is difficult. In this article we develop a cognitive framework to characterize sense-making in the implementation process that is especially relevant for recent education policy initiatives, such as standards-based reforms that press for tremendous changes in classroom instruction. From a cognitive perspective, a key dimension of the implementation process is whether, and in what ways, implementing agents come to understand their practice, potentially changing their beliefs and attitudes in the process. We draw on theoretical and empirical literature to develop a cognitive perspective on implementation. We review the contribution of cognitive science frames to implementation research and identify areas where cognitive science can make additional contributions.

Abstract: In this paper, we discuss the design and study of a guidance and prompting system for a technology-based learning environment used in science classrooms. We focus briefly on how the tool has evolved through several years of iterative refinement, how the tool has been used by students in different curricular contexts for different epistemic practices, and how we as researchers can learn about students ' learning and cognition through use of the affordances of such software environments. In particular, scaffolding in the form of prompts and hints are investigated for supporting causal explanations of scientific evidence (or argumentation) and promoting more general reflection. The results imply that both kinds of scaffolds support students ' knowledge integration in important ways. The paper concludes with the claim that the guidance software helps students identify ways to improve their understanding by helping students think individually and collaboratively to provide alternative examples, thought experiments, and counter-evidence for consideration, and by providing a place to make their own thinking about these ideas visible and explicit. The paper also makes the broader claim that educational design studies such as the two reported here serve a unique role in identifying designed approaches that best support student learning while also informing our understanding of individual and social cognition in typical educational contexts.

This paper reports on research that created a controlled environment for interviewing individual students on the topic of sampling, allowing for cognitive conflict from other students. At various points in the interview the student was shown video extracts with contrasting views to those expressed and ask for a reaction. Outcomes are discussed with respect to (a) the outcomes for 37 students, in terms of their reaction to the cognitive conflict presented, and (b) the methodology, in terms of modeling cognitive aspects of a classroom environment in a controlled setting.

To understand deep cognitive change, we have to understand how learners can go beyond their own prior knowledge. We propose a displacement scenario in which a learner acquires a target idea in a different context and then transfers that idea into a target context. We used virtual reality technology to implement a displacement scenario for teaching 2nd grade children that the Earth is round. The rather large pre- to posttest improvement was stable over four months.

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The Virtual Solar System Course (VSS) described in this paper is one of the first attempts to integrate three-dimensional (3-D) computer modeling as a central component of an introductory undergraduate astronomy course. Specifically, this study considered the impact on undergraduate university students' understanding of astronomy concepts as a result of participating in an experimental introductory astronomy course in which the students constructed 3-D models of different astronomical phenomena. In this study, we examined students' conceptual understanding concerning the causes of lunar and solar eclipses, the causes of the Moon's phases, and the reasons for the Earth's seasons. Interviews prior to the course identified a range of student alternative conceptions regarding the dynamics and mechanics of the Solar System. Post interviews were targeted toward quantitative and qualitative assessment of student conceptual understanding. Generally, the results of this study revealed that 3-D computer modeling can be a powerful tool in supporting student conceptualization of abstract scientific phenomena. Specifically, 3-D computer modeling afforded students the ability to visualize abstract 3D concepts such as the line of nodes and transform them into conceptual tools, which in turn, supported the development of scientifically sophisticated conceptual understandings of many basic astronomical topics. However, there were instances where students' conceptual understanding was incomplete and frequently hybridized with their existing conceptions. These findings have significant bearing on when and in what domains the use of 3-D computer modeling can be used to support student conceptual understanding of science concepts. Conceptual change through building models 1 1

candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Education, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chair, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty. The Dean of the College of Education concurs.

Preservice teachers' prior knowledge about teaching and learning may di!er substantially from the theories and ideas presented in their education courses. In the present study, a refutational (conceptual change) text on motivation was used in an e!ort to address preservice teachers' conceptions of motivation. Results indicated that preservice teachers who read the refutational text performed signi"cantly better on a posttest and demonstrated more of a change in their knowledge. Further results indicated that in the absence of this text, self-regulated learning strategies enabled preservice teachers to undergo a change in their knowledge from the pretest to the posttest. # 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 1.

Teaching accounting and learning accounting- the different worlds of introductory accounting: the value of phenomenographic research in accounting education

Scerri and Erduran (2002) recently resurrected the question: How is knowledge developed and justified in chemistry? Scerri (2003) denies a role for constructivism in chemical education even though chemistry courses use humanly constructed models to represent sub-microscopic particles. The unobservable nature of most chemistry means that humanly constructed mental imagery is an essential element in chemical descriptions and explanations Scientific models begin life as mental models and help chemists and students develop and learn chemistry. This paper claims a role for history, philosophy and epistemology/ontology in chemical education. The paper argues that most chemical models are negotiated by experts and teachers and are interaction products of prior knowledge and experiences, current problems and evidence and reflect the preferences and commitments of their makers. Thus, constructivism deserves a place in the epistemology and philosophy of chemistry. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Australian Association for Research in Education—New