Uses a test to assess teachers' science knowledge and understanding and monitors change over two years of a primary science in-service program in 31 schools. Despite moves to improve primary science teachers' subject knowledge, many still held typical misconceptions. Concludes that teachers need a thorough understanding of interrelated concepts…

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…

The ideas of Year I undergraduate biology students about the consequences, causes, and cures of the 'greenhouse effect' was determined using a closed-form questionnaire, and results were compared with a parallel study undertaken nearly 10 years ago. Many of the students in the present survey were unaware of the potential effect of global warming…

Investigates 53 11-year-old children's understanding of the concepts of force and energy using a modified interview-about-instances technique. Identifies three frameworks which appeared to guide the pupil's thinking, only one of which was consistent with the accepted scientific definitions. Reports sex differences related to the frameworks.…

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…