Alternative Perspectives of Cognitive Structure Influence Instructional Perceptions and Intentions?

The notion that students come to science courses with misconceptions has become quite widely accepted by those who follow or participate in education research. DiSessa and his colleagues (disessa, 1988, 1993; Smith, diSessa, & Roschelle, 199311 994) have challenged the theoretical and empirical validity of this perspective and offered an alternative account of cognitive structure in phenomenologicalprimi-tives or p-prims. The purpose of this article is to further clarify and contrast the two accounts: in particular, to consider their utility and generativity as conceptual tools for teachers. How may each perspective influence instructional perceptions and intentions? The article recounts a discussion about forces and motion from a high-school physics class, analyzes how a teacher may perceive students ' participation in that discussion from either perspective, and considers what, based on those percep-tions, the teacher may see as tasks for instruction. It has become widely accepted as a truth, among those who follow or participate in science education research, that students come to science courses with conceptions about the world that differ from scientists', and that these misconceptions need t