ABSTRACT
It is no longer necessary to argue about whether or not children have out-ofschool notions which affect their school learning of science. Research has copiously affirmed the point in ways which have been described in Chapter 1 of this book. Now it is possible to take as our starting point that these notions do exist, that they have pronounced common features (at least within any one culture), that they are multiply held and often inconsistently applied by the children, and that they are remarkably resistant to change by teaching.
