Abstract:
This study was initiated by the findings of the Learning in Science Project at Waikato University, (1979-1982; 1983-1985). The general findings of this study are not new, but they have not always been applied by teachers (Osborne & Freyberg, 1985).
The Project identified three key findings:
"1. From a young age, and prior to any teaching and learning of formal science, children develop meanings for many words used in science teaching and views of the world which relate to ideas taught in science.
2. Children's ideas are usually strongly held, even if not well known to teachers, and are often significantly different to the views of scientists.
3. These ideas are sensible and coherent views from the children's point of view, and they often remain uninfluenced or can be influenced in unanticipated ways by science teaching."
The N.Z. Sixth Form Physical Education core module has a very strong emphasis on the study of movement science. There has been very little research examining the ways this module is taught and the learning that occurs.
Tasker (1984) conducted a study which explored children's ideas about what they have in their bodies. We replicated this study as a pilot for a larger project examining the learning and teaching of movement science concepts in Sixth Form Physical Education classes.
The Project identified three key findings:
"1. From a young age, and prior to any teaching and learning of formal science, children develop meanings for many words used in science teaching and views of the world which relate to ideas taught in science.
2. Children's ideas are usually strongly held, even if not well known to teachers, and are often significantly different to the views of scientists.
3. These ideas are sensible and coherent views from the children's point of view, and they often remain uninfluenced or can be influenced in unanticipated ways by science teaching."
The N.Z. Sixth Form Physical Education core module has a very strong emphasis on the study of movement science. There has been very little research examining the ways this module is taught and the learning that occurs.
Tasker (1984) conducted a study which explored children's ideas about what they have in their bodies. We replicated this study as a pilot for a larger project examining the learning and teaching of movement science concepts in Sixth Form Physical Education classes.