Sources from a Somerset village: A model for informal learning about radiation and radioactivity

Much of the work on conceptual change in the learning of science has focused on the cognitive domain—the factors influencing and underwriting the knowledge required by learners. Many researchers have used the model developed by Strike and Posner who suggest that conceptual change will only take place when the subject matter to be learned is seen by the learner to be intelligible, plausible, and fruitful. Although these are important ingredients for learning and the later revisions of the Strike and Posner model recognize the important role of affective and social domains, the model, however, remains cognitive in emphasis. We build on Treagust's development of the original Strike and Posner model. Through a series of studies set within informal learning contexts in the UK we argue that models of conceptual change learning should also encompass issues of affect, conation, and self-esteem. We explain our use of these expressions through a range of examples, which, in this study, are drawn from four case studies concerning the informal learning of radiation and radioactivity within the general public. These cases concern members of a rural village in a geographic area in the UK that has high levels of background radiation through naturally occurring radon gas. The emphasis of this work relates to the extent to which we can use this extended model of conceptual change learning to describe these villagers' engagement with the science involved in a hazard in their daily lives. Our summary comments examine the need for a greater awareness of the major components of learning in informal science. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 81:633–650, 1997.