Many researchers have suggested that incorporating history and philosophy of science in the science curriculum can be helpful for students' understanding of scientific concepts and effective for developing their scientific thinking. Recently, in this context, there have been studies on historical controversies which show that history of science…

Research in science education has recognized the importance of teaching atomic structure within a history and philosophy of science perspective. The objective of this study is to evaluate general physics textbooks published in Korea based on the eight criteria developed in previous research. The result of this study shows that Korean general…

The literature on the pedagogical aspects of the photoelectric effect as used in the undergraduate student laboratory shows that little research has been done in this area. Our current study is an analysis of the instructions in 38, electronically published laboratory manuals for the photoelectric effect. The analyses were based on history and…

The photoelectric effect is an important part of general physics textbooks. To study the presentation of this phenomenon, we have reconstructed six essential, history and philosophy of science (HPS)-related aspects of the events that culminated in Einstein proposing his hypothesis of lightquanta and the ensuing controversy within the scientific…

Kuhn (1970) considered textbooks to be good "pedagogical vehicles" for the perpetuation of "normal science". Collins (2000) has pointed out a fundamental contradiction with respect to what science could achieve (create new knowledge) and how we teach science (authoritarian). Despite the reform efforts, students still have naive views about the…

Research in science education has recognized the importance of teaching atomic structure within a history and philosophy of science perspective. The objective of this study is to evaluate general chemistry textbooks published in Turkey based on the eight criteria developed in previous research. Criteria used referred to the atomic models of…

Develops a perspective based on the history and philosophy of science considerations (rational reconstruction) in order to understand the postulation of the covalent bond by Lewis. Formulates four criteria based on the perspective and evaluates of 27 textbooks based on the four criteria. Shows that most textbooks lacked a history and philosophy of…

Reports on a study designed to: (a) understand the nature of science as progressive transitions in heuristic principles; and (b) provide a rationale for the inclusion of three more characteristics of the nature of science to the original five suggested by Smith and Scharmann. Concludes that nature of science manifests in different topics of the…

Most general chemistry textbooks consider the oil drop experiment as a classic experiment, characterized by its simplicity and precise results. A review of the history and philosophy of science literature shows that the experiment is difficult to perform (even today!) and generated a considerable amount of controversy. Acceptance of the…

Elaborates on a framework based on the reconstruction of developments that lead to the formulation of the laws of definite and multiple proportions. Ascertains students' views of these laws and formulates criteria based on the framework for evaluating the treatment of the laws in chemistry textbooks. Provides a rationale for chemistry teachers to…

Reports on a study aimed at facilitating freshman general chemistry students' understanding of atomic structure based on the work of Thomson, Rutherford, and Bohr. Hypothesizes that classroom discussions based on arguments/counterarguments of the heuristic principles on which these scientists based their atomic models can facilitate students'…

Discusses differences between the epistemic and the psychological subject, the relationship between the epistemic subject and the ideal gas law, the development of general cognitive operations, and the empirical testability of Piaget's epistemic subject. (PR)

Establishes a relationship between students' understanding of gases and its parallels in the history of science. Finds that college freshman students' alternative conceptions about gas behavior are resistant to change and recapitulate theories scientists held in the past, such as the Lattice Theory of Gases. (Contains 52 references.) (Author/WRM)

Reports on a study that involves the analysis of chemistry textbooks at the college freshman level to determine the degree to which they address developments in the history and philosophy of science. Twenty-three textbooks were evaluated on eight criteria. Contains 108 references. (DDR)

Textbooks rarely emphasize how controversial some physics theories were at the time of their proposal. Makes the case that useful classroom debate can be generated by considering the controversy that arose over models of the atom such as Rutherford's and Bohr's, and ideas about fractional charges put forward by Millikan and arising from quark…