| dc.description |
Many students embarking on post-16 science studies in the UK will have pursued the National Curriculum. They will, it is hoped, have gained some procedural understanding while being exposed to fair testing, types of variable, presenting data and handling evidence, together perhaps with the concept of errors. However, some may not have retained this knowledge (see, for example, Ofsted 1994, SCAA 1994); indeed, some, especially single-award students, may not have gained the knowledge in the first place (Gott and Duggan 1995, p 64). Some recruits post-16 may have been schooled abroad or be mature students: they may not have benefited from the experimental and investigative parts of the National Curriculum; indeed, they may not have studied science at all nor ever designed a practical experiment. Therefore, it is unlikely that many students have a grasp of uncertainty or how errors arise. Consequently, all may benefit from an exploration of methodology and revision of skills, in a form more appropriate to post-16 contexts. This article proposes a suite of experiments designed to ensure continuity for students entering post-16 physics. |
