Science in context

Abstract

This article reports a series of interviews with primary (Year 6) children. It examines their ability to perceive science in everyday contexts, using a novel approach involving newspaper photographs as stimuli. Their perception of science is compared and contrasted with that 12 months later, after a year in secondary school. Although a small-scale study, the findings raise questions about the nature of science teaching and learning in our schools and, especially, the significance of qualitative changes at the primary-secondary interface.