Two Teaching Methods and Students' Understanding of Sound

The purpose of this study was to examine fifth grade students' ideas related to sound and to compare the Learning Cycle teaching approach with a textbook/demonstration method of instruction to determine whether one method is more effective in facilitating conceptual change. Thirty-four fifth grade students were randomly selected and assigned to the two treatment groups. To assess the students' understanding of specific sound concepts, an interview protocol was administered to both groups before and immediately after instruction. Students were given a numerical rating corresponding to their levels of understanding. The numerical values for both groups at the pre- and post-interview assessments were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Students who were taught using the Learning Cycle had a significantly better understanding.     

What Do Middle and High School Students Know About the Particulate Nature of Matter After Instruction? Implications for Practice

This study explores middle and high school students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter after they were taught the concept. A total of 87 students (41 high school and 46 middle school) participated in the study. Findings suggest that students held misconceptions about the law of conservation of matter, chemical composition of matter in different phases of matter, the process of condensation, and behaviors of molecules at a microscopic level. The discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for enhancing science teachers' pedagogical content knowledge.     

Taiwanese Gifted Students' Views of Nature of Science

This study examined the conceptions of nature of science (NOS) possessed by a group of gifted seventh‐grade students from Taiwan. The students were engaged in a 1‐week science camp with emphasis on scientific inquiry and NOS. A Chinese version of a NOS questionnaire was developed, specifically addressing the context of Chinese culture, to assess students' views on the development of scientific knowledge. Pretest results indicated that the majority of participants had a basic understanding of the tentative, subjective, empirical, and socially and culturally embedded aspects of NOS. Some conflicting views and misconceptions held by the participants are discussed. There were no significant changes in students' views of NOS after instruction, possibly due to time limitations and a ceiling effect. The relationship between students' cultural values and development of NOS conceptions and the impact of NOS knowledge on students' science learning are worth further investigation.     

The Impact on Incorporating Collaborative Concept Mapping with Coteaching Techniques in Elementary Science Classes

The purpose of this research was to evaluate a collaborative concept‐mapping technique that was integrated into coteaching in fourth‐grade science classes in order to examine students' performance and attitudes toward the experimental teaching method. There are two fourth‐grade science teachers and four classes with a total of 114 students involved in the study. This study used a mixed method design, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The findings showed that the two teaching methods obtained significant difference with respect to students' test scores. Using collaborative concept mapping to learn science could increase the opportunity of discussion between peers, thus fostering better organization and understanding the content. In addition, coteaching could enable teachers to share their expertise with one another. It could facilitate the implementation of collaborative concept mapping and the construction of student's concept mapping. Team teachers' attitude could affect the students' learning performance. However, some of the students had negative views on drawing concept maps because they found it was troublesome to write down many words, difficult to draw and arrange proposition, and time‐consuming. Coteachers' instant feedback and students' journal writing could guide and examine the students' concept maps to facilitate their cognitive learning.     

Limits and continuity: some conceptions of first-year students

A research method consisting of written tests and individual interviews was introduced to examine first-year university students' understanding of fundamental calculus concepts. Six hundred and thirty students from three South African universities were subjected to the tests pertaining to this study. Several misconceptions underlying students' understanding of calculus concepts were identified. This paper deals mainly with some of the common errors and misconceptions relating to students' understanding of ‘limit of a function’ and ‘continuity of a function at a point’.     

Concept Development of Decimals in Chinese Elementary Students: A Conceptual Change Approach

The aim of this study was to examine the concept development of decimal numbers in 244 Chinese elementary students in grades 4–6. Three grades of students differed in their intuitive sense of decimals and conceptual understanding of decimals, with more strategic approaches used by older students. Misconceptions regarding the density nature of decimals indicated the progress in an ascending spiral trend (i.e., fourth graders performed the worst; fifth graders performed the best; and sixth graders regressed slightly), not in a linear trend. Misconceptions regarding decimal computation (i.e., multiplication makes bigger) generally decreased across grades. However, children's misconceptions regarding the density and infinity features of decimals appeared to be more persistent than misconceptions regarding decimal computation. Some students in higher grades continued to use the discreteness feature of whole numbers to explain the distance between two decimal numbers, indicating an intermediate level of understanding decimals. The findings revealed the effect of symbolic representation of interval end points and students' responses were contingent on the actual representations of interval end points. Students in all three grades demonstrated narrowed application of decimal values (e.g., merchandise), and their application of decimals was largely limited by their learning experiences.     

Evidence of Rote Learning of Science by Spanish University Students

The purpose of this investigation was to test for alternative conceptions of students enrolled in a second course of sciences at the Teacher Training School in Pamplona, Spain, regarding a geological topic (silicates) which had been studied in previous educational levels. The investigation also proposed to test the efficiency of Novak's concept mapping technique as a method of knowing the cognitive structure of the students. Students' concept maps showed the existence of a large number of alternative conceptions and the persistence and tenacity of these misconceptions after a period of instruction on the topic, even in the case of so-called “good” students.     

Children's Ideas About Weather: A Review of the Literature

It is generally accepted that children have their own understanding of how the world works prior to receiving formal science instruction. A great deal of research has been done to determine students' misconceptions related to the physical sciences; less has been done to understand children's ideas in the Earth sciences. This paper reports a synthesis of the existing research about children's misconceptions relating to weather, climate and the atmosphere. The scientifically accepted interpretations are presented in tandem with the children's naïve ideas. When possible, a source of the misconception is also presented. In many cases, students' misconceptions are not addressed in the curriculum, allowing them to exist unchallenged.     

Three women's understandings of algebra in a precalculus course integrated with the graphing calculator

This study investigated the role of function in a precalculus classroom which incorporated the graphing calculator in the instructional process. Perspectives were taken from students, teachers, and textbooks. Emphasis was placed on choice of functional symbol system when thinking and problem solving, connections across symbol systems, the role of the instructor and the textbook in learning, affective components, and the effect of the graphing calculator.The study starts with a defination of the concept of structure as it relates to function. The account of a semester-long qualitative study on students' concept images of function and its role in problem solving follows. It was found that the students involved in the study entered the graph-intensive course with predominantly symbolic notions of algebra, in part due to prior instruction. The students also possessed highly procedural views of algebraic content. These preconceptions and expectations resulted in the students' inability to effectively coordinate graphic and symbolic notions of algebra, both in procedural and conceptual realms. Implications and curricular suggestions are provided.     

Students' Retention of Mathematical Knowledge and Skills in Differential Equations

This study investigates students' retention of mathematical knowledge and skills in two differential equations classes. Posttests and delayed posttests after 1 year were administered to students in inquiry‐oriented and traditional classes. The results show that students in the inquiry‐oriented class retained conceptual knowledge, as seen by their performance on modeling problems, and retained equal proficiency in procedural problems, when compared with students in the traditionally taught classes. The results of this study add additional support to the claim that teaching for conceptual understanding can lead to longer retention of mathematical knowledge.     

Re‐creating a Recipe for Science Instructional Programs: Adding Learning Progressions,Scaffolding, and a Dash of Reading Variety

The purpose of this article is to focus on the development and refinement of a science instructional design program arguing for the feasibility and usability of integrated reading and science instruction as implemented in third‐ and fourth‐grade science classrooms to meet the learning needs of diverse learners. These instructional components are easily inserted into existing programs that build students' science background knowledge and abilities to apply learning through scaffolded activities focused on (1) providing structured opportunities for students to engage in hands‐on activities; (2) increasing vocabulary knowledge and understanding of concept‐laden terms, and (3) reading paired narrative and informational science texts. Extensive research shows that as students transition from third to fourth grade and beyond, they are often challenged in science by new vocabulary coupled with new concepts. Active ingredients of our reconceptualized science instructional design program are narrative informational texts, hands‐on science activities, and science textbook(s).     

The Effects of a STEM Intervention on Elementary Students' Science Knowledge and Skills

The purpose of the study was to assess elementary students' science process skills, content knowledge, and concept knowledge after one year of participation in an elementary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program. This study documented the effects of the combination of intensive professional development and the use of inquiry‐based science instruction in the elementary classroom, including the benefits of using rigorous science curriculum with general education students. The results of the study revealed a statistically significant gain in science process skills, science concepts, and science‐content knowledge by general education students in the experimental group when compared with students in the comparison group. Moreover, teacher participation in the STEM program had a statistically significant impact on students' variability in posttest scores. These interim student performance data support the implementation of rigorous differentiated science curriculum focused on improving science concept, content knowledge, and process skills.     

Students' Concepts‐ and Theorems‐in‐Action on a Novel Task About Similarity

Similarity is a fundamental concept in the middle grades. In this study, we applied Vergnaud's theory of conceptual fields to answer the following questions: What concepts‐in‐action and theorems‐in‐action about similarity surfaced when students worked in a novel task that required them to enlarge a puzzle piece? How did students use geometric and multiplicative reasoning at the same time in order to construct similar figures? We found that students used concepts of scaling and proportional reasoning, as well as the concept of circle and theorems about similar triangles, in their work on the problem. Students relied not only on visual perception, but also on numeric reasoning. Moreover, students' use of multiplicative and proportional concepts supported their geometric constructions. Knowledge of the concepts and ideas that students have available when working on a task about similarity can inform instruction by helping to ground formal introduction of new concepts in students' informal prior experiences and knowledge.     

We're crippling our kids with kindness!!

Quite often as teachers we try to help our students by giving them short cuts or help with strategies they don't understand. We tend to ignore the need that children have to struggle with a problem before proper referents can be established. This article explores that need from results obtained while working with two classes of students: one class was made up of second graders and the other class were third graders. The problem was observed while working with the students on a project designed to established the proper concept of equality in the minds of the students and to help them develop some strategies for solving missing number problems. The results were suprising and startling and led to the realization that we, as teachers, are often too kind to our students for their own best good. We actually cripple our students mentally by feeding them too many hints and by trying to push them algorithmically beyond their ability without the development of proper referents for the mathematics being taught. It, too often, leads to rote memorization and prevents the students' development of a proper conceptual understanding. Concrete referents are essential before the establishment of a conceptual background can be firmly developed in the minds of each student.     

Assessing the Impact of Bridging Analogies in Mechanics

The effects of bridging analogies teaching strategy and gender on Turkish high school students' misconceptions in mechanics were investigated. After a pilot study with 67 students in a nearby high school, the researchers administered the revised Mechanics Misconception Test to 119 high school students as a pretest. Students in the experimental group were instructed by using bridging analogies teaching strategy. At the end of a 3‐week treatment period, the same test was administered to all students as a posttest. The data were analyzed by using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The statistical results showed that bridging analogies teaching strategy was an effective means of reducing the number of misconceptions students held about normal forces, frictional forces, tension, gravity, inertia, and Newton's third law.     

Prevailing educational practices for area measurement and students’ failure in measuring areas

The present research was carried out with the participation of 106 students in their last grade in Elementary School and revealed certain problems that these students faced in understanding the concept of area measurement. The students in the sample persisted on using measurement strategies that often led to failure.Our research plan comprises a comparison between the strategies for area measurement strategies used by two groups: the experimental group (E.G.) and the control group (C.G.). The experimental group attended a special teaching course, which stressed the conceptual characteristics of the area measurement process.The present research aims at revealing the students’ understanding, strategies, and misconceptions regarding area measurement. In addition to that, we examine whether the special teaching course and the use of different measurement tools may lead the two research groups to adopt different measurement strategies.     

Relationships Between Inquiry‐Based Teaching and Physical Science Standardized Test Scores

This exploratory case study investigates relationships between use of an inquiry‐based instructional style and student scores on standardized multiple‐choice tests. The study takes the form of a case study of physical science classes taught by one of the authors over a span of four school years. The first 2 years were taught using traditional instruction with low levels of inquiry (non‐inquiry group), and the last 2 years of classes were taught by inquiry methods. Students' physical science test scores, achievement data, and attendance data were examined and compared across both instructional styles. Results suggest that for this teacher the use of an inquiry‐based teaching style did not dramatically alter students' overall achievement, as measured by North Carolina's standardized test in physical science. However, inquiry‐based instruction had other positive effects, such as a dramatic improvement in student participation and higher classroom grades earned by students. In additional inquiry‐based instruction resulted in more uniform achievement than did traditional instruction, both in classroom measures and in more objective standardized test measures.     

Understanding of Earth and Space Science Concepts: Strategies for Concept‐Building in Elementary Teacher Preparation

This research is concerned with preservice teacher understanding of six earth and space science concepts that are often taught in elementary school: the reason for seasons, phases of the moon, why the wind blows, the rock cycle, soil formation, and earthquakes. Specifically, this study examines the effect of readings, hands‐on learning stations, and concept mapping in improving conceptual understanding. Undergraduates in two sections of a science methods course (N= 52) completed an open‐ended survey, giving explanations about the above concepts three times: as a pretest and twice as posttests after various instructional interventions. The answers, scored with a three point rubric, indicated that the preservice teachers initially had many misconceptions (alternative conceptions). A two way ANOVA with repeated measures analysis (pretest/posttest) demonstrated that readings and learning stations are both successful in building preservice teacher's understanding and that benefits from the hands‐on learning stations approached statistical significance. Concept mapping had an additive effect in building understanding, as evident on the second posttest. The findings suggest useful strategies for university science instructors to use in clarifying science concepts while modeling activities teachers can use in their own classrooms.     

Interpreting a graph and constructing its derivative graph: stability and change in students’ conceptions

This present study investigated engineering students’ conceptions and misconceptions related to derivative, particularly interpreting the graph of a function and constructing its derivative graph. Participants were 147 first year engineering students from four universities enrolled in first year undergraduate calculus courses with or without the incorporation of computers for the purposes of seeing the power of visualization, investigating worked examples given in steps and solving various questions related to the worked examples, assisting conceptual understanding, and/or providing feedback besides lectures in the classroom. Students were tested before and after being exposed to instruction on differentiation and integration by a diagnostic test measuring their understanding of major aspects of calculus. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 18 students. Analyses of the results revealed that A-level student's performance was improving more than non-A-level students, particularly in computer groups. The analyses of the students’ written and oral responses in all groups indicated that prototypes, poor understanding of the notion of limit, confusion between the process and the product, and difficulties in using graphical information to give meaning to symbolic representation account for the errors and the misconceptions identified.