ABSTRACT
As the authors of this paper point out, learning by discovery is currently very fashionable in educational circles. A substantial amount of literature has been produced on the subject and many hundreds of teachers have attempted to use discovery methods in their classes. However, there are problems in deciding what discovery learning is and there is often a singular lack of supporting evidence for the views of some of the more ardent exponents of the method. This paper discusses these problems and presents some research findings which should help to bring the subject into a more useful perspective.
