COGNITIVE ACCELERATION THROUGH SCIENCE-EDUCATION - ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES

Since the publication in 1991 of Thinking Science, a commercially avai lable scheme resulting from the CASE (cognitive acceleration through s cience education) (Adey et al. 1989) research carried out by Shayer an d Adey, it has been adopted in many schools in the hope of raising sta ndards in science. This paper will review the evidence, add a little m ore to the debate and consider the educational background to the progr amme. We will suggest that its adoption can be argued on empirical or philosophical grounds but that each argument carries with it certain c onsequences which must be borne in mind by any school intending to emb ark on such a programme.