The purpose of this investigation was to apply a validated curriculum evaluation instrument, the "Science Curriculum Implementation Questionnaire" (SCIQ), in an educational context in which a science curriculum review had recently been completed and, by so doing, ascertain the accuracy and potential value of the instrument as a…

This paper reports and discusses the principal findings of an Australian study exploring the decisions of high achieving Year 10 students about taking physics and chemistry courses (Lyons, 2003). The study used a "multiple worlds" framework to explore the diverse background characteristics that previous quantitative research had shown…

The study we present tries to explore how first year engineering students formulate hypotheses in order to construct their own problem solving structure when confronted with problems in physics. Under the constructivistic perspective of the teaching-learning process, the formulation of hypotheses plays a key role in contrasting the coherence of…

Explores the involvement and professional growth of a teacher in a professional development project entitled Simply Science. Findings indicate an increase in the teacher's pedagogical content knowledge and confidence in teaching science and a change in her views about cooperative learning strategies. Discusses implications for the design of…

Explores the peer review process in electronic and print science education journals and addresses how to submit manuscripts, criteria for reviews, and reviewer qualifications. (DDR)

Information processing models do not account for much of human competence in everyday scientific and lay contexts. Situated cognition models account better for competence in widely differing situations. In situated cognition models, the purpose of science education must be reconceived as preparing citizens to participate in public enactments of…

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…

In this study, we defined and quantified the degree of cognitive conflict induced by a discrepant event from a cognitive perspective. Based on the scheme developed, we investigated the relationship between cognitive conflict and conceptual change, and the influences of students' cognitive characteristics on conflict in learning the concept of…

The purpose of this study was to explore how Year 8 students answered Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) questions and whether the test questions represented the scientific understanding of these students. One hundred and seventy-seven students were tested using written test questions taken from the science test used in the…

Presents examples of poor and good instrument design in summated ratings attitude scales. Discusses underlying constructs, theoretical confusion, interpretation of psychometric findings, internal consistency, and dimensionality. (Author/JRH)

Discusses the process of the construction of entities following a social semiotic approach that enables the use of new analytical tools and describes the rhetoric used in construction. Based on an analysis of the historical formation of the notion of cells by scientists, and analysis of a lesson on the microscopic observation of onion cells.…

Considers research that shows very poor student understanding after the teaching of electricity and draws two broad conclusions of central relevance to the teaching of electricity: (1) there is an absence of any systemic consensus as to what models are appropriate for students at different year levels and for different intended learning outcomes;…

This paper addresses the problematic nature of pupils' attempts to use their science conceptions in contexts other than the ones in which the original learning of the concept takes place. It reports research with 60 Year-5 primary school children studying current electricity, during which the researcher employed metacognitive activities alongside…

Presents results from empirical studies of physics learning for different age groups using a situated cognition perspective to construct detailed understandings of how individual learning processes unfold. Contains 35 references. (PVD)

Addresses issues of social power and privilege experienced by Aboriginal students in science classrooms. Presents a rationale for a cross-cultural science education dedicated to all students making personal meaning out of their science classes. (Author/MM)