Constructionism in Practice @bullet Necc '94

This paper introduces the framework of image of science as a tool for understanding and enhancing children’s science learning. A child’s image of science incorporates both cognitive aspects, such as ideas about science, scientists and experimentation, and affective aspects, such as identification with, or alienation from, science. It is argued that there are aspects of science accessible to elementary school students, which could help enrich their images of science, and potentially enhance their science learning. Results from three studies show the development of children’s images of science, from grades two to six. Although children’s ideas about science in some ways become more sophisticated with age, their excitement about science decreases. Furthermore, the process by which new knowledge is generated remains mysterious, leaving most children on the “outside” of science. In Y. Kafai and M. Resnick (Eds.), Constructionism in Practice: Rethinking the Roles