Abstract
In terms of education, cognitive psychology encourages us to develop students’ memory, thinking, and ability to reflect on and regulate their thinking. Learning is a constructive process; learners’ prior knowledge and their cognitive strategies are at the heart of meaningful learning (Ausubel in The acquisition and retention of knowledge: A cognitive view. Springer-Science + Business Media, B.V., 2000). By the time students enter our classrooms, they have been constructing knowledge for years. Students have done this in their attempt to organize experiences and observations that allow them to make sense of their world. An unfortunate occurrence is that misconceptions are common and strongly held on to. Research has shown us that misconceptions are likely to remain after teaching (Halloun and Hestenes, American Journal of Physics 53:1043–1055, 1985). We know that laboratory experiments in science classes that are designed to verify known phenomena, do not make observations, or formulate principles do not lead to students learning science (Kranz et al., Studies in Science Education 59:321–367, 2023). Similarly open-ended labs, or unstructured ‘hands-on’ activities, are also not likely to promote scientific inquiry as they are very time-consuming, with students going in multiple paths many of which do not lead to meaningful science education. Science education at its core needs to lead to students understanding their physical and natural world as such this chapter explores the role of cognitive psychology in science education.