Describes a strategy which uses writing to help students learn science concepts. Provides a description of the target population, a justification for the various components of the strategy, and information on brainstorming and concept map formation. Reports that use of this method enhances students' interest, motivation, and understanding of…

In this final article, we briefly review and synthesize the science and language research and practice that arose from the current literature and presentations at an international conference, referred to as the first "Island Conference". We add to the synthesis of the articles the conference deliberations and on-going discussions of the field and…

Discusses the various aspects of explanations that make up an explanatory framework and the notion of pedagogical content knowledge. Analyzes an exemplary set of physics explanations to identify the individual and holistic characteristics of an effective explanation. (Author/SAH)

Describes a multiple choice, pencil and paper, diagnostic instrument used to measure student understanding of covalent bonding and structure concepts. Reports evidence of seven commonly held misconceptions. (MVL)

This study compares the results of Australian and Taiwanese Grade 10 students (N=2959) on the Students' Perceptions of Teacher Knowledge (SPOTK) questionnaire. The purposes of this paper are to quantitatively compare the mean scores of each item in the two countries and to use qualitative research methods involving classroom observations and…

Discusses the development and evaluation of an instrument to measure secondary students' understanding of scientific models. Involves (n=228) secondary science students and identifies five themes of students' understanding of scientific models including scientific models as multiple representations, models as exact replicas, models as explanatory…

Presents historical examples of analogies and examines the positive and negative influences of analogies in the field of biology. Draws on current research literature to demonstrate the contentious status that the use of analogies has in biology instruction. Critically analyzes analogies used in textbooks and classrooms and presents a possible…

Examines how chemistry/science textbooks from different countries and written at different levels of education deal with physical and chemical change. Results indicate that the ideas concerning the teaching and learning of physical and chemical change evident in textbooks are not complete and textbooks seldom justify the content they cover in…

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…

Reports on a study involving two each year-12, undergraduate and postgraduate Australian students. Elicits learners' mental models for chemical bonding using semi-structured interviews comprising a three-phase interview protocol. Concludes that learners across all three academic levels preferred simple, realistic mental models for chemical…

This study reports cross-validation results for an Indonesian-language version of a modified form of the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire and its use in investigating the nature of science classroom learning environments in Indonesian lower secondary schools. Following administration of the WIHIC to approximately 1400…

The purpose of this investigation was to test extensions of a model of concept learning. The investigators examined the applicability of a mathematical model to the learning of selected science concepts. Findings suggest that certain extensions of the model may apply for a complex concept identification task. (Author/MA)

Changes in grade 10 students' (n=79) conceptions of genes during genetics instruction was studied from multiple perspectives. Ontologically, most students moved from passive to active models of genes. Affectively, students were interested in genetics but unmotivated by microscopic mechanistic explanations; however, teaching approaches were…

This article explores the conceptual change of students in Grades 10 and 12 in three Australian senior high schools when the teachers included computer multimedia to a greater or lesser extent in their teaching of a genetics course. The study, underpinned by a multidimensional conceptual-change framework, used an interpretive approach and a…

This document reviews the use of mathematical models of learning for research in the learning of science concepts. Three mathematical models for the representation of concept learning are presented. (SL)