Abhijeet Bardapurkar

PhD (2009, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research)

My research interests are in the areas of Understanding, Explanation and Learning, particularly learning of theories in Biology. I approach these areas from the points of History and Philosophy of Biology, Cognitive Developmental Psychology, and Science Education studies.

My specific area of work has been Evolution Education, particularly problems in understanding causality in natural selection. Not unrelated to all this are my interests in Philosophy of Education and Elementary Biology Teacher Education, where I am broadly interested in: understanding, meaning, learning, teaching and constructivism. I also have developing interests in normative (ethical/moral) dimensions of education in general.

Teaching:

‘Educational implications of philosophy of science and cognitive developmental psychology’, as parts of Science Education paper of M.A.--Education programme of the Centre for Studies in Sociology of Education, School Of Social Sciences, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India.  November 2008 to March 2009; October 2009 to March 2010.

‘History and Philosophy of Science’, at National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, India. Jan. 2009 to May 2009.

‘Philosophy of Education’, at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India. August 2009 to December 2009.

‘Cognitive Developmental Psychology’, at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India. January 2010 to May 2010.

Publications:

In journals:

1. Bardapurkar, A. S. (2006) “Experience, Reason and Science Education”. Current
Science 90(6), 758.

http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/mar252006/contents.htm

1. Bardapurkar, A. S. (2008) “Do Students See the “Selection” in Organic
Evolution? A Critical Review of the Causal
Structure of Student Explanations”. Evolution: Education and Outreach 1(3),
299-305.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12052-008-0048-5


In conferences & proceedings:

1. Bardapurkar, A. S. (2005a) “Understanding Natural Selection via Variation and Artificial Selection”. A paper presented at Eighth International History, Philosophy, Sociology & Science Teaching Conference, July 15 to July 18, 2005, University of Leeds, England.

2. Bardapurkar, A. S. (2005b) “Reality, truth and the logic of science: Exploring students’ views about scientific knowledge”. A paper presented at Eighth International History, Philosophy, Sociology & Science Teaching Conference, July 15 to July 18, 2005, University of Leeds, England.

3. Bardapurkar, A. S. and Nagarjuna G. (2005) “Students’ explanations: A review of how students understand the theory of evolution”. A paper presented at epiSTEME 1 (An international conference to review research on science, technology and mathematics education) December 13-17, 2004, Goa, India.

4. Bardapurkar, A. S. (2007) “What is ‘natural’ in natural selection?” A paper presented at  the 2007 meeting of the International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB), July 25 to July 29, 2007, University of Exeter, Exeter, England.

5. Bardapurkar, A. S. (2009) “Causal Structure of the Student’s Explanatory Narrative of Evolutionary Change”. A paper presented at Tenth International History, Philosophy, Sociology & Science Teaching Conference, June 24 to 28, 2009, University of Notre Dame, USA.