Conceptual Profiles: A Theory of Teaching and Learning Scientific Concepts (Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education Book 42)

"The language of science has many words and phrases whose meaning either changes in differing contexts or alters to reflect developments in a given discipline. This book presents the authors' theories on using conceptual profiles to make the teaching of context-dependent meanings more effective. Developed over two decades, their theory begins with a recognition of the coexistence in the students' discourse of those alternative meanings, even in the case of scientific concepts such as molecule, where the dissonance between the classical and modern views of the same phenomenon is an accepted norm. What began as an alternative model of conceptual change has evolved to incorporate a sociocultural approach, by drawing on ideas such as situated cognition and Vygotsky's influential concept of culturally located learning. Also informed by pragmatist philosophy, the approach has grown into a well-rounded theory of teaching and learning scientific concepts. The authors have taken the opportunity in this book to develop their ideas further, anticipate and respond to criticisms that of relativism, for example and explain how their theory can be applied to analyze the teaching of core concepts in science such as heat and temperature, life and biological adaptation. They also report on the implementation of a research program that correlates the responsiveness of their methodology to all the main developments in the field of science education. This additional material will inform academic discussion, review, and further enhancement of their theory and research model."--Page 4 of cover Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Conceptual Profiles: Theoretical-Methodological Bases of a Research Program....Pages 3-33 The Epistemological Grounds of the Conceptual Profile Theory....Pages 35-65 Methodological Grounds of the Conceptual Profile Research Program....Pages 67-100 Front Matter....Pages 101-101 Contributions of the Sociocultural Domain to Build a Conceptual Profile Model for Molecule and Molecular Structure....Pages 103-114 Building a Profile for the Biological Concept of Life....Pages 115-142 Investigating the Evolution of Conceptual Profiles of Life Among University Students of Biology and Pharmacy: The Use of Statistical Tools to Analyze Questionnaire Answers....Pages 143-162 Conceptual Profile of Adaptation: A Tool to Investigate Evolution Learning in Biology Classrooms....Pages 163-200 A Conceptual Profile of Entropy and Spontaneity: Characterising Modes of Thinking and Ways of Speaking in the Classroom....Pages 201-234 The Implications of the Conceptual Profile in Science Teaching: An Example from a Teaching Sequence in Thermal Physics....Pages 235-259 Front Matter....Pages 261-261 Conceptual Profile as a Model of a Complex World....Pages 263-292 Building a Profile Model for the Concept of Death....Pages 293-321 Back Matter....Pages 323-330