La ciencia que se enseña en la escuela suele ser muy distinta de la ciencia real. También de los conocimientos correspondientes empleados en la vida cotidiana. Partiendo de tan desalentadora situación, el autor propone alternativas prácticas para cambiarla, llevando a la conciencia del estudiante esas distintas características en los objetivos y medios cognitivos de cada una de estas «tres ciencias».
Un análisis y una comparación de la vida diaria y el ámbito de la ciencia revela diferencias significativas en sus objetivos y en los medios cognitivos utilizados para alcanzar esos objetivos. La falta de conciencia que los estudiantes tienen de estas diferencias puede conducir a una dificultad general de aprendizaje en su estudio de la ciencia. Por tanto, muchos estudiantes a) tienen conceptos erróneos de objetivos científicos, b) importan objetivos y maneras de pensar que son eficaces en la vida de cada día pero que no son adecuados para la ciencia, y c) idean maneras de pensar inadecuadas para la ciencia. Se plantean complicaciones adicionales porque la ciencia que se enseña en las escuelas suele diferir tanto de la ciencia real como de la vida de cada día. De esta manera, las dificultades de aprendizaje de los estudiantes aumentan porque los objetivos científicos se distorsionan y las maneras científicas de pensar se enseñan de manera inadecuada. El análisis precedente sugiere algunas investigaciones empíricas y algunas mejoras educativas.
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