Science, Stories, and Sense-Making: A Comparison of Qualitative Data from a Wetlands Unit.

Posner's theory of conceptual change forms the background for this study which focuses upon conceptual ecology, specifically upon the heuristics children appear to employ in sense-making. The study reports data from a 2-week wetland unit conducted during a summer camp program. The data consist of tape recordings and drawings made by the children. The analysis focuses upon two children who demonstrate remarkably different sense-making heuristics: a recognizably scientific one and one that involves the generation of metaphors and personalized stories. The study argues the importance of attending to the heuristics of sense-making in studies of conceptual ecology and conceptual change. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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