Abstract
Science, particularly physics, is a difficult, and apparently inaccessible subject, to a majority of American students. According to a recent report of the Educational TestingService referred to in Science [12], “only 7% of 17-year-olds are adequately prepared for college-level science courses,” and “more than half have so little scientific understanding that they cannot hold down jobs that require technical skills, benefit from specialized on-the-job training, or make informed decisions as citizens.” Even students who have been interested in science and technology -- who, for example, enjoy tinkering with mechanics or electronics -- are often “put off” by physics as it is currently taught. The high school physics course is regarded by many students as perhaps the most difficult one offered. We are interested in why this is the case.
This work was supported by the U. S. Army Research Institute, Contract No. MND-903-87-C-0545 and by the Office of Educational Research and improvement, Contract OEG 0087-C1001. This paper does not necessarily reflect the views of the agencies supporting the research.
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Frederiksen, J.R., White, B.Y. (1992). Mental Models and Understanding: A Problem for Science Education. In: Scanlon, E., O’Shea, T. (eds) New Directions in Educational Technology. NATO ASI Series, vol 96. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77750-9_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77750-9_18
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