Dr. Karen Meyer's current research program is built upon an ensuing interest and previous work that investigates the ingenious ways students interpret and explain natural phenomena. Her academic background in cognitive psychology and science education, and an advocacy of constructivism contribute to ways Karen interprets her studies. Her 'spiral' path of research began with eliciting students' conceptions of natural phenomena, moved into documenting students' early capabilities as experimenters, and currently resides with sociological and epistemological issues of collaborative learning in science.The thread that ties these research turns is an interest in the interplay between knowledge, action, and interaction (as a social phenomenon).

Dr. Meyer and a colleague are developing a theoretical framework that incorporates consensus (as students' shared understandings) and aspects of knowledge building communities.Their supporting empirical research involves the implementation of a socio-generative teaching approach designed to connect students' existing knowledge and experience with scientific concepts.It features students working within small and large groups, and activities that prompt students to generate powerful, cogent and coherent explanations of related phenomena. The target age group has been grade seven students.Papers in progress on this current research agenda are below. For Karen, an additional twist is pursuing funds for a multimedia project to facilitate this approach.

Recent Publications

Meyer, K. (2000). Looking for science in all the wrong places. In C. James (Ed.), Experiencing difference (pp. 78-88). Halifax: Fernwood Publishing.

Meyer, K. (1998). Reflections on being female in school science: Toward a praxis of teaching science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 35 (4), 463-471.

Meyer, K. & Fels, L. (1998). Einstein, the Universe and Us: Science hits the stage. Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, 14:1, 22-26

Fels, L. and Meyer, K. (1997). On the edge of chaos: Co-evolving Worlds of Drama and Science. Teaching Education, 19 (1), 75-81.

Woodruff, E. and Meyer, K. (1997). Explanations from intra and inter group discourse: Students building knowledge in the science classroom. Research in Science Education, 27, 25-39.

Meyer, K. & Woodruff, E. (1997). Consensually driven explanation in science teaching. Science Education, 81, 175-194.

Erickson, G. and Meyer, K. (1997). Performance assessment tasks in science: What are they measuring? In K.

Tobin and B. Fraser (Eds.), International Handbook of Science Education. The Hague: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 845-864.

Meyer, K. (1997). Book review: Changing the Subject. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 29 (4), 485-489.