This volume presents a "photograph" of the state of the art in Science Education Research in Europe as it has emerged from the first ESERA Conference held in Rome in September 1997. The Conference saw the participation of more than 280 researchers from European and some extra European countries distributed as follows U. K. 46 The Netherlands 10 Germany 35 Finland 9 Italy 28 Switzerland 6 Spain 26 Portugal 6 France 18 Israel 5 Sweden Argentina 15 3 Denmark 14 Australia 3 Greece 14 USA 3 Brasil 11 Others 18 Norway TOTAL 11 281 As it can be seen from the table, although the group from U. K. where research in science education has a well established tradition is the most consistent one, quite a large number of researchers has come from Germany and the Scandinavian countries, sign of the increasing attention these countries pay to scientific education at all levels. The presence of researchers from extraeuropean countries has allowed a comparison of experience over a wider basisthan the national one. The themes of research, identified a priori by the organizers as important, were: of the Art in Science Education Research (Biology, - The State Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science) - Science Teaching and Learning - Science, Science Teaching and Society - Teachers' Education and its Cultural Components The Scientific Committee of the Conference decided to publish a selection of the papers presented and we accepted the task of the editing.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Presidential Address. - State of Art of Biology Didactic Research in Europe An Overview. - Opacity of Radiography, Perplexity of Teachers and Pupils in Primary School. - A Longitudinal Study of Pupils Understanding of Conditions for Life, Growth and Decomposition. - Plant, Animal or Thief? Solving Problems under the Microscope. - Biology Students Forming and Justiffing of Opinions on Predictive Genetic Testing. Towards a Practicable and Effective Training Strategy. - The State of Art in Research in Chemistry Education. - Understanding Energy in Nature and Society What Conception do Swedish Ninth Graders Have? . - The Use of Van Hiele Levels as a Tool in the Development of Curricula for Science Education. - Problems of Communication in Chemistry Classes. - Using Methaphors for Learning to Develop Metacognition in Chemistry Students. - Is an Iron Atom Made of Iron? . - Physics Educators and Physicist: Two Communities Apart? . - Students and the Wave Geometrical Model of the Wave Propagation in a Three Dimensional Medium. - How to Deal with the Concept of Mechanical Energy in Dissipative Systems? A Study on Conceptual Development of First-Year Students in Mozambique. - Problem Solving in School Physics: A Metacognitively Developed Field Study. - Can Untraditional Learning Methods used in Physics Help Girls to be More Interested and Achieve more in this Subject? . - Learning in Basic Electricity: How do Motivation, Cognitive Factors and Classroom Climate Influence Achievement in Physics? . - Teaching Earth Science Today. - From Naive Representations to Scientific Concepts: A Cognitive Survey in the Domain of Earth Science. - Learning Science in the Laboratory: Issues raised by the European Project Labwork in Science Education . - Generating and Using Information at the ElementarySchool Level: An Important Dimension of Environmental Education. A Project. - Research Based Evaluation in HOCS-Oriented Science Education and Curriculum Development. - Key Evidence in Testing Hypothesis. - Case Studies on Innovative Types of Labwork in Science Education. - Individual Learning Processes. A Research Programme with Focus on the Complexity of Situated Cognition. - Scientific Languages and Common Knowledge: Is Cultural Integration Possible? . - Science Education and the Popularisation of Science in the New Europe. - Nature of Physics Teachers Views. - School Science-Real Science? Personal Knowledge, Authentic Science and Student Research Projects. - School Reform in Italy: Orientation as a Key Aspect for Science Teaching Innovation. - Dilemmas related to Teacher Training for Science Education and Pupils Action Competence (The MUVIN Project). - A Framework for Learning to Teach Sciences in Initial Primary Teacher Education. - Teacher Education in Greece: Constructivist Attempts in a Nonconstructivist Environment. - Learning to Teach Sciences. Problem Solving as a Context for Learning. - When does Normative Scientific Behaviour Start? . - Author Index.
