Students constructs about energy and constructivist learning

Abstract

This paper presents results of research that explored students' constructs about energy. During the implementation of a constructivist learning approach, constructs from students in three classes were elicited using a repertory grid method, both before and after completing a module of work dealing with energy. Results from repertory grids showed that students who experienced the constructivist approach provided significantly more constructs, and of a wider, nature, than students who were taught in their usual fashion. Results from a school test administered to all three classes and the differences found between the results from the repertory grid techniques and the school test are then discussed. This paper concludes that students taught with the constructivist approach had much increased personal knowledge concerning energy, more so than those students taught in the traditional manner, and also that students taught with the constructivist approach learnt the school science equally as well as those students taught in the usual fashion.