One understudied barrier to science education reform concerns teachers' cognitive processes and how they relate to instructional decision-making. Epistemic cognition--teachers' beliefs about knowledge and knowledge acquisition and goals for their students' knowledge acquisition--could provide important insights into the choices science teachers…

Several examples illustrate the human tendency to underestimate the degree of uncertainty present in any theory about the nature of the world. The fallibility of conclusions must always be recognized by the researcher, who must continually challenge assumptions and rethink beliefs. (SLD)

The 2012 National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education was designed to provide up-to-date information and to identify trends in the areas of teacher background and experience, curriculum and instruction, and the availability and use of instructional resources. A total of 7,752 science and mathematics teachers in schools across the United…