| Abstract: | This paper offers a comparative analysis of some science concepts held by intending primary teachers in Britain and Spain. Drawing on personal construct theory, a questionnaire was devised to elicit concepts of volume, mass and conservation of mass, and their application to physical and chemical transformations. The results from the two countries show the difficulties students have in applying the conservation of mass to the apparently simple cases offered here. The replies are analysed in terms of differences in national curricula and in the range of science previously studied. The implications for teacher education are elaborated. |
