Cognitive acceleration through science education: alternative perspectives

Since the publication in 1991 of Thinking Science, a commercially available scheme resulting from the CASE (cognitive acceleration through science education) (Adey et al. 1989) research carried out by Shayer and Adey, it has been adopted in many schools in the hope of raising standards in science. This paper will review the evidence, add a little more to the debate and consider the educational background to the programme. We will suggest that its adoption can be argued on empirical or philosophical grounds but that each argument carries with it certain consequences which must be borne in mind by any school intending to embark on such a programme.