This paper examines the historical roots of critical realism in western thought, highlights the dramatic nature of the shift in thought that the radical constructivists are seeking, and critically considers the relevance of radical constructivism in science teacher education. Radical constructivism is an epistemological philosophy that divorces…

Though rooted in neo-Piagetian research, constructivism is an avenue of research that departed from the neo-Piagetian mainstream 20 years ago and has continued on a distinct path of development. For constructivists, learning is not knowledge written on, or transplanted to, a person's mind as if the mind were a blank slate waiting to be written on…

World view variations potentially interfere with science education, particularly when instruction proceeds unaware of the importance of fundamental epistemological structure of learning. The research reported here specifically addresses the cognitive culture of women college students with respect to conceptualizations of nature, a delimitation of…