Scientific media education is the ability to draw on a knowledge of the media and science, in order to choose, understand, evaluate, and respond to representations of science across diverse media genres. We begin this manuscript by reviewing research that shows scientific media education is one of the most important content areas that could be…

In this article the author takes as a point of departure certain discursive practices employed by physicists credited with popularizing the field of quantum mechanics in order to posit the relationship between space, learning, and the perception of pedagogical realities as trans-local phenomena. More specifically, through this article the author…

The aim of this study was to gather university student perspectives on a new type of assessment task requesting them to create "blended media". Blended media is a new form of student-generated multimedia whereby students devise a narration or voiceover to explain a science concept complemented by any combination of visuals such as video,…

Reform based curriculum offer a promising avenue to support greater student achievement in science. Yet teachers frequently adapt innovative curriculum when they use them in their own classrooms. In this study, we examine how 19 teachers adapted an inquiry-oriented middle school science curriculum. Specifically, we investigate how teachers'…

Questions how secondary school students view science models. Concludes by recommending that teachers mold scientific modeling to their students, encourage the use of multiple models in science lessons, progressively introduce sophisticated models, systematically present in-class models using the Focus, Action, and Reflection (FAR) guide, and…

This study involved examining an instructional unit with regard to its concept content and appropriateness for its target audience. The study attempted to determine (1) what concepts are treated explicitly or implicitly, (2) whether there is a hierarchical conceptual structure within the unit, (3) what level of sophistication is required to…

Describes a study unit on the Titius-Bode Law of planetary distances designed to be used in undergraduate astronomy courses. The format of the guide is based on a Piagetian learning cycle of exploration, conceptualization, and application. (HM)

Discusses a method used at DePaul University of Chicago, Illinois, in a relativity course for students who are not science majors, emphasizing logical reasoning rather than memory of facts. (HM)

Suggests, by argument and example, that the views which children bring with them to science lessons are, to them, logical and coherent, and that these views have considerable influence on how and what children learn from their classroom experiences. (Author/SK)

The Learning in Science Project (Primary)--LISP(P)--investigated the ideas and interests children have about hot and cold. Data were obtained from 25 children (12 boys and 13 girls), ages 8 to 11, using the "interview-about-instances" (IAI) procedure. Areas investigated included: (1) the meanings of the words…

The Learning in Science Project investigated teaching and learning in science at the Form 1 to 4 level to identify some of the key difficulties in this subject area and to find ways of overcoming such difficulties. Included in this final report are: (1) brief accounts of the three major phases of the research; (2) a list of papers derived from the…

The seven working papers in this collection set out the underlying philosophy and research methods of the Learning in Science Project. The project was established in 1979 to identify, describe, and investigate problems and difficulties in the teaching and learning of forms 1-4 science, and to explore possible solutions. The papers describe the…

The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project focused on science teaching/learning in the Form 1 to 4 level (ages 10 to 14) and sought to identify problems and difficulties in several areas. Provided in this paper are comments obtained during structured/unstructured interviews (from students, ex-students, teachers, headmasters,…

The first (exploratory) phase of the Learning in Science Project focused on science teaching/learning in the Form 1 to 4 level (ages 10 to 14) and sought to identify problems and difficulties in several areas. Provided in this paper are comments obtained during structured/unstructured interviews (from students, ex-students, teachers, headmasters,…