Investigated are three misconceptions of probability and the differential effect of two activity-based instructional units. Response categories (law of averages, law of small numbers, and availability) are identified. Treatment differences (evaluation or no evaluation) appear to influence subjects' interpretations of the information. (YP)

Examined are tenth-grade Western Australian students' conceptual knowledge of gravity and the motion of the planets. Students were interviewed with seven cards, and a four-item diagnostic test based on the interview data on the first four cards was developed. A total of 113 students' responses to the test are summarized. (YP)

Describes a study that investigated whether scientific and nonscientific understandings in the same content area are linked. Finds that students' (n=107) explanations indicate that they were using an "if-then" type of reasoning which linked scientific and nonscientific conceptions. Contains 39 references. (Author/WRM)

The model of the Big Bang is an integral part of the national curricula in England and Wales. Previous work (e.g. Baxter 1989) has shown that pupils often come into education with many and varied prior misconceptions emanating from both internal and external sources. Whilst virtually all of these misconceptions can be remedied, there will remain…

This study presents a quantitative method for scoring concept maps generated by students learning introductory college chemistry. Concept maps measure the amount of chemical information the student possesses, reasoning ability in chemistry, and specific misconceptions about introductory and physical chemistry concepts. They provide a visualization…

The concern of this paper is how people in organizations understand the dynamics of an organization's practices. The way that organizational culture influences advising systems is considered. The focus is on how people understand the function of academic advising and the influence of three concepts of culture (cognitive, symbolic, and…

By studying many observations from recent research dealing with beginning physics students' conceptions about forces and motion, this investigation produced a framework within which this research can be organized. The framework summarizes the mechanisms of force invoked by students in particular situations, and it describes the features of…

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.…

Identifies certain conceptions regarding the science content studied by students aged 9-11 years and develops a strategy for altering these conceptions. Reviews research on misconceptions and defines action research. (DDR)

Discussed is a common error made by students in judging the distribution of the magnetic field of a circular loop along its diameter. Qualitative and quantitative explanations of the magnetic field distribution are presented. (CW)

Studied were the misconceptions that preservice elementary teachers have about multiplication and division. Results indicated that they are influenced by the same primitive models as students; the most common errors made by both groups are quite similar. (MNS)

The results of survey of secondary school biology students used to access misconceptions about cells are presented. A distinction between conceptions, misconceptions, and nonconceptions is drawn in terms of secondary school biology concepts. The resilience of misconceptions is discussed. (CW)

Presents a view of the relative roles of logical presupposition and shared knowledge in "it"-cleft constructions. Indicators of shared knowledge relate to a speaker's "assumptions" about the state of the hearer's knowledge, whereas presuppositions indicate a speaker's "requirements" for what should be included within…

Described are the results of a conceptual physics survey given to a small group of high school physics students with the goal of identifying common misconceptions held by students. Three common misconceptions were identified and are discussed in detail. (CW)

This paper analyzes the misconceptions high school students have about force and suggests that the misunderstanding of Newton's third law is the key to these misconceptions. Clinical interview and diagnostic test data (N=104) indicates that many students have a naive view of force as an acquired or innate property of single objects rather than…