The effects of Common Knowledge Construction Model sequence of lessons on science achievement and relational conceptual change

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM) lesson sequence, an intervention based both in conceptual change theory and in Phenomenography, a subset of conceptual change theory. A mixed approach was used to investigate whether this model had a significant effect on 7th grade students' science achievement and conceptual change. The Excretion Unit Achievement Test (EUAT) indicated that students (N = 33) in the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores (p < 0.001) than students in the control group (N = 35) taught by traditional teaching methods. Qualitative analysis of students' pre‐ and post‐teaching conceptions of excretion revealed (1) the addition and deletion of ideas from pre‐ to post‐teaching; (2) the change in the number of students within categories of ideas; (3) the replacement of everyday language with scientific labels; and (4) the difference in the complexity of students' responses from pre‐ to post‐teaching. These findings contribute to the literature on teaching that incorporates students' conceptions and conceptual change. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 25–46, 2010     

Longitudinal couplings between interest and conceptual understanding in secondary school chemistry: an activity-based perspective

This paper presents the findings of a three-year longitudinal study (Grades 9–11; N?=?756 students in German secondary schools; mean starting age?=?14.7 years) that explores the development of and the interplay between upper-secondary students’ individual interest and conceptual understanding in chemistry. Students’ individual interest was assessed in seven dimensions of school science activities (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, conventional, and networking) according to Dierks et al.'s RIASEC+N model. The data was collected annually using paper-and-pencil questionnaires. In order to analyse the longitudinal relation between students’ academic interest and conceptual understanding, Eccles et al.'s Expectancy-Value Theoretical Model of Achievement Choices (EEVT) was utilised and seven bivariate cross-lagged models were performed to investigate the assumed reciprocal relations between both constructs. Regarding the developmental progression of individual interest and conceptual knowledge, latent growth curve models indicate a small decrease in all of the seven dimensions of students’ interest in school science activities and concomitant a moderate growth of students’ conceptual understanding. Moreover, structural equation modelling suggests weak reciprocal relations between students’ conceptual understanding and their interest in investigative, social and networking school science activities, respectively. Furthermore, students’ interest in enterprising activities predicted their subsequent conceptual understanding. No systematic pattern of cross-lagged effects between the three remaining interest dimensions and conceptual understanding were found. The results indicate that school science activities, which provide the potential for cognitively activating learning opportunities, could enhance the relation between students’ interest and conceptual understanding. Implications for teaching practice and further research are discussed.     

Understanding genetics: Analysis of secondary students' conceptual status

This article explores the conceptual change of students in Grades 10 and 12 in three Australian senior high schools when the teachers included computer multimedia to a greater or lesser extent in their teaching of a genetics course. The study, underpinned by a multidimensional conceptual‐change framework, used an interpretive approach and a case‐based design with multiple data collection methods. Over 4–8 weeks, the students learned genetics in classroom lessons that included BioLogica activities, which feature multiple representations. Results of the online tests and interview tasks revealed that most students improved their understanding of genetics as evidenced in the development of genetics reasoning. However, using Thorley's (1990) status analysis categories, a cross‐case analysis of the gene conceptions of 9 of the 26 students interviewed indicated that only 4 students' postinstructional conceptions were intelligible–plausible–fruitful. Students' conceptual change was consistent with classroom teaching and learning. Findings suggested that multiple representations supported conceptual understanding of genetics but not in all students. It was also shown that status can be a viable hallmark enabling researchers to identify students' conceptual change that would otherwise be less accessible. Thorley's method for analyzing conceptual status is discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 205–235, 2007     

Experimentation in biology lessons: guided discovery through incremental scaffolds

Experimentation is a complex problem-solving process. In biology lessons, experiments involve creative thinking and open discovery; however, they still require some degree of instructional guidance. The right balance between discovery learning and instructional guidance depends substantially on students’ prior knowledge. Students with low prior knowledge in particular might have difficulties with conducting and understanding experiments. Incremental scaffolds might be a valuable tool to meditate between pure discovery and strong guidance while simultaneously taking learners’ individual knowledge and skills into account. In the current study, we examined the effects of incremental scaffolds (IncSc), no scaffolds (NoSc), and worked-out examples (WoEx) on students’ knowledge acquisition while doing inquiry-based experimentation with a special focus on students with low prior knowledge. In a pre-posttest design, 193 students (M_age?=?13.02?±?0.81 years) participated in a four-hour teaching unit on animals’ overwintering strategies. In the pre- and posttest, we assessed the students’ conceptual and procedural knowledge. Our results partially confirmed our hypotheses: Regarding the conceptual and procedural knowledge of all students, incremental scaffolds showed no additional benefit regarding students’ knowledge in the posttest when compared to working with no scaffolds or worked-out examples. For the students with low prior knowledge, working with incremental scaffolds led to higher conceptual and procedural knowledge after the teaching unit than working with worked-out examples.     

Investigating the Effectiveness of a Constructivist-based Teaching Model on Student Understanding of the Dissolution of Gases in Liquids

The research presented in this paper consisted of an investigation of the effectiveness of a four-step constructivist-based teaching activity on student understanding of how pressure and temperature influence the dissolution of a gas in a liquid. Some 44 Grade 9 students (18 boys and 26 girls) selected purposively from two school classes in the city of Trabzon, Turkey participated in the study. Students’ understanding were evaluated from examination of two items from a purpose-designed solution concept test, face-to-face semi-structured interviews and examination of students’ self-assessment exercises. Statistical analysis using two-way ANOVA of student test scores point to statistically-significant differences in test and total scores (p < 0.05) suggesting that the teaching activities employed help students achieve better conceptual understanding. Further, no statistically significant differences were seen between post-test and delayed test scores, suggesting that teaching the activities enable students to retain their new conceptions in their long-term memory. However, in a few instances the activities resulted in the development of new alternative conceptions, suggesting teachers need to be conscious of the positive and negative effects of any teaching intervention.     

A Study of General Education Astronomy Students’ Understandings of Cosmology. Part V. The Effects of a New Suite of Cosmology Lecture-Tutorials on Students’ Conceptual Knowledge

This is the final paper in a five-paper series describing our national study of the teaching and learning of cosmology in general education astronomy college-level courses. A significant portion of this work was dedicated to the development of five new Lecture-Tutorials that focus on addressing the conceptual and reasoning difficulties that our research shows students have with frequently taught cosmology topics, such as the expansion of the universe, the Big Bang, and dark matter. We conducted a systematic investigation of the implementation of these new Lecture-Tutorials and resulting learning gains in order to test the efficacy of these new Lecture-Tutorials. Our investigation included classroom observations, results from pre–post testing using four conceptual cosmology surveys, and comparisons between classes in terms of the class time spent on cosmology topics and other instructional strategies used to teach cosmology. We used this combination of qualitative and quantitative research results to evaluate the conceptual understandings of students who used the new cosmology Lecture-Tutorials compared to those students who did not. The analysis of our data shows that, in many cases, classrooms that used the cosmology Lecture-Tutorials saw a greater increase in their students’ conceptual cosmology knowledge compared to classrooms that did not use the cosmology Lecture-Tutorials. However, our results also indicate how instructors implement the Lecture-Tutorials into their classrooms strongly influences their students’ learning gains.     

Facilitating Conceptual Change in Students’ Understanding of Boiling Concept

The objective of this study was to construct a teaching strategy for facilitating students’ conceptual understanding of the boiling concept. The study is based on 52 freshman students in the primary science education department. Students’ ideas were elicited by a test consisting of nine questions. Conceptual change strategy was designed based on students’ alternative conceptions. Conceptual change in students’ understanding of boiling was evaluated by administering a pre-, post- and delayed post-test. The test scores were analysed both by qualitative and quantitative methods. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA of student test scores pointed to statistically significant differences in the tests and total scores (p < 0.05). Quantitative analysis of students’ responses on each test revealed different schema about changing their knowledge system. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses suggest that the teaching activities facilitated students’ conceptual understanding. No statistically significant differences were found between post-test and delayed post-test scores, suggesting that the teaching strategy enabled students to retain their new conceptions in the long-term memory.     

The ability to understand and use conceptual change pedagogy as a function of prior content learning experience

This research examined the relationship between content instruction and the development of elementary teacher candidates' understanding of conceptual change pedagogy. Undergraduate students (n = 27) enrolled in two sections of a science methods course received content instruction through either traditional or conceptual change methods, followed by instruction about conceptual change pedagogy. Candidates were interviewed pre- and postinstruction about their content and pedagogical knowledge and also wrote conceptual change lessons. Twelve of the 27 subjects were videotaped teaching in the field. Results indicate that prior to instruction, most candidates had weak content knowledge and held traditional pedagogical conceptions. After instruction, students in the conceptual change group had significantly larger gains in their content knowledge than those in the traditional group, gave qualitatively stronger pedagogical responses, and used conceptual change strategies more consistently in practice. These results indicate that personal experience of learning science content through conceptual change methods facilitated the development of understanding and use of conceptual change pedagogy in teaching practice. Thus if conceptual change methods are to be incorporated into teacher candidates' repertoire, science content courses that students take prior to teacher education should be taught using conceptual change pedagogy. In addition, courses in science education should use pedagogy more in line with that taught in methods courses.     

On the Roots of Difficulties in Learning about Cell Division: Process‐based analysis of students’ conceptual development in teaching experiments

Empirical investigations on students’ conceptions of cell biology indicate major misunderstandings of scientific concepts even after thorough teaching. Therefore, the main aim of our research project was to investigate students’ difficulties in learning this topic and to study the impact of learning activities on students’ conceptions. Using the Model of Educational Reconstruction, a four‐phase design was carried out. Firstly, there was the clarification of science subject matter. Secondly, students’ conceptions were investigated, and finally, the learning activities were designed. An evaluation of these learning activities was carried out using five teaching experiments, each with three 9^th grade students (15–16 years, Grammar school). Interpretation of students’ “pathways of thinking” and their conceptual change during instruction was framed theoretically by experiential realism. Theoretical framework, methods and outcomes of the study may contribute to a deeper understanding of students’ ways of thinking in the field of cell biology and reveal the process of conceptual development by using well planned learning activities.     

Interactions in vocational education: negotiation of meaning of students and teaching strategies

This study aimed to describe verbal student–teacher interactions in vocational education from a socio-cultural perspective on negotiation of meaning. Teaching as part of these interactions is addressed by a combination of diagnosing, checking and intervening strategies. A study was conducted in which students (n students?=?20) and teacher (n teachers?=?5) from Social Work (SW) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) worked together in small groups (n groups?=?5) discussing vocational core problems. Each group held five discussions (n discussions?=?25). All discussions were audio recorded and transcribed before they were analysed for negotiation of meaning including teaching strategies. The results showed that 5–8% of the interactions include negotiation of meaning. Interactions in SW groups revealed more negotiation of meaning than in interactions in ICT groups. Teaching strategies mainly included checking and intervening activities in favour of diagnosing activities. Furthermore, teachers used meta-cognitive and conceptual interventions most frequently. The implications of these results are discussed by reflecting on occupational differences and on how negotiation of meaning including teaching strategies can be enhanced.     

Making inquiry-based science learning visible: the influence of CVS and cognitive skills on content knowledge learning in guided inquiry

ABSTRACT

Many science curricula and standards emphasise that students should learn both scientific knowledge and the skills associated with the construction of this knowledge. One way to achieve this goal is to use inquiry-learning activities that embed the use of science process skills. We investigated the influence of scientific reasoning skills (i.e. conceptual and procedural knowledge of the control-of-variables strategy) on students’ conceptual learning gains in physics during an inquiry-learning activity. Eighth graders (n?=?189) answered research questions about variables that influence the force of electromagnets and the brightness of light bulbs by designing, running, and interpreting experiments. We measured knowledge of electricity and electromagnets, scientific reasoning skills, and cognitive skills (analogical reasoning and reading ability). Using structural equation modelling we found no direct effects of cognitive skills on students’ content knowledge learning gains; however, there were direct effects of scientific reasoning skills on content knowledge learning gains. Our results show that cognitive skills are not sufficient; students require specific scientific reasoning skills to learn science content from inquiry activities. Furthermore, our findings illustrate that what students learn during guided inquiry activities becomes visible when we examine both the skills used during inquiry learning and the process of knowledge construction. The implications of these findings for science teaching and research are discussed.     

Role of Discrepant Questioning Leading to Model Element Modification

Discrepant questioning is a teaching technique that can help students “unlearn” misconceptions and process science ideas for deep understanding. Discrepant questioning is a technique in which teachers question students in a way that requires them to examine their ideas or models, without giving information prematurely to the student or passing judgment on the student’s model. This strategy prompts students to see the contradictions in their own model. This study focused on the analysis of small group tutoring sessions on human respiration. Individual and small group construction of mental models was analyzed after instructed with a standardized teaching sequence based on model construction and criticism theory (Rea-Ramirez in Model of conceptual understanding in human respiration and strategies for instruction, Dissertation Abstracts International, 59 (10), 5196B, 1998). Analysis provided deeper understanding of the role discrepant questioning played in this construction of understanding and suggested new models of learning.     

A Three‐Dimensional Approach and Open Source Structure for the Design and Experimentation of Teaching‐Learning Sequences: The case of friction

We have developed a teaching‐learning sequence (TLS) on friction based on a preliminary study involving three dimensions: an analysis of didactic research on the topic, an overview of usual approaches, and a critical analysis of the subject, considered also in its historical development. We found that mostly the usual presentations do not take into account the complexity of friction as it emerges from scientific research, may reinforce some inaccurate students’ conceptions, and favour a limited vision of friction phenomena. The TLS we propose begins by considering a wide range of friction phenomena to favour an initial motivation and a broader view of the topic and then develops a path of interrelated observations, experiments, and theoretical aspects. It proposes the use of structural models, involving visual representations and stimulating intuition, aimed at helping students build mental models of friction mechanisms. To facilitate the reproducibility in school contexts, the sequence is designed as an open source structure, with a core of contents, conceptual correlations and methodological choices, and a cloud of elements that can be re‐designed by teachers. The sequence has been tested in teacher education and in upper secondary school, and has shown positive results in overcoming student difficulties and stimulating richer reasoning based on the structural models we suggested. The proposed path has modified the teachers’ view of the topic, producing a motivation to change their traditional presentations. The open structure of the sequence has facilitated its implementation by teachers in school in coherence with the rationale of the proposal.     

Introductory Cultural Anthropology: A Multimedia Presentation

Abstract

The study investigated the interactive effects of professors' instruction strategies and students' conceptual levels on the motivation to learn of 83 postsecondary students randomly assigned to either direct or nondirect instruction groups. Statistically significant interactions revealed that highly structured teaching methods maximized the motivation of students with low conceptual levels, whereas teaching methods that were low in structure enhanced the motivation of high-conceptual-level students. The findings expand previous research and offer insights into how professors can influence students' motivation to learn academic course content.     

A Conceptual Change Teaching Strategy to Facilitate High School Students' Understanding of Electrochemistry

Recent research in chemistry education has shown an increasing interest in the facilitation of conceptual change in student understanding of chemical concepts. Most of the studies have tried to show the difference in student performance on algorithmic and conceptual problems. The objective of this study is to go beyond and design a teaching strategy based on two teaching experiments that could facilitate students' conceptual understanding of electrochemistry. The study is based on two sections (control, n = 29; experimental, n = 28) of 10th grade high school students at a public school in Venezuela. Experimental group participated in two teaching experiments designed to generate situations/experiences in which students are forced to grapple with alternative responses leading to cognitive conflicts/contradictions. Results obtained show that learning electrochemistry involves both algorithmic and conceptual problems. On Posttest 1, 93% of the experimental group students responded correctly, in contrast to 39% of the control group. On Posttest 2, 39% of the experimental group responded correctly, in contrast to 0% of the Control group. The difference in performance on both posttests is statistically significant (p < 0.001). It is concluded that the teaching experiments facilitated students' understanding (progressive transitions) of electrochemistry.     

How can conceptual schemes change teaching?

Lundqvist, Almqvist and ?stman describe a teacher’s manner of teaching and the possible consequences it may have for students’ meaning making. In doing this the article examines a teacher’s classroom practice by systematizing the teacher’s transactions with the students in terms of certain conceptual schemes, namely the epistemological moves, educational philosophies and the selective traditions of this practice. In connection to their study one may ask how conceptual schemes could change teaching. This article examines how the relationship of the conceptual schemes produced by educational researchers to educational praxis has developed from the middle of the last century to today. The relationship is described as having been transformed in three steps: (1) teacher deficit and social engineering, where conceptual schemes are little acknowledged, (2) reflecting practitioners, where conceptual schemes are mangled through teacher practice to aid the choices of already knowledgeable teachers, and (3) the mangling of the conceptual schemes by researchers through practice with the purpose of revising theory.     

Educating for learning-focused teaching in teacher training: The need to link learning content with practice experiences within an inductive approach

Recently, many insights have been gained into the design of powerful learning environments. Teacher training must take account of this knowledge when educating the teachers of the future. This study investigates possible approaches within teacher training which could encourage student teachers towards learning-focused teaching activities. The main question is whether students from institutions where these activities were taught in a more inductive way pay more attention to these aspects during teaching practice than those from other institutions. This inductive approach is concretized by the following: (a) modelling of these teaching activities by the teacher trainers; (b) coaching the teaching practice experiences and giving hints; (c) taking the students’ learning experiences as starting points for reflection. Three existing teacher-training institutions were chosen to provide different and ecologically valid settings in a feasible way. Comparisons of the institutional approaches with the approaches during teaching practice confirm the importance of an inductive approach in which different practice experiences, systematically aimed at making the students restructure their conceptual frameworks of learning and instruction, are used for reflection.     

Effect of the 5E Model on Prospective Teachers’ Conceptual Understanding of Diffusion and Osmosis: A Mixed Method Approach

The aim of this study was to explore a group of prospective primary teachers’ conceptual understanding of diffusion and osmosis as they implemented a 5E constructivist model and related materials in a science methods course. Fifty prospective primary teachers’ ideas were elicited using a pre- and post-test and delayed post-test survey consisting of ten two-tier questions of which an explanatory part was integral. Individual interviews were conducted with six prospective teachers at the end of the implementation of the unit using four questions. Test scores were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Post-instructional interviews were analyzed qualitatively. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA of student test scores pointed to statistically significant differences between pre- and post- and delayed post-test (p < 0.05). A qualitative analysis of the prospective teachers’ explanations in the two-tier questions revealed changes in their ideas overtime. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest that the teaching activities promoted students’ conceptual understanding. No statistically significant differences were found between post-test and delayed post-test scores, suggesting that the teaching activities based on 5E model enabled students to retain their new conceptual understanding.