Learning through collaborative computer simulations

The author argues that computer-based simulations can help students to enhance their conceptual and intuitive understanding of theoretical concepts. Intuitive understanding of scientific concepts goes beyond conceptual understanding; attaining a sense of familiarity with ideas that cannot be directly experienced requires opportunities for student-directed activities and feedback on those activities in an environment that simulates the theory concerned. Computer-based simulations can offer these characteristics, but they still do not always achieve the intended enhancement in intuitive understanding. The author discusses evaluation studies of particular science simulations in order to draw conclusions about the design and implementation characteristics that contribute to the success of an educational simulation.     

Effects of Combined Hands-on Laboratory and Computer Modeling on Student Learning of Gas Laws: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Based on current theories of chemistry learning, this study intends to test a hypothesis that computer modeling enhanced hands-on chemistry laboratories are more effective than hands-on laboratories or computer modeling laboratories alone in facilitating high school students' understanding of chemistry concepts. Thirty-three high school chemistry students from a private all-girl high school in northeastern United States were divided into two groups to participate in a quasi-experimental study. Each group completed a particular sequence of computer modeling and hands-on laboratories plus pre-test and post-tests of conceptual understanding of gas laws. Each group also completed a survey of conceptions of scientific models. Non-parametric tests, i.e. Friedman's one-way analysis of ranks and Wilcoxon's signed ranks test, showed that the combined computer modeling and hands-on laboratories were more effective than either computer simulations or hands-on laboratory alone in promoting students' conceptual understanding of the gas law on the relationship between temperature and pressure. It was also found that student conception of scientific models as replicas is statistically significantly correlated with students' conceptual understanding of the particulate model of gases. The findings mentioned earlier support the recent call for model-based science teaching and learning in chemistry.     

Using structured examples and prompting reflective questions to correct misconceptions about thermodynamic concepts

This paper explores the effectiveness of using ‘structured examples in concert with prompting reflective questions’ to address misconceptions held by mechanical engineering students about thermodynamic principles by employing pre-test and post-test design, a structured questionnaire, lecture room observation, and participants’ interviews. Students’ misconceptions were identified through pre-tests that evaluated students’ understanding of the chosen concepts, while conceptual change was assessed in pre-test–post-test design that revealed students’ ability to apply the concepts and transfer skills from a worked example to satisfactorily undertake a fairly complex similar problem. The use of worked examples in concert with prompting reflective questions is effective for inducing correct conceptual change and effective problem-solving skills. However, it is recommended that engineering tutors should incorporate inquiry-based learning approach and computer simulations alongside the use of worked examples with prompting reflective questions in order to enhance students’ conceptual understanding of thermodynamic concepts.     

Co-development of Conceptual Understanding and Critical Attitude: Analyzing texts on radiocarbon dating

This research documents the impact of a teaching interview aimed at developing a critical attitude in students, and focused on a particular topic: radiocarbon dating. This teaching interview is designed to observe students' reaction to limited written explanations of the phenomenon under study, and their possible frustration or intellectual satisfaction in relation to these texts. We aim to document the possible link between students’ developing conceptual understanding of a topic and their ability to express their frustration when presented with very incomplete explanations, or their intellectual satisfaction when presented with complete explanation. As a side product, we intend to observe some of their a priori ideas concerning this topic. Ten teaching interviews conducted with fourth-year University students were recorded, transcribed and coded. Beyond a series of results concerning students’ a priori understanding of the domain, the analysis of the interviews suggests that, when students are presented with texts of increasing completeness and discuss these with the interviewer, their critical reactions evolve in time in a very specific way. We propose a tentative model for this co-evolution of student conceptual command and critical stance. The discussion bears on possible interpretations for the ‘anesthesia of judgment’ observed in most students at the beginning of the interview, and for a few of them throughout the discussion. Keeping in mind the ‘competence vs concepts’ current alternative, the conditions that seem to free students’ critical potential are analyzed in relation to their evolving command of the topic and their degree of intellectual satisfaction.     

An investigation of the effectiveness of computer simulation programs as tutorial tools for teaching population ecology at university

In this paper, we tested the effectiveness of computer simulation programs in enhancing the familiarity of biology students with ecological modelling and ecological concepts. We compared students' performance before and after the introduction of computer simulations into the teaching procedure. Computer simulations improved the comprehension of ecological processes expressed in mathematical form, but they do not allow a full understanding of ecological concepts. Thus, a balanced teaching procedure, involving both simulation programs and textbook-based lectures, is considered more appropriate for the teaching of ecological theory.     

Some Key Issues in Creating Inquiry-Based Instructional Practices that Aim at the Understanding of Simple Electric Circuits

Many students in secondary schools consider the sciences difficult and unattractive. This applies to physics in particular, a subject in which students attempt to learn and understand numerous theoretical concepts, often without much success. A case in point is the understanding of the concepts current, voltage and resistance in simple electric circuits. In response to these problems, reform initiatives in education strive for a change of the classroom culture, putting emphasis on more authentic contexts and student activities containing elements of inquiry. The challenge then becomes choosing and combining these elements in such a manner that they foster an understanding of theoretical concepts. In this article we reflect on data collected and analyzed from a series of 12 grade 9 physics lessons on simple electric circuits. Drawing from a theoretical framework based on individual (conceptual change based) and socio-cultural views on learning, instruction was designed addressing known conceptual problems and attempting to create a physics (research) culture in the classroom. As the success of the lessons was limited, the focus of the study became to understand which inherent characteristics of inquiry based instruction complicate the process of constructing conceptual understanding. From the analysis of the data collected during the enactment of the lessons three tensions emerged: the tension between open inquiry and student guidance, the tension between students developing their own ideas and getting to know accepted scientific theories, and the tension between fostering scientific interest as part of a scientific research culture and the task oriented school culture. An outlook will be given on the implications for science lessons.     

Learning novel mathematical concepts in a computer-enriched environment

There is widespread belief that computers should be used for the teaching and learning of mathematics. Research indicates that computers are primarily used in mathematics classes: (1) to reinforce previously taught concepts, (2) to allow students to construct computer programs to simulate mathematical techniques known to the student and (3) to explore mathematical microworlds encompassing mathematical ideas and concepts normally known to the student. Furthermore, it is said that pre-service teachers should experience the learning of mathematical ideas and concepts of which they had no prior experience in environments in which computers are just one of the resources available for exploring and experimenting with these ideas and concepts. How should these learning environments be constructed so that pre-service teachers are sensitised to the value of doing mathematics in such environments? Is a student's understanding of novel mathematical concepts enhanced when s/he explores it in a computer-enriched environment? An experiment with pre-service teachers was carried out in a college of education for blacks in South Africa. This article describes the insights gained from this experiment.     

From Words to Concepts: Focusing on Word Knowledge When Teaching for Conceptual Understanding Within an Inquiry-Based Science Setting

This qualitative video study explores how two elementary school teachers taught for conceptual understanding throughout different phases of science inquiry. The teachers implemented teaching materials with a focus on learning science key concepts through the development of word knowledge. A framework for word knowledge was applied to examine the students’ level of word knowledge manifested in their talk. In this framework, highly developed knowledge of a word is conceptual knowledge. This includes understanding how the word is situated within a network of other words and ideas. The results suggest that students’ level of word knowledge develops toward conceptual knowledge when the students are required to apply the key concepts in their talk throughout all phases of inquiry. When the students become familiar with the key concepts through the initial inquiry activities, the students use the concepts as tools for furthering their conceptual understanding when they discuss their ideas and findings. However, conceptual understanding is not promoted when teachers do the talking for the students, rephrasing their responses into the correct answer or neglecting to address the students’ everyday perceptions of scientific phenomena.     

Enhancing the effectiveness of concept inventories using textual analysis: investigations in an electrical engineering subject

ABSTRACT

Concept inventories (CIs) are assessment instruments designed to measure students’ conceptual understanding of fundamental concepts in particular fields. CIs utilise multiple-choice questions (MCQs), and specifically designed response selections, to help identify misconceptions. One shortcoming of this assessment instrument is that it fails to provide evidence of the causes of the misconceptions, or the nature of students’ conceptual understanding. In this article, we present the results of conducting textual analysis on students’ written explanations in order to provide better judgements into their conceptual understanding. We compared students’ MCQ scores in Signals and Systems Concept Inventory questions, with the textual analysis utilising vector analysis approaches. Our analysis of the textual data provided the ability to detect answers that students identified as a ‘guessed’ response. However, the analysis was unable to detect if conceptually correct ideas existed within the ‘guessed’ responses. The presented approach can be used as a framework to analyse assessment instruments that utilise textual, short-answer responses. This analysis framework is best suited for the restricted conditions imposed by the short-answer structure.     

The Virtual Solar System Project: Developing Conceptual Understanding of Astronomical Concepts Through Building Three-Dimensional Computational Models

The Virtual Solar System (VSS) course described in this paper is one of the first attempts to integrate three-dimensional (3D) computer modeling as a central component of an introductory undergraduate astronomy course. Specifically, this study assessed the changes in undergraduate university students' understanding of astronomy concepts as a result of participating in an experimental introductory astronomy course in which the students constructed 3D models of different astronomical phenomena. In this study, we examined students' conceptual understanding concerning three foundational astronomical phenomena: the causes of lunar and solar eclipses, the causes of the Moon's phases, and the reasons for the Earth's seasons. Student interviews conducted prior to the course identified a range of student alternative conceptions previously identified in the literature regarding the dynamics and mechanics of the Solar System. A previously undocumented alternative conception to explain lunar eclipses is identified in this paper. The interviews were repeated at the end of the course in order to quantitatively and qualitatively assess any changes in student conceptual understanding. Generally, the results of this study revealed that 3D computer modeling can be a powerful tool in supporting student conceptualization of abstract scientific phenomena. Specifically, 3D computer modeling afforded students the ability to visualize abstract 3D concepts such as the line of nodes and transform them into conceptual tools, which in turn, supported the development of scientifically sophisticated conceptual understandings of many basic astronomical topics. However, there were instances where students' conceptual understanding was incomplete and frequently hybridized with their existing conceptions. These findings have significant bearing on when and in what domains 3D computer modeling can be used to support student conceptual understanding of astronomy concepts.     

Effects of a Demonstration Laboratory on Student Learning

Laboratory and demonstration have long been used to supplement lecture in chemistry education. Current research indicates that students are better served by laboratories which exercise the higher-order cognitive skills, such as inquiry-based laboratories. However, the time and the resources available to perform these recommended types of laboratories are continually shrinking. Due to these factors, a demonstration-laboratory was designed to allow students to make observations through demonstration rather then through hands-on laboratory. For this study, the hands-on procedures of an inquiry style laboratory were replaced by an instructor demonstration of these same procedures. A significant difference was found between student conceptual understanding before and after the experiment, indicating that students performing the laboratory experiment and students viewing the demonstration-laboratory had an increase in conceptual understanding. However, no significant difference was found between the conceptual understanding of the two groups after the experiment, indicating that students learn roughly the same from both methods and that the demonstration-laboratory at least does no harm to the students conceptually. Long-term effects on student understanding were not measured. Student opinions comparing the demonstration laboratory to a hands-on laboratory were also collected and analyzed.     

Thinking Like a Scientist: Using Vee-Maps to Understand Process and Concepts in Science

It is considered important for students to participate in scientific practices to develop a deeper understanding of scientific ideas. Supporting students, however, in knowing and understanding the natural world in connection with generating and evaluating scientific evidence and explanations is not easy. In addition, writing in science can help students to understand such connections as they communicate what they know and how they know it. Although tools such as vee-maps can scaffold students?? efforts to design investigations, we know less about how these tools support students in connecting scientific ideas with the evidence they are generating, how these connections develop over time, or how writing can be used to encourage such connections. In this study, we explored students?? developing ability to reason scientifically by examining the relationship between students?? understanding of scientific phenomena and their understanding of how to generate and evaluate evidence for their ideas in writing. Three high school classes completed three investigations. One class used vee-mapping each time, one used vee-mapping once, and one did not use vee-mapping. Students?? maps and written reports were rated for understanding of relevant science procedural and conceptual ideas. Comparisons between groups and over time indicate a positive relationship between improved procedural and conceptual understanding. Findings also indicate that improved procedural understanding preceded improved conceptual understanding, and thus, multiple experiences were needed for students to connect evidence and explanation for science phenomena.     

The Comparative Effectiveness of Physical,Virtual, and Virtual-Physical Manipulatives on Third-Grade Students’ Science Achievement and Conceptual Understanding of Evaporation and Condensation

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative effectiveness of experimenting with physical manipulatives alone, virtual manipulatives alone, and virtual preceding physical manipulatives (combination environment) on third-grade students’ science achievement and conceptual understanding in the domain of state changes of water, focusing on the concepts of evaporation and condensation. A pretest-posttest design was used that involved 208 third-grade students assigned to the three learning conditions. A science achievement test and a two-tier conceptual test were administered to students before and after a teaching intervention. The results revealed that using virtual preceding physical manipulatives and virtual manipulatives alone enhanced students’ knowledge gains about evaporation and condensation greater than the use of physical laboratory activities alone. It was also found that the combination environment promoted students’ knowledge gains about these concepts equally well as the use of virtual laboratory activities alone. On the other hand, the results showed that using virtual preceding physical manipulatives promoted students’ conceptual understanding most efficiently compared to the use of either physical or virtual manipulatives alone; in contrast, experimenting with physical manipulatives alone was least influential for students’ conceptual understanding compared to the other manipulatives.     

Computer simulations as tools for teaching and learning: Using a simulation environment in optics

RAY is a learning environment that includes a flexible ray tracing simulation, graphic tools, and task authoring facilities. This study explores RAY's potential to improve optics learning in high school. In study 1, the teacher used RAY as a smart blackboard with a single computer in the classroom to explore, explain, and predict optical phenomena; to introduce concepts; to interpret experiments and to represent theoretical exercises. A comparative study shows a significant effect on the spontaneous and correct use of the model by students in solving problems and a limited effect on conceptual understanding. In study 2 students, guided by written materials used the simulation individually. Students considered in a systematic manner the relationship between image formation and image observation—a major conceputal stumbling stone. They reflected on the problem-solving activity and reformulated explicity their knowledge in the domain. Case studies describe the interplay between the various aspects of the learning process in the development of conceptual understanding. A comparative study shows the importance of three factors to students' understanding of concepts and their ability to use the ray model: the computerized environment (versus written instruction of similar kind); a task design that addresses directly conceptual difficulties; and the explicit reformulation of ideas.     

Student Engagement with Artefacts and Scientific Ideas in a Laboratory and a Concept-Mapping Activity

The purpose of this study is to use a comparative approach to scrutinize the common assumption that certain school science activities are theoretical and therefore particularly suited for engaging students with scientific ideas, whereas others are practical and, thus, not equally conducive to engagement with scientific ideas. We compared two school science activities, one (laboratory work) that is commonly regarded as focusing attention on artefacts that may distract students from central science concepts and the other (concept mapping) that is thought to make students focus directly on these concepts. We observed students in either a laboratory activity about real galvanic cells or a concept-mapping activity about idealized galvanic cells. We used a practical epistemology analysis to compare the two activities regarding students' actions towards scientific ideas and artefacts. The comparison revealed that the two activities, despite their alleged differences along the theory–practice scale, primarily resulted in similar student actions. For instance, in both activities, students interacted extensively with artefacts and, to a lesser extent, with scientific ideas. However, only occasionally did students establish any explicit continuity between artefacts and scientific ideas. The findings indicate that some of the problems commonly considered to be unique for school science practical work may indeed be a feature of school science activities more generally.     

Conceptual change in mathematics: From rational to (un)real numbers

From an educational point of view, mathematics is supposed to have a completely hierarchical structure in which all new concepts logically follow from prior ones. In this article we try to show that there are also concepts in mathematics which are difficult to learn because of problematic continuity from prior knowledge to new concepts. We focus on the problems of conceptual change connected with the learning of calculus and the shift from rational to real numbers. We demonstrate the difficulty of this conceptual change with the help of historical and psychological evidence. In the empirical study 65 students of higher secondary school were tested after a 40 hour calculus course. In addition, 11 students participated in individual interview. According to the results the conceptual change from a discrete to a continuous idea of numbers seems to be difficult for students. None of the subjects had developed an adequate understanding of real numbers although they had learned to carry out algorithmic procedures belonging to calculus. We discuss how appropriate recent theoretical ideas on conceptual change are for explaining learning problems in this domain. Also some educational implications are presented.     

Technologically mediated complex problem‐solving on a statistics task

Simulations on computers can allow many experiments to be conducted quickly to help students develop an understanding of statistical topics. We used a simulation of a challenging problem in statistics as the focus of an exploration of situations where members of a problem‐solving group are physically separated then reconnected via combinations of computer and communications technology to work collaboratively on the simulation. The particular focus in this work was on trying to understand how students could use a system which allowed them to conduct variable based practical experiments in order to help them develop their knowledge and understanding of a statistics topic. We wished to develop an understanding of the virtual space created by shared simulations and video communication tools for supporting collaborative work between people at a distance. The paper reports on an experiment involving 48 subjects using this virtual space to establish the impact on their statistics understanding and to map their use of this distributed environment for learning. It establishes that the virtual space is effective for learning, and that the video conferencing condition which allows for eye contact between the pairs has some advantages for successful problem‐solving with the simulation. In addition the experimental setting provided some opportunities for exploring subjects' understanding of statistical and experimental concepts.     

A window into thinking: Using student writing to understand conceptual change in science learning

This study, conducted in an inner-city middle school, followed the conceptual changes shown in 25 students' writing over a 12-week science unit. Conceptual changes for 6 target students are reported. Student understanding was assessed regarding the nature of matter and physical change by paper-and-pencil pretest and posttest. The 6 target students were interviewed about the goal concepts before and after instruction. Students' writing during lesson activities provided qualitative data about their understandings of the goal concepts across the science unit. The researcher constructed concept maps from students' written statements and compared the maps across time to assess changes in the schema of core concepts, complexity, and organization as a result of instruction. Target students' changes were studied in detail to determine patterns of conceptual change. After patterns were located in target students' maps, the remaining 19 students' maps were analyzed for similar patterns. The ideas that students identified in their writing showed changes in central concepts, complexity, and organization as the lessons progressed. When instructional events were analyzed in relation to students' demonstrated ideas, understanding of the goal conceptions appeared in students' writing more often when students had opportunities to explain their new ideas orally and in writing.     

A hypercard based environment for the constructivist teaching of Newtonian physics

Many students have severe difficulties in successfully gaining a good understanding of Newtonian Mechanics. They exhibit deep misconceptions, many of which have developed as pre-instructional ideas on the subject in order to explain observed phenomena and experience. We have been developing a series of computer based systems to address this problem by presenting the learner with flexible routes of learning to help elicit, restructure and understand the concepts involved. The systems are based on our previously described theories of the application of Hypermedia to allow constructivist approaches to learning. We are committed to developing usable, inviting and self-paced packages that allow for individual differences, and levels of communication for students. The system is constructed using off-the-shelf multimedia authoring tools, that allow non-programmers to build educational packages that take account of soundly based theories of learning.