Providing students with inquiry-oriented learning environments is a major concern in science education. Argumentation discourse can enhance the effectiveness of inquiry-oriented learning environments. This study seeks the trace of argumentation in Turkish Elementary and Secondary Science Curriculum developed by the Turkish Ministry of Education…

At Waite End Primary School in Waterlooville, Hampshire, the authors are involved in a research project with the University of Winchester and the pharmaceutical company Astra- Zeneca called "Teachers and young children exploring their worlds together". The project focuses around their belief that "the younger a child is the more…

This article is the first of a two-part review of research on children's and adults understanding of gravity and on how best to teach gravity concepts to students and teachers. This first article concerns free fall--how and why objects fall when they are dropped. The review begins with a brief historical sketch of how these ideas were developed in…

This is the second and final part of a review of educational research on children's ideas about gravity. The first part concerned students' understanding of how and why things fall. This article picks up the trail of research studies that address students' understanding of the more complex ideas of projectile motion and orbits and examines how the…

Teachers and scientists indicated, by questionnaire, that elementary science curricula should emphasize the importance of biology for self-understanding and the development of positive attitudes toward science. Secondary level curricula should emphasize subject matter, history of science, and application of biology in life. (CP)