Complexity in Science Learning: Measuring the Underlying Dynamics of Persistent Mistakes

Abstract

Mistaken beliefs pose a barrier to science learning. For this reason, it is important to understand the circumstances in which they emerge and change. In the current paper, we apply complexity theory to shed light on the nature of mistaken beliefs. The strength of this approach lies in conceptualizing beliefs as dynamic stabilities, a well-defined construct that can be indexed precisely. For example, Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) can determine the presence of dynamic stabilities by analyzing variability in time-series data. We applied this analytical tool to probe for mistaken beliefs in a beam-balancing task, a task that is known to elicit mistaken beliefs in preschoolers. Using a case-study design with four preschoolers, we tracked children’s hand position with motion sensors as they balanced various beams. The resulting time series of hand position was submitted to RQA, yielding two important results: First, we found that consistent mistakes in trying to balance the beams were not always accompanied by dynamic stability. This undermines the common assumption that overt consistency in task performance is sufficient to conclude the presence of beliefs. Second, we found strong individual differences over time, as children explored the balance beams. Applications to science education are discussed.

• Highlights

• A classical task of beam balancing was used to explore the underlying dynamics of children’s mistaken beliefs.

• Moment-to-moment hand movements were tracked and subjected to a multi-dimensional recurrence quantification analysis (RQA).

• Dynamic stability was captured through percent laminarity (%LAM), a measure of rigidity in children’s explorations.

• The RQA measure of %LAM shed light on patterns of stability that were not available from the analysis of overt behavior.

• In line with complexity theory, a model of persistent mistakes is offered that has important implications for science education.

     

The “Batman Effect”: Improving Perseverance in Young Children

This study investigated the benefits of self‐distancing (i.e., taking an outsider's view of one's own situation) on young children's perseverance. Four‐ and 6‐year‐old children (N = 180) were asked to complete a repetitive task for 10 min while having the option to take breaks by playing an extremely attractive video game. Six‐year‐olds persevered longer than 4‐year‐olds. Nonetheless, across both ages, children who impersonated an exemplar other—in this case a character, such as Batman—spent the most time working, followed by children who took a third‐person perspective on the self, or finally, a first‐person perspective. Alternative explanations, implications, and future research directions are discussed.     

The State of Peer Review in Criminology: Literary Theory,Perceptions, and the Catch-22 Metaphor of Peer Review

Considerable theoretical and empirical attention has been devoted to the practice of peer review across various disciplines in the previous couple decades. Recently, Raymond Paternoster and Robert Brame indicated that it is necessary for criminology to follow suit and begin to provide a critical inquiry of the blind review model. Literary theory and writing studies have examined literate practices for decades and empirical research has identified that literate practices, like peer review, are interactional and co-constructed across discourse communities. The unique character of peer review in criminology remains unknown however. Discussions with 40 of criminology’s most influential scholars provides an opportunity to begin constructing a broad context of criminology’s peer review by challenging universal knowledge through individual experiences.     

Film Biographies

A PRIVATE VIEW by Irene Mayer Selznick (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1983---$16.95)

A PASSION FOR FILMS: HENRI LANGLOIS AND THE CINEMATHEQUE FRANCAISE (New York: The Viking Press, 1983---$16.95)

MOVIE STAR: A LOOK AT THE WOMEN WHO MADE HOLLYWOOD by Ethan Mordden (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983---$19.95)     

The gamework

This article outlines the gamework, a neologism designed to help scholars attend to the various kinds of work involved in computer game development, play and analysis. This work is integral to computer game artifactuality yet tends to be obscured by the aesthetic, narratological, mechanical, and economic aspects of games and gaming. We offer the gamework as a means for theorizing computer games as a form of culture that motivates work as much as (if not more than) play. Specifically, we point to how computer games participate in (1) labor culture; (2) an emergent culture determined by a work/labor/play dialectic; (3) artistic culture; and (4) cultural criticism.     

Can Science Test Supernatural Worldviews?

Several prominent scientists, philosophers, and scientific institutions have argued that science cannot test supernatural worldviews on the grounds that (1) science presupposes a naturalistic worldview (Naturalism) or that (2) claims involving supernatural phenomena are inherently beyond the scope of scientific investigation. The present paper argues that these assumptions are questionable and that indeed science can test supernatural claims. While scientific evidence may ultimately support a naturalistic worldview, science does not presuppose Naturalism as an a priori commitment, and supernatural claims are amenable to scientific evaluation. This conclusion challenges the rationale behind a recent judicial ruling in the United States concerning the teaching of “Intelligent Design” in public schools as an alternative to evolution and the official statements of two major scientific institutions that exert a substantial influence on science educational policies in the United States. Given that science does have implications concerning the probable truth of supernatural worldviews, claims should not be excluded a priori from science education simply because they might be characterized as supernatural, paranormal, or religious. Rather, claims should be excluded from science education when the evidence does not support them, regardless of whether they are designated as ‘natural’ or ‘supernatural’.     

An Evaluation of the Linearity of Curriculum‐Based Measurement of Oral Reading (CBM‐R) Progress Monitoring Data: Idiographic Considerations

Educators use curriculum‐based measurement of oral reading (CBM‐R) to measure student response to instruction. Current decision‐making frameworks assume students demonstrate linear growth across a school year. However, growth appears nonlinear for at least a subgroup of students. We assessed the degree to which grade two (n = 800) and grade three (n = 800) students receiving intensive interventions experienced discontinuous growth. We also explored when discontinuous growth tended to occur, and whether students improved or regressed afterward. Results indicate linear patterns were adequate for most students (80 percent). Students who showed discontinuous growth early tended to improve afterward. Conversely, students who showed discontinuous growth later tended to plateau. Findings suggest multilevel models may obscure variability in growth patterns. Practice and research implications are discussed.