In 2006, after receiving the Division 15 Career Award, Alexander delivered a keynote address entitled "Evolution of a Learning Theory: A Case Study." This presentation was a clarion call for greater respect for and attention to scientific speculation in educational psychology as a critical component in theory building. To build her case,…

In physics, idealized models are often used to simplify complex situations. The motivation of the idealization is to make the real complex system tractable by adopting certain simplifications. In this treatment some unnecessary, negligible aspects are stripped away (so-called Aristotelian idealization), or some deliberate distortions are involved…

In this paper we present the results of a research-based teaching-learning sequence on introductory quantum physics based on Feynman's sum over paths approach in the Italian high school. Our study focuses on students' understanding of two founding ideas of quantum physics, wave particle duality and the uncertainty principle. In view of recent…

An aspect of Galileo's classical trajectory that persists in a simple resistance model is noted. The resistive model provides a case study for the classroom analysis of limiting behaviour of an implicitly defined function. (Contains 1 note.)

New science standards and reform recommendations spanning grades K--16 focus on a limited set of key scientific concepts from each discipline that all students should know. They also emphasize the integration of these concepts with science practices so that students learn not only the "what" of science but also the "how" and…

This research presents a multiple case study investigating the personal frameworks of pre-service science teachers as they experience a science in society course. Through examining the metaphors employed by the participants' student experiences were illuminated. These experiences revealed shifts in frameworks over time that were more consistent…

The goal of this case study was to describe characteristic features of abductive inquiry learning activities in the domain of earth science. Participants were undergraduate junior and senior students who were enrolled in an earth science education course offered for preservice secondary science teachers at a university in Korea. The undergraduate…

We present a case study of the physical principles necessary to model the high altitude parachute jump made by Colonel Joseph Kittinger, USAF, in 1960, in order to determine the maximum speed attained and to calculate whether this speed was sufficient to exceed the speed of sound at that altitude. There is considerable discrepancy in the value of…

This case study investigated the implementation of an inquiry-based curricular unit that was designed to promote student discourse and debate on aspects related to the nature of science, using a socioscientific issue of genetically modified foods. Two high school science classrooms participated in the study that took place over seven consecutive…

What follows is the presentation given after receiving the E. L. Thorndike Career Achievement in Educational Psychology from Division 15 of the American Psychological Association. This presentation calls for greater respect for and attention to scientific speculation in educational psychology as a critical component in theory development and model…