Abstract
Chinese Elementary Science Curriculum Standards requires that fifth- and sixth- grade students can plan and design comparative experiments. However, students at these grades have difficulties in distinguishing and controlling variables in a specific context. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a simulation-embedded scientific inquiry unit on fifth-grade students’ ability to design comparative experiments. Thermodynamics Challenge, implemented in the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE) and translated into Chinese, engaged fifth-grade students in conducting virtual investigations with NetLogo models to test how thermal insulation effect is enhanced by different material use. A total of 86 fifth-grade students (47 boys and 39 girls) from an elementary school in Weifang City, Shandong Province participated in the research. Pre- and post-tests were used to examine changes in students’ understanding of comparative experiment design. Results showed that all students have a significant improvement in knowledge of comparative experiments from pre- to post-test, and students with low prior knowledge improved more than the other two groups. These findings indicated the feasibility of fostering fifth-graders’ comparative experiment design with simulations. Implications for science teaching are discussed.
Highlights
Cultivating students’ scientific habits of mind and developing their ability to engage in scientific inquiry have been advocated as principal goals of science education for a long time (National Academy of Engineering, 2010; National Research Council, 1996)
We aimed to investigate the effects of Thermodynamics Challenge Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE) unit, a simulation-embedded scientific inquiry activity delivered through WISE, on fifth-grade students’ abilities to design experiments
This study explored the effects of simulation-based inquiry activity designed to increase fifth-grade students’ ability to identify variables
Summary
Cultivating students’ scientific habits of mind and developing their ability to engage in scientific inquiry have been advocated as principal goals of science education for a long time (National Academy of Engineering, 2010; National Research Council, 1996). With increasing competition in science and technology area, these initial and principal goals of science education were reemphasized and stated in latest national science curriculum standards in many countries (NGSS, 2013; Meng, 2016; Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2017). According to the newly issued Elementary School Science Curriculum Standards, fifth- and sixth-grade students should “have the ability to design one-variable experiments and have the consciousness to control variables within an experiment” (Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2017). We use a learning environment to engage fifth-grade students in conducting simulated experiments where they could explore the topic of insulation and conduction. By providing the opportunity to conduct experiments, we build on student interest in experimentation
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