This paper reports on the learning of difficult and complex concepts, the characteristics of these concepts that make them difficult for students to learn and understand well, the kinds of misconceptions students acquire, and the difficulty of changing these mistaken beliefs. A scheme, the Conceptual Stability Scheme, is presented for analyzing a…

Although much recent attention has focused on gaps in the achievement of different groups of students, the problem has been with us for decades. This paper presents the problem as one of reducing variation in students' achievement, and reviews the work of renowned educator Benjamin Bloom on this problem. Bloom argued that to reduce variation in…

As follow-up to a previous article "Avoid Misconceptions When Teaching about Plants," the author identifies fifty additional misconceptions. Undergeneralizations are added to the list of oversimplifications, obsolete concepts, terms, misidentifications, and flawed research. A glossary at the end of the article compares words used in botany with…

In a series of studies over the past several years, the authors have examined the extent of psychological misconceptions, their strength, sources, and various factors that may contribute to reducing these, including individual differences. Generally, introductory psychology students come into the course with many popular misconceptions. These…

Examines which of the warrants of authority, coherence, and empirical evidence were invoked by grade 8 science classroom participants in their daily interactions, and whether these were linked to particular teaching referents. Results indicate that when the teacher embraced a context exposure referent at the expense of constructivism, the warrant…

Discusses "impact factor," a measure of journal impact defined by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) and available in Journal Citation Reports. Argues that "impact factor" is misnamed and misused, suggesting an alternative name and interpretation of the measure, and proposes two new measures to assess the impact of…

A 1995 survey of 590 children of Nebraska school administrators revealed that the majority of administrators begin their careers when they have small children. Nearly two-thirds of respondents attended the same school where their parents worked. A majority of respondents liked being administrators' children. Teasing bothered many, but being the…

Presents a model lesson that demonstrates how teachers can provide experiences to close the conceptual gaps for deaf students and provide a common base before launching into new concepts. Discusses the constructivist paradigm, misconceptions, the Learning Cycle, strategies for teaching deaf students, and assessment of learning for students who are…

This article examines some of the difficulties frequently encountered by students when analyzing bivariate data and suggests how they might be overcome. (Author)

Explores introductory geology students' (n=186) understanding of earthquakes. Results indicate that the mass media seem to provide students greater details about the cause and impact than the actual experience itself, students lack a broad understanding about the theory of plate tectonics, and introductory geology students have extensive…

Identifies 10 myths of science education reform and offers suggestions for scientists to help in reform including program validation, teacher support, resource acquisition, and modeling the scientific process. (MKR)

Presents activities to dispel student misconceptions about density, particularly as it applies to buoyancy. Finds that misconceptions fall under three categories: (1) size; (2) shape; and (3) material. (NB)

Attempts to reveal students' (N=800) misconceptions regarding quadratic functions, and identifies conceptual obstacles that may impede students' understanding. Findings indicate that the conceptual obstacles identified were fairly pervasive. Discusses the educational implications of the findings. Contains 34 references. (JRH)

Discusses the vocabulary of biology and the problem of semantics. Focuses on "dominant", "recessive", and the puzzling role of alleles. Highlights students' conceptions of these terms. (JRH)

Investigates students' understanding of the transfer of charge between two charged conductors. Findings indicate that a considerable number of students from eighth grade to college in advanced physics courses were unable to predict the transfer of charge correctly from one conductor to another. Discusses implications for instruction. (JRH)