This mixed methods study surveyed 209 K-12 special education teachers about their perceptions of preparedness to teach students with mental health needs that manifest internally (e.g., quiet distress, withdrawal, excessive worry). We used a construct-modeling approach to develop the survey instrument and establish evidence of validity,…

This systematic review is aimed to explore the researches that established students' conceptual change process, both studies that facilitate conceptual change and studies that determined learner characters influencing conceptual change. Overall, 50 studies were examined in this review. The current study focused on the common characteristics of the…

In this paper, a learning progression for geometric transformations is developed based on research that demonstrates the importance of viewing transformations as functions of the plane. The 5 levels of the progression reflect a student's evolving understanding of transformations as functions and their evolving understanding of the domain of these…

Background: Historically, significant advances in scientific understanding have followed advances in measurement and observation. As the resolving power of an instrument increased, so have gains in the understanding of the phenomena being observed. Modern interactive systems are potentially the new "microscopes" when they are…

Students react similarly to a wide variety of conceptually unrelated situations. Describes a rule that is manifested when two systems are equal with respect to certain quantity A, but differ in another quantity B. Indicates that in such situations students often argue that the same amount of A implies the same amount of B. (Contains 30…

Reviews literature on conceptual change and the study of concepts. Introduces a theory of one particular type of concept. Contains 25 references. (DDR)

Suggests that misconceptions about natural selection arise from mistaken categorization. Proposes that students often fail to understand the ontological features of equilibrium processes. Contains 32 references. (DDR)

This article intends to inform physical education teachers about the current research describing the relationship between physical education performance outcomes as identified by the national physical education standards (i.e., regular participation in physical activity, physical fitness, motor competence; National Association of Physical…

Offers perspectives on research related to students' ideas about science prior to instruction. Discusses possible origins of prior knowledge, the requirements for conceptual change, and reviews instructional implications. (ML)

What is striking about the Goals 2000 initiative is its virtual omission of the student, except as passive receptacle. To claim that students will learn more with heightened expectations is misleading. For content to take root, it must connect with students' internal "prepared structures" and become a "comfortable friend." In…

Reports on research designed to discover whether certain conceptual difficulties experienced by present day students in the realm of action at a distance are parallel to the experiences of scientists in previous generations. Contains 60 references. (DDR)

Describes a study that investigated whether scientific and nonscientific understandings in the same content area are linked. Finds that students' (n=107) explanations indicate that they were using an "if-then" type of reasoning which linked scientific and nonscientific conceptions. Contains 39 references. (Author/WRM)

This study analyzed graphical solutions of 344 students in grades 4 through college who were administered a 40-item assessment of basic fraction concepts. Of particular interest were six problems that required students to complete the whole given a fractional part presented in area contexts and set contexts. Results indicated that fourth graders…

Argues that current testing of student understanding provides insufficient information to a researcher investigating strategies for changing students' explanatory ideas. Outlines a new test based on recent work in child development. (DDR)

Presents arguments for and against the appropriateness of philosophical hermeneutics as a framework for natural science education. Discusses reasons for its relevance to science and to the problem of meaning in science education. Suggests that each science be viewed as a language. (Contains 29 references.) (MDH)