Children's Informal Ideas in Science

The ideas that children have about science concepts have for the past decade been the subject of a wealth of international research. But while the area has been strong in data, it has suffered from a lack of theory. Children's Informal Ideas in Scienceaddresses the question of whether children's ideas about science can be explained in a single theoretical framework. Twelve different approaches combine to tackle this central issue, each taking a deliberately critical standpoint. Participating in the debate without claiming to resolve it, the contributors address such themes as values in research, the social construction of knowledge and the work of Piaget. The editors conclude with a discussion of how a theory can be built up, along with suggestions for ways ahead in the research. Contributors:Paul Black, Joan Bliss, Guy Claxton, Wynne Harlen, Arthur Lucas, Jon Ogborn, Jayashree Ramadas, Terry Russell, Neil Ryder, Michael Shayer, and Joan Solomon.