The popular conception of illegal drug use as inevitably pushing users toward compulsive drug abuse, and the ideological stance that drug use is a moral weakness, are offered by many as justification for punitive drug control. Challenging this view are the research on "set and setting" as determinants of the consequences of drug use, and…

The National Science Education Standards (NSES) provides few resources for teaching about plants. To assure students understand and appreciate plants, the author advocates teaching about plants as a basic biological concept, avoiding animal chauvinism in biology coursework, correcting pseudoscience and anthropomorphisms about plants, and making…

Although pressure forms the basis for understanding topics such as the internal structure of the earth, weather cycles, rock formation, Bernoulli's principle, and plate tectonics, the presence of this concept in the school curriculum is at a minimal level. This paper suggests that the ideas, misconceptions, and perceptions of students have to do…

This book reports on students' reactions to different situations in mathematics and science education. A theory is presented to explain and predict students' responses which is based on these observations. The identified rules of the theory of intuitive rules is explained. Chapters include: (1) "How Children and Adults Use the Intuitive Rule 'More…

The purpose of this research was to find the relation between the level of cognitive conflict and students' conceptual change. In this study, 30 Korean high school students were selected from 450 10th graders by examining the pretest results. To create students' cognitive conflicts, two different strategies were used to foster anomalous…

Diversity is an idea that merits closer critical analysis. Many efforts to support diversity are framed by discourses grounded in conceptualizations of culture, difference, and identity that further the status quo, not multicultural understanding. Schools need a strategy of teaching and learning about differences that radically challenges people's…

Suggests that the cross product of two vectors can be more easily and accurately explained by starting from the perspective of dyadics because then the concept of vector multiplication has a simple geometrical picture that encompasses both the dot and cross products in any number of dimensions in terms of orthogonal unit vector components. (AIM)

Examines student teachers' understanding of the concept of force using a two-part written questionnaire. Findings indicate that there is a serious discrepancy between student teachers' understanding of force and the accepted scientific view. Contains 20 references. (JRH)

Investigates 49 preservice elementary teachers' conceptions of what causes the seasons using both a written procedure and a procedure that used models with verbal explanations. Results suggest that preservice elementary teachers are likely to show a high frequency of alternative conceptions of what causes the seasons and these conceptions are not…

Analyzes conceptions of energy of physics students' in a pre-service teacher training program. Findings indicate that the students are considerably anthropocentric in their associations, their choice of pictures, and their alternative conceptions and hold a number of different, alternative conceptions when describing physical situations. Contains…

Describes basic misconceptions about the origin of elements and forms of matter found in chemistry texts that need modification in light of modern observational data and interpretations given in astronomy. Notes that there are forms of matter other than elements and compounds. Confounding examples from astronomy include white dwarfs, neutron…

Examines the potential of global environmental issues as starting points for learning science by studying the preconceptions of children aged 12-13 about the nature, functions, and vulnerability of the ozone layer. Results indicate that children are familiar with the location and nature of the ozone layer but less informed about its magnitude and…

Reviews current literature related to the science achievement "learning gap" between Chinese and U.S. students. Presents an empirical assessment based on a more representative database from both countries. An extended mid-1980s study (the Second International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement Study, or SSIS),…

Uses a test to assess teachers' science knowledge and understanding and monitors change over two years of a primary science in-service program in 31 schools. Despite moves to improve primary science teachers' subject knowledge, many still held typical misconceptions. Concludes that teachers need a thorough understanding of interrelated concepts…

Educational administration as a scholarly discipline is dominated by a modernist world view encapsulated in a positivistic "reality" and legitimate, "factual" knowledge base. The postmodern critique of positivism has called the basic premises of foundational legitimacy into question and represents the field's most serious…