S ummary . Three schools of thought on the intellectual development of science pupils were examined and it was concluded that theories which take account of the characteristics of both the subject‐matter and the learner have the best prognosis. Strengths and weaknesses of popular methodologies for eliciting information about cognitive development were explored and it was suggested that pupils' classroom behaviours can provide a useful data‐base for the cognitive theorist. These points were illustrated by combining a logical analysis of a scheme of generic categories of scientific behaviours with a study of the incidences of these behaviours in science lessons across twelve consecutive years of primary and secondary schooling. Behaviours of 3,751 pupils in 864 lessons taught by 144 science teachers were cluster‐analysed and a three‐tier, hierarchical model of intellectual development in science was postulated. The preferred instructional strategies of the science teaching population studied were described.
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R. G. Hacker (1984) studied this question.