Paying lip-service to research? The adoption of a constructivist perspective to inform science teaching in the English curriculum context

Curriculum Journal

Volumn 21, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 25-45

  Taber, Keith S ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Constructivism; Curriculum guidance; English National Curriculum; Learners' misconceptions; National Strategy; Official pedagogy

Indexed keywords

EID: 79957961035     PISSN: 09585176     EISSN: 14693704     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/09585170903558299     Document Type: Article

References (158)

1. Ausubel, D.P. 1961. In defense of verbal learning. Educational Theory 11: 15-25.
2. Ausubel, D.P. 1968. Educational psychology: A cognitive view. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
3. Bell, B. 2005. Learning in science: The Waikato journey. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
4. Bell, B., A. Jones, and M. Car. 1995. The development of the recent National New Zealand Science Curriculum. Studies in Science Education 26: 73-105.
5. Black, P.J., and A.M. Lucas, eds. 1993. Children's informal ideas in science. London: Routledge.
6. Bliss, J. 1995. Piaget and after: The case of learning science. Studies in Science Education 25: 139-72.
7. Bloor, D. 1991. Knowledge and social imagery. 2nd edn. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
8. Bodner, G.M. 1986. Constructivism: A theory of knowledge. Journal of Chemical Education 63, no. 10: 873-8.
9. Boyes, E. 1988. Catastrophic misconceptions in science education. Physics Education 23, no. 2: 105-9.
10. Boyle, B., J. Lamprianou, and T. Boyle. 2005. A longitudinal study of teacher change: What makes professional development effective? Report of the second year of the study. Journal of School Effectiveness and School Improvement 16, no. 1: 1-27.
11. Brown, M., M. Askew, A. Millett, and V. Rhodes. 2003. The key role of educational research in the development and evaluation of the National Numeracy Strategy. British Educational Research Journal 29, no. 5: 655-67.
12. Bruner, J.S. 1960. The process of education. New York: Vintage Books.
13. Bruner, J.S. 1966. Towards a theory of instruction. New York: Norton.
14. Bryce, T., and K. MacMillan. 2005. Encouraging conceptual change: The use of bridging analogies in the teaching of action-reaction forces and the 'at rest' condition in physics. International Journal of Science Education 27, no. 6: 737-63.
15. Burr, V. 1995. An introduction to social constructionism. London: Routledge.
16. Cerini, B., I. Murray, and M. Reiss. 2003. Student review of the science curriculum: Major findings. London: Planet Science/Institute of Education/Science Museum.
17. Chi, M.T.H. 1992. Conceptual change within and across ontological categories: Examples from learning and discovery in science. In Cognitive models in science, ed. R.N. Giere, vol. XV, 129-86. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
18. Claxton, G. 1993. Minitheories: A preliminary model for learning science. In Children's informal ideas in science, ed. P.J. Black, and A.M. Lucas, 45-61. London: Routledge.
19. Coll, R.K. 2007. Opportunities for gifted science provision in the context of a learner-centred national curriculum. In Science education for gifted learners, ed. K.S. Taber, 59-70. London: Routledge.
20. Cromer, A. 1997. Connected knowledge: Science, philosophy and education. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
21. DCSF. 1995-2008. Teachernet online publications for schools. Available online at: http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/.
22. DCSF. 1997-2008. The Secondary National Strategy for school improvement, formerly known as the Key Stage 3 National Strategy. Available online at: http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/?version=1.
23. de Jong, O. 2000. Crossing the borders: Chemical education research and teaching practice. Chemistry Education Research Group Lecture 1999. University Chemistry Education 4, no. 1: 29-32.
24. Department for Education and Employment. 1998. Requirements for courses of Initial Teacher Education: Annexe H-Initial Teacher Training National Curriculum for secondary science. London: DfEE.
25. Department for Education and Skills and Teacher Training Agency. 2002. Qualifying to teach: Professional standards for Qualified Teacher status and requirements for Initial Teacher Training, TPU 0803/02-02. London: Teacher Training Agency.
26. diSessa, A.A. 1993. Towards an epistemology of physics. Cognition and Instruction 10, nos. 2 and 3: 105-225.
27. Donnelly, J.F., and E.W. Jenkins. 2001. Science education: Policy, professionalism and change. London: Paul Chapman.
28. Driver, R. 1983. The pupil as scientist? Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
29. Driver, R. 1989. Students' conceptions and the learning of science. International Journal of Science Education 11, no. 5: 481-90.
30. Driver, R., and B. Bell. 1986. Students' thinking and the learning of science: A constructivist view. School Science Review 67, no. 240: 443-56.
31. Driver, R., and J. Easley. 1978. Pupils and paradigms: A review of literature related to concept development in adolescent science students. Studies in Science Education 5: 61-84.
32. Driver, R., and G. Erickson. 1983. Theories-in-action: Some theoretical and empirical issues in the study of students' conceptual frameworks in science. Studies in Science Education 10: 37-60.
33. Driver, R., J. Leach, P. Scott, and V. Wood-Robinson. 1994. Young people's understanding of science concepts: Implications of cross-age studies for curriculum planning. Studies in Science Education 24: 75-100.
34. Driver, R., and V. Oldham. 1986. A constructivist approach to curriculum development in science. Studies in Science Education 13: 105-22.
35. Driver, R., A. Squires, P. Rushworth, and V. Wood-Robinson. 1994. Making sense of secondary science: Research into children's ideas. London: Routledge.
36. Duit, R. 2007. Bibliography: Students' and teachers' conceptions and science education. Available online at: http://www.ipn.uni-kiel.de/aktuell/stcse/stcse.html.
37. Duschl, R.A., and R.J. Hamilton, eds. 1992. Philosophy of science, cognitive psychology, and educational theory and practice. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
38. Edwards, D., and N. Mercer. 1987. Common knowledge: The development of understanding in the classroom. London: Routledge.
39. Erickson, G. 2000. Research programmes and the student science learning literature. In Improving science education: The contribution of research, ed. R. Millar, J. Leach, and J. Osborne, 271-92. Buckingham: Open University Press.
40. Fensham, P.J., R.F. Gunstone, and R.T. White. 1994. The content of science: A constructivist approach to its teaching and learning. London: Falmer Press.
41. Feyerabend, P. 1988. Against method. revised edn. London: Verso.
42. Gagné, R.M. 1970. The conditions of learning. 2nd edn. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
43. Garet, M.S., A.C. Porter, L. Desimone, B.F. Birman, and K.S. Yoon. 2001. What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal 38, no. 4: 915-45.
44. Gauld, C. 1989. A study of pupils' responses to empirical evidence. In Doing science: Images of science in science education, ed. R. Millar, 62-82. London: Falmer Press.
45. Gergen, K.J. 1999. An invitation to social construction. London: Sage.
46. Gilbert, J.K., and M. Newberry. 2007. The characteristics of the gifted and exceptionally able in science. In Science education for gifted learners, ed. K.S. Taber, 15-31. London: Routledge.
47. Gilbert, J.K., R.J. Osborne, and P.J. Fensham. 1982. Children's science and its consequences for teaching. Science Education 66, no. 4: 623-33.
48. Gilbert, J.K., and D.M. Watts. 1983. Concepts, misconceptions and alternative conceptions: Changing perspectives in science education. Studies in Science Education 10: 61-98.
49. Gilbert, J.K., and A. Zylbersztajn. 1985. A conceptual framework for science education: The case study of force and movement. European Journal of Science Education 7, no. 2: 107-20.
50. Gilland, T., ed. 2006. What is science education for? London: Academy of Ideas.
51. Glasersfeld, E. von. 1989a. Cognition, construction of knowledge, and teaching (electronic version). Synthese 80, no. 1: 121-40. Available online at: http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/EvG/papers/117.pdf80-1-1.
52. Glasersfeld, E. von. 1989b. Facts and the self from a constructivist point of view (electronic version). Poetics 18, nos. 4-5: 435-48. Available online at: http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/EvG/papers/121.pdf (accessed 28 January 2008).
53. Glasersfeld, E. von. 1990. An exposition of constructivism: Why some like it radical (electronic version). Monographs of the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 4: 19-29. Available online at: http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/EvG/papers/125.pdf (accessed 30 January 2008).
54. Glasersfeld, E. von. 1992. Aspects of radical constructivism and its educational recommendations. Paper presented at the ICMe-7, Working Group 4. Available online at: http://srri.umass.edu/vonGlasersfeld/onlinePapers/html/195.html (accessed 30 January 2008).
55. Grandy, R.E. 1998. Constructivism and objectivity: Disentangling metaphysics from pedagogy. In Constructivism in science education: A philosophical examination, ed. M.R. Matthews, 113-23. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
56. Grevatt, A., J.K. Gilbert, and M. Newberry. 2007. Challenging able science learners through models and modelling. In Science education for gifted learners, ed. K.S. Taber, 85-99. London: Routledge.
57. Gutwill, J.P., J.R. Frederiksen, and B.Y. White. 1999. Making their own connections: Students' understanding of multiple models in electricity. Cognition and Instruction 17, no. 3: 249-82.
58. Harding, S., ed. 1993. The 'racial' economy of science: Toward a democratic future. Bloomington and Indianapolis, IN: Indiana University Press.
59. HCSTC. 2002. House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on science education from 14-19. London: The Stationery Office.
60. Helm, H., J.K. Gilbert, and D.M. Watts. 1985. Thought experiments and physics education-part 2. Physics Education 20: 211-17.
61. Jenkins, E.W. 2000. Research in science education: Time for a health check? Studies in Science Education 35: 1-25.
62. Jenkins, E.W. 2004. From option to compulsion: School science teaching, 1954-2004. School Science Review 85, no. 313: 33-40.
63. Johnston, K., and R. Driver. 1991. A case study of teaching and learning about particle theory: A constructivist teaching scheme in action. Leeds: Centre for Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, University of Leeds.
64. Kaymaz, Z. 2007. A case study on an English science teacher's views and practice in relation to constructivism. MPhil thesis, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Cambridge.
65. Kelly, A., ed. 1987. Science for girls? Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
66. Kelly, G. 1963. A theory of personality: The psychology of personal constructs. New York: Norton.
67. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2002a. Developments in the five strands, DCS 0143/2002. London: Department for Education and Skills.
68. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2002b. Framework for teaching science: Years 7, 8 and 9. London: Department for Education and Skills.
69. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2002c. Literacy in science: Resource pack for particpants, DfES 0563/2002. London: Department for Education and Skills.
70. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2002d. Misconceptions in Key Stage 3 science: Notes for course tutors. London: Department for Education and Skills.
71. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2002e. Planning and implementing progression for science in the classroom: Key messages. London: Department for Education and Skills.
72. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2002f. Scientific enquiry: Notes for participants. London: Department for Education and Skills.
73. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003a. Effective teaching and learning in science: Notes for tutors, DfES 0239/2003. London: Department for Education and Skills.
74. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003b. Key messages: Pedagogy and practice (electronic version). The Standards site, available online at: http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/keystage3/all/respub/ks3_km.
75. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003c. Strengthening teaching and learning of cells: Notes for tutors, DfES 0357/2003. London: Department for Education and Skills.
76. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003d. Strengthening teaching and learning of cells: Resource pack for participants, DfES 0359/2003. London: Department for Education and Skills.
77. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003e. Strengthening teaching and learning of energy in Key Stage 3 science: Additional support pack overview. London: Department for Education and Skills.
78. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003f. Strengthening teaching and learning of energy in Key Stage 3 science: Notes for participants. London: Department for Education and Skills.
79. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003g. Strengthening teaching and learning of energy in Key Stage 3 science: Notes for tutors, DfES 0250/2003. London: Department for Education and Skills.
80. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003h. Strengthening teaching and learning of forces in Key Stage 3 science: Notes for tutors, DfES 0617-2003. London: Department for Education and Skills.
81. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003i. Strengthening teaching and learning of interdependence in Key Stage 3 science: Main messages. London: Department for Education and Skills.
82. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003j. Strengthening teaching and learning of particles in Key Stage 3 science: Notes for participants. London: Department for Education and Skills.
83. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2003k. Strengthening teaching and learning of particles in Key Stage 3: Main messages, DfES 0248/2003. London: Department for Education and Skills.
84. Key Stage 3 National Strategy. 2004. Strengthening teaching and learning in science through using different pedagogies. Unit 5: Teaching the science of contemporary issues. London: Department for Education and Skills.
85. Kind, V., and K.S. Taber. 2005. Science: Teaching school subjects 11-19. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
86. Kuhn, T.S. 1996. The structure of scientific revolutions. 3rd edn. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
87. Kvale, S. 1996. InterViews: An introduction to qualitative research interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications.
88. Lakatos, I. 1970. Falsification and the methodology of scientific research programmes. In Criticism and the growth of knowledge, ed. I. Lakatos, and A. Musgrove, 91-196. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
89. Larochelle, M., N. Bednarz, and J. Garrison, eds. 1998. Constructivism and education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
90. Laudan, L. 1984. Science and values: The aims of science and their role in scientific debate. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
91. Lemke, J.L. 1990. Talking science: Language, learning, and values. Norwood, NJ, Ablex Publishing Corporation.
92. Levinson, R. 2007. Teaching controversial socio-scientific issues to gifted and talented students. In Science education for gifted learners, ed. K.S. Taber, 12-41. London: Routledge.
93. Marín, N., A. Benarroch, and E. Jiménez Gómez. 2000. What is the relationship between social constructivism and Piagetian constructivism? An analysis of the characteristics of the ideas within both theories. International Journal of Science Education 22, no. 3: 225-38.
94. Marton, F. 1981. Phenomenography-Describing conceptions of the world around us. Instructional Science 10: 177-200.
95. Matthews, M.R. 1993. Constructivism and science education: Some epistemological problems. Journal of Science Education and Technology 2, no. 1: 359-70.
96. Matthews, M.R. 1994. Science teaching: The role of history and philosophy of science. London: Routledge.
97. Matthews, M.R., ed. 1998. Constructivism in science education: A philosophical examination. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
98. McCloskey, M. 1983. Intuitive physics. Scientific American 248, no. 4: 114-22.
99. Millar, R., and J. Osborne. 1998. Beyond 2000: Science education for the future. London: King's College.
100. Ministry of Education. 1993. Science in the New Zealand curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
101. Mintzes, J.J., J.H. Wandersee, and J.D. Novak, eds. 1998. Teaching science for understanding: A human constructivist view. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
102. Mortimer, E.F., and P.H. Scott. 2003. Meaning making in secondary science classrooms. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
103. National Research Council. 1996. National Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
104. Ogborn, J., G. Kress, I. Martins, and K. McGillicuddy. 1996. Explaining science in the classroom. Buckingham: Open University Press.
105. Osborne, J., and S. Collins. 2000. Pupils' and parents' views of the school science curriculum. School Science Review 82, no. 298: 23-31.
106. Osborne, R.J., and M.C. Wittrock. 1983. Learning science: A generative process. Science Education 67, no. 4: 489-508.
107. Parkinson, J. 2004. Improving secondary science teaching. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
108. Phillips, D.C. 1983. After the wake: Postpositivistic educational thought. Educational Researcher 12, no. 5: 4-12.
109. Phillips, D.C. 1995. The good, the bad, and the ugly: The many faces of constructivism. Educational Researcher 24, no. 7: 5-12.
110. Phillips, D.C. 1997. Coming to grips with radical social constructivisms. Science and Education 6, nos. 1-2: 85-104.
111. Phillips, D.C., ed. 2000. Constructivism in education: Opinions and second opinions on controversial issues. Chicago, IL: National Society for the Study of Education.
112. Piaget, J. 1929/1973. The child's conception of the world, trans J. Tomlinson and A. Tomlinson. St Albans: Granada.
113. Piaget, J. 1959/2002. The language and thought of the child. 3rd edn. London: Routledge.
114. Piaget, J. 1972. The principles of genetic epistemology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
115. Pope, M.L., and J.K. Gilbert. 1983. Personal experience and the construction of knowledge in science. Science Education 67, no. 2: 193-203.
116. Popper, K.R. 1989. Conjectures and refutations: The growth of scientific knowledge. 5th edn. London: Routledge.
117. Posner, G.J., K.A. Strike, P.W. Hewson, and W.A. Gertzog. 1982. Accommodation of a scientific conception: Towards a theory of conceptual change. Science Education 66, no. 2: 211-27.
118. Potter, J. 1996. Representing reality: Discourse, rhetoric and social construction. London: Sage.
119. QCA. 1998. Unit 4D: Solids, liquids and how they can be separated. In A scheme of work for Key Stages 1 and 2: Science, vol. QCA/98/210. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
120. QCA. 2000a. Unit 7I: Energy resources. In Science at Key Stage 3. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
121. QCA. 2000b. Unit 9C: Plants and photosynthesis. In Science at Key Stage 3. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
122. QCA. 2000c. Unit 9K: Speeding up. In Science at Key Stage 3. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
123. QCA. 2007a. Science: Programme of study for Key Stage 3 and attainment targets. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
124. QCA. 2007b. Science: Programme of study for Key Stage 4. London: Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
125. Rea-Ramirez, M.A., and J. Clement. 1998. In search of dissonance: The evolution of dissonance in conceptual change theory. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, April 19-22, in San Diego, CA.
126. Russell, T., and J. Osborne. 1993. Constructivist research, curriculum development and practice in primary classrooms: Reflections on five years of activity in the Science Processes and Concept Exploration (SPACE) project. Paper presented at the Third International Seminar on Misconceptions in the Learning of Science and Mathematics, in Ithaca, NY.
127. Saunders, J. 1995. Science education: Ugly scenes as boffins fall out. Evening Standard (New Zealand), August 26: 8.
128. Scerri, E.R. 2003. Philosophical confusion in chemical education research. Journal of Chemical Education 80, no. 20: 468-74.
129. Scott, P., T. Dyson, and S. Gater. 1987. A constructivist view of learning and teaching in science. Leeds: Centre for Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, University of Leeds.
130. Scott, P.H. 1998. Teacher talk and meaning making in science classrooms: A review of studies from a Vygotskian perspective. Studies in Science Education 32: 45-80.
131. Sjøberg, S. In press. Constructivism and learning. In International encyclopaedia of education. 3rd edn, ed. E. Baker, B. McGaw, and P. Peterson. Oxford: Elsevier.
132. Smith, J.P., A.A. diSessa, and J. Rochelle. 1993. Misconceptions reconceived: A constructivist analysis of knowledge in transition. Journal of the Learning Sciences 3, no. 2: 115-63.
133. Sokal, A. 1996a. A physicist experiments with cultural studies. Lingua Franca (May): 62-4.
134. Sokal, A. 1996b. Transgressing the boundaries: Toward a transformative hermeneutics of quantum gravity. Social Text 46/47: 217-52.
135. Solomon, J. 1987. Social influences on the construction of pupils' understanding of science. Studies in Science Education 14: 63-82.
136. Solomon, J. 1994. The rise and fall of constructivism. Studies in Science Education 23: 1-19.
137. Taber, K.S. 1995. Development of student understanding: a case study of stability and lability in cognitive structure. Research in Science and Technological Education 13, no. 1: 87-97.
138. Taber, K.S. 2000. Chemistry lessons for universities? A review of constructivist ideas. University Chemistry Education 4, no. 2: 26-35.
139. Taber, K.S. 2001a. Constructing chemical concepts in the classroom? Using research to inform practice. Chemistry Education: Research and Practice in Europe 2, no. 1: 43-51.
140. Taber, K.S. 2001b. Shifting sands: A case study of conceptual development as competition between alternative conceptions. International Journal of Science Education 23, no. 7: 731-53.
141. Taber, K.S. 2002. Chemical misconceptions-prevention, diagnosis and cure: Theoretical background, vol. 1. London: Royal Society of Chemistry.
142. Taber, K.S. 2003. Lost without trace or not brought to mind? A case study of remembering and forgetting of college science. Chemistry Education: Research and Practice 4, no. 3: 249-77.
143. Taber, K.S. 2005a. Developing teachers as learning doctors. Teacher Development 9, no. 2: 219-35.
144. Taber, K.S. 2005b. Learning quanta: Barriers to stimulating transitions in student understanding of orbital ideas. Science Education 89, no. 1: 94-116.
145. Taber, K.S. 2006a. Beyond constructivism: The progressive research programme into learning science. Studies in Science Education 42: 125-84.
146. Taber, K.S. 2006b. Constructivism's new clothes: The trivial, the contingent, and a progressive research programme into the learning of science. Foundations of Chemistry 8, no. 2: 189-219.
147. Taber, K.S. 2008a. Conceptual resources for learning science: Issues of transience and grainsize in cognition and cognitive structure. International Journal of Science Education 30, no. 8: 1027-53.
148. Taber, K.S. 2008b. Towards a curricular model of the nature of science. Science and Education 17, nos. 2-3: 179-218.
149. Taber, K.S. 2009. Progressing science education: Constructing the scientific research programme into the contingent nature of learning science. Dordrecht: Springer.
150. Taber, K.S., and O. Bektas. 2009. Secondary science teaching in England: A view from the outside. School Science Review 91, no. 334: 111-8.
151. Thagard, P. 1992. Conceptual revolutions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
152. Toulmin, S. 1961. Foresight and understanding: An enquiry into the aims of science. London: Hutchinson.
153. Vygotsky, L.S. 1934/1986. Thought and language. London: MIT Press.
154. Vygotsky, L.S. 1978. Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
155. White, R.T., and R.F. Gunstone. 1992. Probing understanding. London: Falmer Press.
156. Wightman, T., P. Green, and P. Scott. 1986. The construction of meaning and conceptual change in classroom settings: Case studies on the particulate nature of matter. Leeds: Centre for Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, University of Leeds.
157. Wyse, D. 2003. The National Literacy Strategy: A critical review of empirical evidence. British Educational Research Journal 29, no. 6: 903-16.
158. Zietsman, A., and J. Clement. 1997. The role of extreme case reasoning in instruction for conceptual change. Journal of the Learning Sciences 6, no. 1: 61-89.