Students’ alternative frameworks for the nature of matter: a cross‐cultural study of linguistic and cultural interpretations

Abstract

A comparative study of primary students’ understanding of the nature of matter and, in particular, their conceptualization of the solid, liquid and gaseous states was undertaken in Tasmania (Australia) and the Philippines. Comparable groups of students were interviewed in their home languages: English, Tagalog and B'laan. The B'laans are a tribal society with a distinct language and culture, the Tasmanians are fully westernized and, in those terms, the Tagalogs are ‘transitional’. The main purposes of the study is to explore to what extent language and culture are associated with students’ alternative frameworks and to add insights regarding the choice of language of instruction in developing countries.