This study proposed to investigate the effectiveness of learning activities based on a conceptual change theoretical framework by embedding a peer instruction method with structured inquiry (PISI) on tenth grade students' understanding of force and motion concepts. This teaching method was compared to the existing traditional instruction (TI).…

Procedural and conceptual learning are two types of learning, related to two types of knowledge, which are often referred to in mathematics education. Procedural learning involves only memorizing operations with no understanding of underlying meanings. Conceptual learning involves understanding and interpreting concepts and the relations between…

Developing deep knowledge and understanding of mathematics is a lifelong process, and building the foundation for teachers' development must begin in preservice preparation and continue throughout one's professional life. While teaching mathematics content courses and methods courses, the authors have found that preservice elementary school…

The scores of Turkish students on the international tests such as TIMMS and PISA, which assess basic science concepts, reading and problem-solving abilities, are among the lowest. Although understanding the concept of democracy has been studied across the countries, it has not been clearly researched in Turkey. For this reason, the focus of this…

This teacher research study explores the changes in early childhood teacher candidates' perceptions of how children construct and represent knowledge following repeated exposure to "The Wonder of Learning: the Hundred Languages of Children" exhibit. When the renowned exhibit from Reggio Emilia was housed on the study participants' campus for 6…

A student's conceptual learning is facilitated by a harmonious method of learning. In teacher-directed strategy lessons, there is little guarantee that a method permits students to reach an "ideal" understanding. In the investigative classroom, the learning experience is rigidly structured, leaving students the unenviable responsibility to…

While recognizing major contributions of the contemporary theory-of-mind framework, we identify conceptual and cultural gaps with respect to its inattention to deontic considerations. The framework has tended to portray behavior as purely self-directed, thereby neglecting everyday reasoners' understanding of behavior as normatively based. However,…

In this paper we examine the possibility of differentiating between two types of nonexamples. The first type, "intuitive nonexamples," consists of nonexamples which are intuitively accepted as such. That is, children immediately identify them as nonexamples. The second type, "non-intuitive nonexamples," consists of nonexamples that bear a…

In the field of children's knowledge of the earth, much debate has concerned the question of whether children's naive knowledge--that is, their knowledge before they acquire the standard scientific theory--is coherent (i.e., theory-like) or fragmented. We conducted two studies with large samples (N = 328 and N = 381) using a new paper-and-pencil…

This issue of the "Research Review" features the work of Ann Markusen, Director of the Humphrey Institute's Project on Regional and Industrial Economics at the University of Minnesota. Through the six articles reviewed here, Markusen develops the concept of "The Artistic Dividend," examines the impact of Artists' Centers, explores how artists earn…

In this response, we attempt to clarify our position on conceptual change, state our position on mental models being a viable construct to represent learning, indicate important issues from the social cultural perspective that can inform our work on conceptual change and lastly comment on issues that we consider to be straw men. Above all we argue…

In response to Stetsenko's [2008, "Cultural Studies of Science Education," 3] call for a more unified approach in sociocultural perspectives, this paper traces the origins of the use of sociocultural ideas in New Zealand from the 1970s to the present. Of those New Zealanders working from a sociocultural perspective who responded to our…

Since students' misconceptions are not completely remedied by means of only one conceptual change method, the authors assume that using different conceptual methods embedded within the 5E model will not only be more effective in enhancing students' conceptual understanding, but also may eliminate all students' misconceptions. The aim of this study…

Phenomenography is best known as an empirical research approach for investigating variation in conceptions of different educational phenomena--including learning, teaching and particular disciplinary concepts such as price in economics and motion in physics. It is less well-known for its theoretical basis, in terms of its epistemological and…

The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) is a multiple choice test designed to monitor students' understanding of the conceptual domain of force and related kinematics (Hestenes et al. "Physics Teacher" 30:141-158 1992; Halloun et al., 1995, Online at http://modeling.asu.edu/R&E/Research.html). It has gained wide popularity among both…