Children's Informal Ideas in Science addresses the question of whether children's ideas about science can be explained in a single theoretical framework. Twelve different approaches combine to tackle this central issue, each taking a deliberately critical standpoint. Participating in the debate without claiming to resolve it, the contributors address such themes as values in research, the social construction of knowledge and the work of Piaget. The editors conclude with a discussion of how a theory can be built up, along with suggestions for ways ahead in the research.