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Database design and use has educational interest for utilitarian and learning reasons. Database technology has significant economic impact and the demand for database design can not be covered by the existent educated experts. Furthermore the database management systems available at schools could be used for the design and implementation of high quality learning activities. Databases are general purpose modeling environments that enable problem solving using conceptual frameworks closer to the solver and the problem than the machine architecture. Databases design introduction in the curricula of secondary education programs raises educational research questions. Research questions concern the didactics of the subject as well as the value of database design based learning activities. In this paper we present some of the more significant findings of an action research concerning the database design in secondary education. Research questions concern the ideas of students about databases and their difficulties during database design. Data, collected using a variety of research activities, are analyzed and discussed and teaching strategies are proposed. Keywords: Database modeling and design, Cognitive difficulties, Secondary Education IntroductionDatabase technology has significant economic impact. Labor statistics organizations predict that database management is likely to experience of the faster growth in jobs for the period 1998-2008(Antony & Batra, 2002. This is mainly because administration systems and many internet applications are based on databases. The increasing demand for database construction results on a significant percentage of databases developed by employees without formal related training. The data base design from uneducated people (e.g. end users) raises issues concerning effectiveness of the produced solutions (Batra, Hoffer, & Bostrom, 1990). The above facts state utilitarian reasons for large scale database design education.Furthermore Data Base Management Systems (DBMS's) as general purpose modeling environments (Hancock, & Kaput, 1990) are cognitive tools (Jonassen, 2000) that enable their users to exploit computational resources for problem solving providing conceptual frameworks closer to the user and the problem than the computer architecture. Databases represent the structural characteristics of physical systems. In contrast with other structural modeling techniques (e.g. conceptual maps), databases are interactive and executable models facilitating learning activities in * Corresponding author E-mail addresses: [gfesakis, adimitr]@rhodes.aegean.gr (Fessakis G., Dimitracopoulou A.), komis@upatras.gr (Komis V). of 3Tuesday , September 02, 2003Elsevier R e v i e w C o p y which the learner actively reflects his own perception of the physical system under study. Database design can be used for the development of learning activities consistent to modern learning theories and didactic approaches. The above observations combined with the wide availability of user friendly DBMS's at sc...

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