Keith S. Taber

University of Cambridge | Cam · Faculty of Education

A perspective on learning and teaching that considers knowledge must be constructed by the individual learner using available interpretive resources, and where learners are likely to misconstrue instruction without well-designed teaching that is informed by knowledge of learners’ ideas.

This chapter explores two related themes of particular importance in considering intelligence and the nature of giftedness – creativity and knowledge integration – in the context of teaching and learning science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. It draws upon ideas about the natures of disciplines, curriculum,...

Many learners find chemistry a very difficult subject, and it is common for them to form misconceptions. This is not so surprising in view of the diverse range of abstract theoretical models taught in chemistry classes. Research into learners’ chemical thinking offers insights that can help teachers think about how to best present chemical concepts

In 1992 the schools inspectorate in England criticised the level of provision for gifted learners in state schools. Subsequently various policies and initiatives were put in place to improve this situation. Yet in 2013 the schools inspection service again reported on this issue, and declared the situation unacceptable. This chapter offers an accoun...

A recent study in Chemistry Education Research and Practice highlights the common pattern of student thinking known as 'the octet framework', and notes how it seems to relate to, but be inconsistent with, the octet rule: an idea commonly taught in introductory chemistry classes. The study noted the common feature of learners extending the octet rul...

This chapter considers what might be meant by suggesting that someone, and, in particular, a school-age learner, is gifted in science, and offers some suggestions for how such a student can best be supported by teachers and parents. Observing, and noticing, are therefore important, although not enough by themselves to make a future scientist. The s...

Research shows that students come to science classes holding a wide range of alternative conceptions about curriculum topics, and that these ideas often interfere with classroom learning. The Royal Society of Chemistry established a Teacher Fellowship project entitled 'Challenging misconceptions in the classroom'. Classroom materials to diagnose an...

A rigorous experiment is rightly considered an especially informative research tool. But doing rigorous experiments in education is very challenging. A poorly designed experiment may tell us very little. Yet the literature includes a vast number of experimental studies in science education. Here I make an argument that: Often these are very small s...

This chapter provides a brief survey of key areas of work in educational psychology that are relevant to science and technology education. The chapter offers an introduction, accessible to general professional readers such as teachers, which seeks to: highlight the relevance and value of educational psychology for those working in education; indica...

The construction of scientific explanations is recognised by science education researchers and curriculum developers as one of the core epistemic practices in which students should acquire proficiency. However, little is known about the knowledge and skills that teachers must and do put into practice to successfully engage their students in buildin...

There is little doubt that the development of technology has changed the landscape of science learning in both formal and informal settings. However, often existing research studies lack a strong conceptual underpinning in terms of pedagogic theory. Regardless of the fair body of studies relating to early childhood education and science education,...

This paper reports on a study designed to discover how students characterise the scientific and religious positions on miracles and their access to a range of views on how science and religion relate. The study is part of a larger research initiative exploring the value of scholarly reasoning about the interactions between science and religion as a...

This article argues that what is most at risk in schooling during a global pandemic, or other similar broad challenges to normal functioning, are those elements that might be considered the less traditional and so the most progressive. After setting out some general background common to the challenge faced by schools and school teachers, this argum...

The lecture discussed student thinking about chemical bonding, and, in particular, how a range of alternative conceptions commonly exhibited by students can be understood to be linked into a general conceptual framework for understanding chemistry-a framework that is inconsistent with ca-nonical science. As background, the lecture briefly discussed...

Digital learning resources are commonly employed to support formal and informal learning, sometimes as a complement to the teacher, but sometimes as an alternative. ‘Flipped learning’ is increasingly being adopted as a progressive pedagogy, such that students are expected to learn new ideas and principles from course material (often using digital p...

There has been concern about the attractiveness of science-based careers to many adolescent learners, and it has been suggested that school science may not always recognise or engage personal values that are important to young people in making life choices. The present study discusses interview comments made by upper secondary level students in Eng...

We report on a survey of 1717 students at two different points of their secondary school education. This survey is designed to discover their reasoning about scientific and religious accounts of the origins of the universe and life. The study was motivated by a concern, based on previous research, that factors such as the compartmentalised curricul...

George Kelly’s professional focus was on supporting people who were struggling with the stresses of their lives. Finding that the Freudian ideas he had been offered as tools in his own professional training offered little in working towards change with many of his clients, Kelly developed his own approach based upon a constructivist perspective of...

Over recent years the importance of the public understanding of science has been increasingly recognised. Science is not only a core area of culture, but is also a major area of investment from public expenditure. Awareness of the potential of science to develop technologies which can safeguard and extend the quality of life – for example, through...

This comment discusses some issues about the use and reporting of experimental studies in education, illustrated by a recently published study that claimed (i) that an educational innovation was effective despite outcomes not reaching statistical significance, and (ii) that this refuted the findings of an earlier study. The two key issues raised co...

This paper considers the nature of a curriculum as presented in formal curriculum documents, and the inherent difficulties of representing formal disciplinary knowledge in a prescription for teaching and learning. The general points are illustrated by examining aspects of a specific example, taken from the chemistry subject content included in the...

Representing conceptual change is challenging. Claims that conceptual change has occurred are sometimes based on data from a small number of probes given over a relatively long interval. Data collected in this way do not allow short-lived variability to be distinguished from more stable conceptual change and can lead to mistaken conclusions about l...

In the English-speaking world, the word 'science' (when used without qualification) generally means the natural sciences, although in some other contexts it can refer to STEM more widely, or even include the social sciences. The social sciences are often considered to be modelled upon, or even to aspire to be like, the natural sciences. Yet, those...

Conceptual integration-that is, being able to relate different concepts within a coherent overall structure-can be understood to be important in the learning of science subjects from two quite different perspectives. From the perspective of the theory of learning, the linking of concepts within current understanding is considered to facilitate furt...

This book is published by, and is the outcome of a project funded by, Gatsby SEP Charity. The pdf of the book is made available due to the generosity of Gatsby in supporting school science. The book describes the project, and the classroom materials/activities developed (and which can be downloaded form the UK National STEM centre site).

The importance of Vygotsky’s thinking is reflected in how – despite being condemned and censured under Stalin in the CCCP where he worked—he is so often cited in educational work today. Vygotsky was something of a polymath, and appropriately his thinking has influenced a number of key areas of educational work. This chapter will explore some of Vyg...

George Kelly’s professional focus was on supporting people who were struggling with the stresses of their lives. Finding that the Freudian ideas he had been offered as tools in his own professional training offered little in working towards change with many of his clients, Kelly developed his own approach based upon a constructivist perspective of...

William Perry developed a theory of intellectual and ethical development based on interviews with college students. The later positions in his scheme relate to thinking that is typical of what has been termed ‘post- formal operations’ or ‘a fifth stage of cognitive development’, indicating that it could be considered to extend the stage theory deve...

Research into student ideas and learning difficulties in science education is undertaken to inform developments in pedagogy. Complex phenomena may be best understood by exploring them from a range of viewpoints, and it is argued here that using a battery of ‘analytical lenses’ to illuminate research data may be an appropriate strategy in researchin...

A video recording of the lecture can be accessed via https://science-education-research.com/academic-standards/what-is-the-point-of-a-faculty-of-education/ The full slide show and text of the talk as given can be found here https://science-education-research.com/publications/miscellaneous/what-is-the-point-of-a-faculty-of-education/ The text in thi...

This article offers a viewpoint regarding the current status of chemistry education research (CER) as a scholarly field within science education, and suggests priorities for future directions of work in the field. The article begins by briefly considering what makes something a discrete field of activity, and what makes such a field ‘scientific’. T...

Experimental studies are often employed to test the effectiveness of teaching innovations such as new pedagogy, curriculum, or learning resources. This article offers guidance on good practice in developing research designs, and in drawing conclusions from published reports. Random control trials potentially support the use of statistical inference...

Chemistry is a difficult subject to learn, in part because explanations for chemical phenomena are abstract, involving the interactions of invisible particles. Thus, students may construct ideas and explanations of chemical phenomena that are inconsistent with those accepted by the scientific community; these ideas may be resistant to change as the...

The internet is prevalent in society today, and user-friendly web-based productivity tools are readily available for developing diagnostic instruments. This study sought to determine the affordances of a web-based diagnostic instrument on ionisation energy (wIEDI) based on the pen-and-paper version, the Ionisation Energy Diagnostic Instrument (IEDI...

Constructivism has been widely adopted as a referent for research, curriculum development and recommended pedagogy in education. This chapter considers key issues relating to the adoption of constructivist thinking in education which have arisen within the field of science education. Constructivism has been mooted as a dominant paradigm in science...

Cronbach’s alpha is a statistic commonly quoted by authors to demonstrate that tests and scales that have been constructed or adopted for research projects are fit for purpose. Cronbach’s alpha is regularly adopted in studies in science education: it was referred to in 69 different papers published in 4 leading science education journals in a singl...

Within educational discourse, the idea that teachers should ‘scaffold’ student learning is extremely widespread, yet it is often less clear what this means in the classroom beyond the teacher structuring learning activities and offering students support. Many teachers associate the term with the educational thinking of Vygotsky, but they are often...

Scaffolding allows a learner to succeed in tasks beyond their current developmental level, through sharing in activities that can facilitate the learner to internalise that activity through social mediation. This guides the learner’s development towards autonomous success in the activity. The process is effective to the extent that the shared activ...

The concept of matter is considered to be a fundamental concept for achieving scientific literacy, while students developing an understanding of its particulate nature is one of the prominent targets of chemistry curricula. The present study sought to examine how young children understand liquids (water) and solids (sugar) and their composition, an...

A great deal of research has indicated that teaching is rarely a matter of introducing learners to material that simply replaces previous ignorance, but is more often a matter of presenting ideas that are somewhat at odds with existing understanding. In subjects such as chemistry, learners at school and university come to their studies already hold...

Academic authorship is a key concept in scholarly publication. Publications bring academic credit, and authorship is the accepted way of recognizing who deserves that credit. Similarly, authorship ensures accountability for the claims published in research journals. Journals, therefore, commonly require the submitting author to make some form of de...

The 2019 special issue of Chemistry Education Research and Practice has been announced and will have the theme ‘Visualisations and representations in chemistry education’. The call from the theme guest editors, Resa Kelly and Sevil Akaygün, for submissions to be considered for the theme is available on the journal’s blog ( http://blogs.rsc.org/rp/2...

I have recently been in correspondence with the staff of the Journal of Chemistry: Education Research and Practice, something which has brought home to me the extent to which academic standards and scholarly values are under threat. I should point out, just in case it is not obvious, that the Journal of Chemistry: Education Research and Practice ha...

The English National Curriculum (for 5–16 year olds) for the science taught in English schools has had unintended as well as planned effects. There has been extensive government involvement in the professional work of teachers through inspection regimes, offering direction on the nature of formal assessment, and emphasising the outcomes of high sta...

This chapter discusses the design and development of a teaching module on electrical circuits for lower secondary students (11-14 year olds) studying in the context of the English National Curriculum. The module was developed as part of a project: “Effecting Principled Improvement in STEM Education” (epiSTEMe). The electricity module was designed a...

Worried about teaching natural selection, submicroscopic particle models or circuits? Keith S. Taber explores a range of issues faced in secondary science teaching and discusses strategies for teaching the nature of scientific knowledge, making practical work effective and challenging gifted young scientists. MasterClass in Science Education shows...

This article considers the relationship between belief and learning science. It is argued that belief in science (as a process) needs to be distinguished from belief in particular scienti c ideas and knowledge claims. Scienti c knowledge is theoretical and provisional – something to be adopted for its utility, not as articles of faith. The scienti...

Constructivism as a perspective on teaching draws upon research into the nature of learning to inform pedagogy. From a constructivist viewpoint educational technologies are potential tools for enacting curriculum through particular pedagogic approaches. New technologies therefore add to the teacher’s toolbox offering alternative ways to bring about...

There are a number of markers of research fields (Good, 2000; Fensham, 2004). In particular, a research field requires a body of researchers who are working in what is recognised as a distinct area of enquiry, and who themselves associate their work with that field. These scholars should be spread across more than one institution, and major researc...

Learning is a complex process that may be represented in a number of different models. Researchers in science education have developed a representation of learning that assumes cognition is composed of multiple conceptual resources that are selectively activated in different contexts. This chapter focuses on one multi-element model of learning, the...

This paper examines the role of the microgenetic method in science education. The microgenetic method is a technique for exploring the progression of learning in detail through repeated, high-frequency observations of a learner’s ‘performance’ in some activity. Existing microgenetic studies in science education are analysed. This leads to an examin...

Cronbach's alpha is a statistic commonly quoted by authors to demonstrate that tests and scales that have been constructed or adopted for research projects are good for purpose. Cronbach's alpha is regularly adopted in studies in science education: it was referred to in 69 different papers published in four leading science education journals in a s...

Lisa Borgerding’s work highlights how students can understand evolution without necessarily committing to it, and how learners may come to see it as one available way of thinking amongst others. This is presented as something that should be considered a successful outcome when teaching about material that many students may find incompatible with th...

Chemistry education is now increasingly seen as an academic field of scholarship in its own right. This article suggests two important principles to be taken into account when considering the question ‘What should be the key foci for chemistry education research (CER)?’. The first of these applies a typology that divides research into chemistry cla...

2016 Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Química.Chemistry education is now increasingly seen as an academic field of scholarship in its own right. This article suggests two important principles to be taken into account when considering the question 'What should be the key foci for chemistry education research (CER)?'. The first of...

This chapter considers the relationship between science and religion and how this might impact on teaching and learning science. Whilst the teaching of scientific ideas about human origins to some student populations is recognised as a potential area of contention, there is a deeper underlying tension between different understandings of the nature...

This chapter considers the difficulties of effectively teaching about evolution – a topic that cannot be sensibly omitted from any authentic science or biology curriculum. There are a number of features of natural selection that make teaching this topic challenging for teachers. Some of these features are similar to problems in teaching other ‘diff...

Science is now an accepted, indeed often a core, part of the school curriculum around the world. However, no matter how much time is put aside for teaching science,there always has to be a severe selection of material as there is much more potential science content than could realistically be fitted within a pupil’s school career.

Science teaching is not about persuading students to believe things. Indeed, it will be suggested in this chapter that it is – usually – inappropriate for science teachers to think about learning objectives in terms of what their students should believe.

This chapter discusses the nature and roles of models in science, and in science education. It is argued that models and modelling are important in science teaching both because of the need to authentically reflect the importance of modelling in science itself, and because of the pedagogic role of models.

This chapter is about teaching chemistry as a science subject, and teaching chemistry topics within more general science courses.

Prior knowledge – what learners already know and understand – is a major determinant of what students will learn from their science classes (Taber, 2015).

Science education is a key area of activity internationally. Science education is a major field of practice, with science (and individual science disciplines) being taught and learnt at various levels, both formally (for example in schools) and through more informal approaches (such as the learning that takes place when people visit science museums...

"This book comprises a wide range of scholarly essays introducing readers to key topics and issues in science education. Science education has become a well established field in its own right, with a vast literature, and many active areas of scholarship. Science Education: An International Course Companion offers an entry point for students seeking...

This paper examines the role of the microgenetic method in science education. The microgenetic method is a technique for exploring the progression of learning in detail through repeated, high-frequency observations of a learner’s ‘performance’ in some activity. Existing microgenetic studies in science education are analysed. This leads to an examin...

Symbolic expressions are essential resources for producing knowledge, yet they are a source of learning difficulties in chemistry education. This study aims to employ social semiotics to analyse the symbolic representation of chemistry from two complementary perspectives, referred to here as contextual (i.e., historical) and functional. First, the...

This article describes an attempt to integrate teaching about an aspect of science ‘content’ with an aspect of the nature of science (NOS) through the development of a practically-based researchinformed teaching module for use in lower secondary school. The module concerned electrical circuits and the aspect of NOS focused upon was the role of mode...

The Effecting Principled Improvement in STEM Education [epiSTEMe] project undertook pedagogical research aimed at improving pupil engagement and learning in early secondary school physical science and mathematics. Using principles identified as effective in the research literature and drawing on a range of existing pedagogical resources, the projec...

Internationally in secondary schools, lessons are typically taught by subject specialists, raising the question of how to accommodate teaching which bridges the sciences and humanities. This is the first study to look at how students make sense of the teaching they receive in two subjects (science and religious education [RE]) when one subject's cu...

This research is aimed at exploring 16- to 19-year-old students’ understanding of fundamental genetics concepts, which has considerable importance for developing conceptual understanding of genetics related phenomena. A cross-national descriptive research method was used to explore English and Turkish students’ understandings of genetics concepts....

The focus of this chapter is an activity, a science analogy game, introduced as part of a science enrichment programme for 14–15 year old gifted students attending English state schools. The ‘game’ was designed to be fun, but had a serious rationale. The activity was intended to encourage students to think divergently around school science concepts...

All students should be entitled to educational provision which they can access and which challenges them sufficiently to support their development. In any class in a public education system there will likely be a small proportion of students for whom the provision offered for most students will fail to challenge them in any meaningful way. These ‘g...