"根據建構主義的觀點，學生乃一主動的學習者，他會努力設法瞭解週遭自然界的現象，從而建構起一套相當穩定的信念，以解釋這些現象。「學生的科學」或叫「替代架構」，目前普遍稱為「迷思概念」，具有下列特色：只注意明顯的外表變化，思考易受感覺主導，以絕對的性質作解釋，並使用簡單的線性因果關係來推理，故其科學概念往往未經分化而不精緻。因替代架構深植學生腦海中，雖經教師多方教學仍然牢不可動搖，國小教師在自然科教學時，必須對學生的想法有深刻的認識，採取有效的教學法，才能改變學生的迷思概念。
核能發電廠空浮事件剛發生不久，民眾驚魂甫定，不料輻射鋼筋事件又接踵而至，新聞媒體爭相報導，臺灣島上居民一時之間也隨著人心惶惶。根據科教學者Ronneau與Eijkel─hof等人的研究發現，西方大多數民眾對放射性與輻射的概念，普遍存著憂慮恐怖，且具有極不正確的想法。鑑於今日世界中，吾人與科學之交互作用十分密切，除了課堂上正式的教學之外，學生事經由電視、報章雜誌、電動玩具、課外讀物、朋友或家庭成員等等管道，獲得一些和科學有關的概念。唯科教研究業已證實，學生這種課外知識往往是外行的想法，即所謂的替代概念，常常包含許多不完全或扭曲的科學概念，對正確科學概念之教學造成極大困擾。本研究因此乃嚐試探討中部地區國民小學教師和國立臺中師範學院師資班學生，對放射性與輻射概念的了解。
本研究之主要目的為：
（一） 探討報紙對放射性與輻射過程的報導實況。
（二） 了解國民小學教師對放射性與輻射過程的迷思概念。
（三） 了解國立臺中師範學院師資班學生對放射性與輻射過程的迷思概念。
以中部地區五縣、市（臺中縣、臺中市、彰化縣、彰化市及南投縣）國民小學教師為對象。為使樣本具有代表性，以分層叢集隨機取樣方法（Stratified─Cluster Random Sampling），選定城市地區（臺中市與彰化市）之國小6所（智、仁、勇類學校各2所），鄉鎮地區國小8所，與偏遠地區之國小2所，共計選取16所學校為樣本。上述取樣之16所國小，每校按學校班級數多寡，分別隨機抽10，8及4名教師為施測對象，估計調查樣本之教師約140人。至於師資班學生，則以在本校進修之夜間師資班，兩班學生為樣本，參與人數共計89名。
調查結果顯示：
若將國小教師與師資班學生對放射性與輻射的想法和新聞媒體報導加以比較，可發現其間具有很大的相似性。雖然所有的國小教師均受過正式的教學，但其概念和報紙的看法十分相近。由科學的定義或觀點加以檢視，可發現報紙的資訊與教師、師資班學生的概念，其實有許多是以偏概全或不正確的，導至有時侯令人產生了情緒性的危險意識或危機感，但這也反映了國小教師與師資班學生所接觸的社會，不當的迷思概念在日常生活中一再被增強，如此則可能會和正式教學的概念互相衝突。
本研究乃嘗試分析人們對生活世界中的現象─輻射鋼筋事件與核能電廠放射線外洩，探討國小教師與師資班學生概念理解的內容與特徵。由問卷調查與晤談結果，發現國小教師與師資班學生在日常生活相關的放射性與輻射性之概念，很可能受新聞媒體報導的影響，以致於在情緒上產生直接負面的反應，即危險、恐懼的感覺。今後之研究應探討科學知識應如何運用，方能教導群眾避免「恐核感覺」，使其有正確的反應。

"After the radiating steel accident had induced a wave of panic over most part of Taiwan, this study was initiated to explore the conceptual understanding of mass media and elementary school teachers as well as the pre─service teachers.
There is no doubt that nowadays the interaction between young people and science is very strong. Apart from classroom teaching, magazines, newspapers television, plays and discussions with peers and family members often present occasions for science learning. And yet, it has been found that at the elementary school level, knowledge based on daily experience and common─sense usually contains incomplete or distorted scientific ideas（or misconceptions）which, in turn, can seriously hinder the acquisition of basic scientific concepts. Those misconceptions interfere with pupils’ classroom activities, causing them to accept only ideas which they find consistent with their misconceptions and to reject as irrelevant those ideas which are in contrast. For most people, misinformation is common about radio─activity；opinion is unsettled about risks, distrust is the rule. This means that a careful analysis of the difference between scientific knowledge and common─sense knowledge within the particular context of radioactivity is necessary.
This study reported here had two broad aims：
（a） to get a general and representative picture of the ways in which information about radioactivity and radiation process was given in newspaper reports about radiating steel accident.
（b） To get a general and representative picture of the ways in which both teachers and pupils in elementary schools thought about radioactivity and radiation processes prior to instruction about radioactivity and radiation at schools.
However, it was aimed to make this description representative in a more qualitative way than a quantitative statistical sense.
What we have reported here represents a first attempt to analyze the content and characterization of life─world knowledge and reasoning, as the appeared form the press reports and pupils’ questionnaire concerning the radiating steel event. Our results confirm the importance of social knowledge construction in the life─world of elementary teachers as well as the pre─service teachers."