ABSTRACT
MINERAL Most children in Happs's studiesl 2 did not associate 'mineral' with rocks. They were more likely to think of mineral water, minerals and vitamins or mineral resources. Occasionally, it was suggested that minerals are 'small stones or precious things'. After a particular teaching programme, minerals were· treated as being the same as rocks and both words were used indiscriminately in classifying rock samples as 'volcanic' (regardless of whether they were sedimentary, metamorphic or igneous).
