In order to develop successful teaching approaches to transformations of matter, we need to know more about how young students develop an understanding of these processes. In this longitudinal study, we followed 25 students from 7 to 13 years of age in their reasoning about transformations of matter. The questions addressed included how the…

Our argument concerning the debate around the process of "conceptual change" is that it is both an evolutionary learning process and a revolutionary paradigm change. To gain a deeper understanding of the process, the article focuses on the discourse of educational facilitators participating in a community of learners. Applying the methodology of…

Knowledge partitioning is a theoretical construct holding that knowledge is not always integrated and homogeneous but may be separated into independent parcels containing mutually contradictory information. Knowledge partitioning has been observed in research on expertise, categorization, and function learning. This article presents a theory of…

The purpose of this article is to map the context within which learning could occur, that is, the organizational learning processes and structures that can create or improve learning in a learning organization. Such an approach produces definition for learning organization and integrates the basis concepts into a model of organizational learning…

The purpose of this research was to explore the way pupils of different age groups use a model to understand abstract concepts in genetics. Pupils from early childhood to late adolescence were taught about genes and DNA using an analogical model (the wool model) during their regular biology classes. Changing conceptual understandings of the…

The assimilation and synthesis of knowledge is essential for students to be successful in chemistry, yet not all students synthesize knowledge as intended. The study used the Learning Preference Checklist to classify students into one of three learning modalities--visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (VAK). It also used the Kolb Learning Style…

Investigated the thought patterns of children classified as "nonanimistic." It was found that the subjects did not fully grasp the implications of the life concept as certain life-related concepts were more accurately generalized than others. (DP)

IN DEMONSTRATING THE FACILITATIVE EFFECT OF AVAILABLE PAST INSTANCES IN CONCEPT LEARNING, IT WAS PREDICTED THAT AVAILABILITY WOULD BE FACILITATED WHEN SUBJECTS WERE PROVIDED WITH A CORRECT RECORD (CR) OF CLASSIFICATION. IT WAS ALSO PREDICTED THAT SUBJECTS MORE CAPABLE OF RECALLING THE CORRECT CLASSIFICATION OF PAST INSTANCES WOULD PROFIT LESS FROM…

Applies the philosophical method of concept elucidation to determine whether there are rules governing the use of "curriculum" in educational discourse that would provide guidelines as to which ones are the correct ones. (Author/MLF)

A discussion of the meaning of conceptual learning, the types of evidence needed to substantiate claims to be teaching concepts, and some of the difficulties students may have when teaching proceeds on the basis of an inadequate concept analysis." Appended are 14 references. (Author/AA)

Interviews with 20 novice and expert nurses showed that novice learning in practice was contingent upon concept formation and assimilation, framed by feelings. Experts use constructivist processes of active concept integration and self-initiated strategies. Experts identified systemic issues affecting learning; novices focus on individual issues.…

This paper is based on a qualitative study of seven students enrolled in a two-semester organic chemistry course for chemistry and chemical engineering majors that focused on the reasoning the students had used to answer questions on the course exams. Narrative analysis was applied to create case records for each participant that were then…