Primary school pupils' ability to see scientific problems in everyday phenomena

Conclusion

Although the experiments reported here are only a beginning to the research needed, the results obtained so far suggest that some teachers and some curriculum planners have overlooked factors in their consideration of problem solving as a learning method in primary school science.

There appear to be teachers who have rejected this approach prematurely because many of the problems children suggest when they are first introduced to this method of working are not sound starting points for investigation.

Curriculum palnners, on the other hand, do not appear to have given serious consideration to the fact that some subject matter provides a better starting point for pupil problem solving than others. Further, there has been inadequate information available for teachers on the type of classroom situations and teacher behaviour which will maximize pupils' ability to see investigable science problems in everyday phenomena. The type of research reported here will be continued and expanded to provide a clearer picture of contexts in which the ability of pupils to see investigable scientific problems is maximized.