This article explains the apparent failure to communicate between science education researchers, policy makers, and staff at state and district offices of education. Each group is a stakeholder in K-12 education. Policy makers specify courses of action to meet the needs of an educational system, state and district staff work to implement these…

One goal of science educators is to help students to understand the nature of scientific knowledge and reasoning. Reported are ideas related to what junior high students do, can and should know about the nature of science and the use of technology in imparting such knowledge. The studies reported in this document are designed to probe junior high…

Described is a curriculum theory and construction within an epistemological model whose specific purpose is to serve as a general guide to the Amerindian peoples (Indians and Inuit) in their search for solutions to the problem of cultural survival. The model is also meant to have universal application, especially where there are cultures in…

The knowledge that students bring to the classroom has been a well-studied domain. The types of knowledge studied have included content knowledge as well as epistemological beliefs that students hold. This study focuses specifically on preservice elementary education students' understanding of science and science learning as a meaning-making…

The act of exemplary teaching requires the orchestration of subject matter knowledge and pedagogical knowledge with pedagogical content knowledge. If this last component is not sufficiently present, then we may be quite efficient in presenting students with rote information. If this last component is sufficiently present (and carried out well),…

Provides a rationale for including the epistemology of science and its relationship to school science education as an essential component in science teacher training programs, including existing and new resource materials. Also offers a possible curriculum for inclusion in these programs. (Author/SK)

Among the topics discussed relating to demands on business/industry/education resulting from the "pull" of the information explosion are: frontiers of knowledge, research on educational television, computer-based learning, intelligent videodiscs, quality of learning, science education/cognitive research, misconceptions, motivation,…

Argues that individual teacher's conceptions of disciplinary knowledge are reflected in the curricula but that institutional factors also influence the curriculum presented to students. Discusses constructivist epistemology and employs qualitative research to interpret teachers' conceptions in a case study of three biology teachers. Suggests…

Scientific and everyday knowledge domains are compared so as to reveal the distinctive differences between their goals and the cognitive processes used to attain them. The main goals, working goals, learning difficulties, knowledge structure, concept specification, knowledge organization, role of school science, program-solving instruction, formal…

Examined are two aspects of science education--the nature of science and curriculum reform. Contemporary views on the tentative nature of science and a generative model of learning are synthesized. (KR)

Describes a professional development program using interactive multimedia workshops to develop teachers' understanding of a constructivist epistemology in science education. Discusses teachers' perceptions; how they changed their classroom practices; software and database development; and the development of a new survey to assess reactions to…

Discusses the influence of a reflective, explicit, activity-based approach to nature of science (NOS) instruction used in an elementary science methods course on preservice teachers' views of some aspects of the nature of science. Finds that participants made substantial gains in their views of some of the target NOS aspects. Advocates a…

The 1990-91 school year is the year of elementary science in Saskatchewan. Precipitated by the Core Curriculum revolution, the implementation of new curriculum in all subject areas from K to 12 begins with science in 1990-91 and continues with other subjects for almost ten years. Scheduled to be implemented after careful assessment and pilot…

Some interesting work currently being done in science education research is with scientifically misconceived ideas about the causes and mechanisms of natural phenomena. Though not stated explicitly, it can be inferred from the corpus of this misconception research that an assumption of homogeneity among students is made, even where there is…

Uses capillarity as an example of a problem in physics which has been explained mathematically in two different ways. Argues that only one explanation is indeed valid and demonstrates this opinion through experimentation and discussions. Proposes that mathematics should be used in physics as a tool to predict, not to explain. (TW)