A large body of research literature has explored socio-scientific issues (SSIs) in science teaching and learning, documenting the impact of epistemic beliefs on epistemic emotion, which influences student's reactions to complex scientific topics. Often, students' reactions reflect scientific misconceptions, the correction of which may result in…

This research explored young children's early thoughts about natural phenomena and investigated sources of influence toward their knowledge construction. Two Piagetian interviews were conducted with four children. Each child was questioned about two phenomena in particular: (a) the moon and its changing appearance (moon phases) and (b) the…

This study explores middle and high school students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter after they were taught the concept. A total of 87 students (41 high school and 46 middle school) participated in the study. Findings suggest that students held misconceptions about the law of conservation of matter, chemical composition of matter…

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' understanding about scientifically acceptable content knowledge by exploring the relationship between knowledge of diffusion and osmosis and the students' certainty in their content knowledge. Data was collected from a high school biology class with the Diffusion and Osmosis Diagnostic Test…

This research is concerned with preservice teacher understanding of six earth and space science concepts that are often taught in elementary school: the reason for seasons, phases of the moon, why the wind blows, the rock cycle, soil formation, and earthquakes. Specifically, this study examines the effect of readings, hands-on learning stations,…

Explores common alternative conceptions of a natural science topic familiar to students that was part of the regular curriculum. Finds that similar misconceptions are evident in upper and lower elementary school students. (Author/CCM)

Tests for alternative conceptions of students enrolled in a second course of sciences at the Teacher Training School in Pamplona, Spain of a geological topic (silicates) that had been studied at previous educational levels. Students' concept maps showed the existence of a large number of alternative conceptions. Contains 26 references. (Author/ASK)

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)

Randomly selected high school students (n=13) who studied an ecology unit were interviewed, and narrative data analyzed for changes in knowledge schema. Data support the current theory that the amount and quality of prior knowledge substantially influence gains in new knowledge and are closely linked to a capacity to apply higher-order cognitive…

The purpose of this study was to determine which magnet concepts were found in various science textbook series, how the concepts were presented, and to identify potential misconceptions related to magnets. Magnet concepts presented as prose, illustration, and/or laboratory activities are identified and analyzed. (KR)

Raises questions regarding what students are perceiving when concrete models are used to represent abstract scientific concepts. Discussion of several exploratory investigations on the role of models in science teaching is presented in three areas: (1) interactions with students; (2) effectiveness of models; and (3) spatial ability and models.…

The reform documents of the 1990s stressed that science is not practiced by a rigid scientific method, but science texts continue to describe the process as if it were rigid and linear. The purpose of this investigation was twofold: (a) to explore middle school in-service teachers' perceptions of scientific methodology and (b) to explore ways in…