An Examination of Robert Karplus’s Theory of Science Education:

Focusing on the Activities of the SCIS Project

Abstract

This study examines Robert Karplus’s theory of science education focusing on the activities developed in his SCIS project. Karplus designed science education as general education where the objective is students’ achievement of scientific literacy. He developed SCIS’s curriculum based on the theory of Piagetian intellectual development. The curriculum was consisted of three kinds of concepts: interpreting concepts, explanatory concepts, and concepts about objects. He also conceived of the learning cycle strategy which was based on the Kuhnian theory and Piagetian theory. This enabled teachers to support students to transform preconceptions into scientifically appropriate ones; and to promote children’s intellectual development. Thereby, students learned scientific concepts and developed ability to operate abstract concepts to solve problems around them.