A summary of research in science education — 1987. Part 1

We begin our Review of Research in Science Education -1987 with a focus on learners and learning.We have chosen this commonplace first because learners are at the center. of our enterprise.Moreover, according to Linn (1987), interdisciplinary research has resulted in the recent emergence of several research themes in science education.One of these themes is represented in a growing consensus of the nature of the learner.Presently, broad-based agreement exists that learners actively construct their own world views based on the interactions of their minds with the world outside through observation and experience.Thus, learners must respond to teachers, curricula, instruction, and contexts in terms of their present world views as they construct new world views.Within the commonplace of learners and learning, we have separated the research into two areas as follows: (1) concepts and reasoning; and ( 2 ) attitudes and beliefs.1.1 Concepts and Reasoning 1.11 How do specific concepts change with age?Four studies traced the development of understanding over a number of grade levels.Bar (1987) gave direct ratio, inverse