In research on the nature of science, there is a need to investigate the role and status of different scientific knowledge forms. Theories and models are two of the most important knowledge forms within biology and are the focus of this study. During interviews, preservice biology teachers (N = 10) were asked about their understanding of theories…

In this study we investigate students' ability to discern conceptual variation and the use of multiple models in genetics when reading content-specific excerpts from biology textbooks. Using the history and philosophy of science as our reference, we were able to develop a research instrument allowing students themselves to investigate the…

Sheds light on views held by those who enjoy a certain degree of institutional legitimacy for talking about science either as practitioners in the field of science or as guidance counselors working with students interested in having science-related careers. Contains 60 references. (DDR)

Argues that the framework of sociologists extends commonly used analytical frameworks in socioscientific research in education. Foregrounds the social construction of knowledge and highlights the nature of knowledge production. (DDR)

This book contains selected refereed papers from the 21st Annual Conference of the Australasian Science Education Research Association. The papers are as follows: "A Learning Model for Science Education: Developing Teaching Strategies" (Appleton); "Researching Balance between Cognition and Affect in Science Teaching" (Baird et…

There is considerable evidence that use of anthropomorphism and animism in science teaching is a common practice in all grades of education. However, not much is known about teachers' own views on the real reasons why they have been using animistic and anthropomorphic formulations or on the issue of whether animism and anthropomorphism should or…

Examines multiple ways in which autobiography informed the restructuring of an elementary classroom. Uses journals, interview transcripts, and electronic mail archives to document how the author provided a voice to students and used their perspectives to construct a teaching framework for elementary science education. (Contains 30 references.)…

Describes the author's difficulties in teaching students who were ethnically, culturally, and socially different from himself. Emphasizes the significance of connecting the enacted curriculum to the interests and extant knowledge of students. Suggests some implications for teaching science, enacting and appropriating science curricula, and…

Beliefs about science and religion held by students (n=44), teachers (n=10), and clergy (n=4) in a Lutheran secondary school in Australia were assessed via survey and interview. Participants' views of the relationship between science and religious beliefs were complex. Concludes that traditional science programs do not adequately address the range…

Argues for the use of autobiography paired with radical doubt as a strategy to arrive at intersubjectivity, thereby avoiding false claims to objectivity and failure-prone inner (hyper) subjectivity. Uses this argument to introduce the contributions to the special thematic journal issue of which this paper is a part. (Contains 24 references.)…

Proposes an approach for critical engagement with autobiographical text. Argues that by becoming better aware of the teller's intentionality and his/her insights gained from telling a (re)constructed version of self, the listener and the teller can engage in personal and socially transformative dialogue. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/WRM)

Reflects on the idea of a person being constructed through his actions, and the role of the teacher in enabling such actions. Argues that the way a teacher shapes the classroom is, in effect, a lens through which children can be viewed and visions of the educational process both shape and are shaped by the teacher. (Author/WRM)

Explores an approach to autobiographical research based on a notion of "outlaw genre" autobiography, referred to as "biomythography". Describes the use of photo essays to learn about prospective elementary teachers' stories of science and science education. Calls for an examination of hegemonies extending from students' personal histories as…

Suggest that autobiography ought to be considered both the telling of one's story and the using of that story with others to understand and use difference productively. Claims that autobiography, as telling and interacting, dismantles the universalistic tug of science as local knowledge. Presents selected autobiographical accounts to make both…

Describes an experience of trying to publish a book whose contents are in some ways marginal to what is normally considered science or science education. During the publishing process, ideas about what counts as science got tangled up with what counts as "credible" science, "marketable" literature, and academic competence. (Contains 26…