What Can Developmental Theory Contribute to Elementary Science Instruction?

Children personally construct explanations of natural phenomena, some of which differ from currently accepted scientific explanations. The replacement of personal explanations with scientific explanations, as well as the development of concrete, formal, and post-formal reasoning patterns, requires self-regulation in which alternative explanations are generated and tested in a hypothetico-predictive fashion. Consequently, inquiry-based science instruction in which students explore nature; encounter puzzling observations; and, subsequently, generate and test their own explanations not only helps them acquire meaningful concepts, it also helps them develop intellectually and become scientifically literate. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table, and 1 endnote.)