The Psychology of Learning Science
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,
Inc.
1991
ISBN 0-8058-0668-7
Grade focus: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
The Psychology of Learning Science explores some recent findings of research into learning science concepts and discusses their significance for science teaching.
Four of the book's chapters provide insights into students' ideas in specific content areas. Taken together, these chapters report on students' ideas about the particulate nature of matter, chemical reactions, heat and temperature, shape of the earth, the day/night cycle, gravity, plant growth and nutrition, heredity, evolution, and the human body. Chapters do not provide comprehensive reviews of students' understanding of these topics, but rather focus on studies that the authors themselves have conducted.
The book was written mainly for use in pre-service and in-service teacher
education.