Process Of Conceptual Change Research Articles

The Development and Varieties of “Oneness” in Early Daoism

Abstract Having both similarities with and differences from dao 道, yi 一 is an important concept which occupies an important position in early Daoist thought. As is the case with dao, “oneness” can also be traced back to the Laozi and subsequently went through a complex process of conceptual change. As a foundational concept, it serves as a description of dao while also referring to the innermost basis for the emergence and unity of everything that exists. As the foundation of the dao of political authority and effective governance, “oneness” refers to a basic principle and method which the ruler should grasp and put into practice 執一, but also designates an elementary goal and value in the ruler’s own process of self-cultivation 貴一. In comparison to the idea of dao, the concept of “oneness” approaches the relation between the one and the many as entailing a rich variety of relations of identity/difference and commonality/diversity which manifest themselves within the myriad things and affairs in the world in a more direct manner.

Metacognitive Conceptual Change (MCC) Learning Model: Improving Students' Conceptual Change through Metacognitive Skills, Motivation, and Scientific Knowledge

Conceptual change (CC) is a learning process in which students’ misconceptions are transformed into more scientific knowledge. The Metacognitive Conceptual Change (MCC) learning model is created by incorporating metacognitive skills and motivation elements into the CC model to make it more effective. It is necessary to look into the MCC model’s efficacy in encouraging students’ CC. This study aims to evaluate the MCC model’s effectiveness in improving conceptual changes in students through metacognitive skills, motivation, and scientific knowledge. This study used the experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The trial subjects were limited to 25 participants, while the broad trial subjects comprised 60 participants. Data was collected from tests, observations, questionnaires, and documentation. Data analysis techniques used in this study were descriptive, qualitative (n-gain test), and quantitative (paired t-test). The results demonstrate that the MCC learning model successfully raises students’ motivation, scientific knowledge, and metacognitive skills (p Sig. 0.05), encouraging the CC process. It is concluded that the MCC learning model effectively improves students’ CC by incorporating scientific knowledge, motivation, and metacognitive skills into instructional decisions. The MCC has practical implications for assessing CC through motivation and metacognitive scaffolding.

Conceptual understanding in science learning and the role of four psychometric variables: a person-centered approach.

The present study investigated conceptual understanding in learning science in relation to four cognitive variables: logical thinking, field-dependence/field-independence, and divergent and convergent thinking. The participants were fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school pupils involved in different mental tasks, where they had to describe and interpret phenomena related to changes of matter. This brief report presents data from the students' understanding of evaporation, and the method of analysis, a person-centered approach, is explicated. Latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to reveal distinct clusters of cases sharing similar patterns of responses. The use of LCA aligns with theoretical conjectures related to a stepwise conceptual change process, and the hypothetical steps correspond to the identified discrete latent classes (LCs). Subsequently, the LCs were associated with the four cognitive variables as covariates, thus providing empirical evidence for the role of the above-mentioned individual differences in children's learning in sciences. Methodological issues and theoretical implications are discussed.

Determining university students' cognitive structures and alternative concepts on striated muscle by word association test

Background and Study Aim. Muscles are a set of topics for physical education and sports. Cognitive structure and alternative concepts of students should be diagnosed about striated muscles, which are very rich in terms of abstract concepts. The aim of this research is to determine the cognitive structures, alternative concepts and conceptual change process of university students on striated muscle with the word association test.
 Material and Methods. 50 students who took physiology course in Selcuk University physical education and sports teaching 2nd year participated in the research. The research was designed with a single group pretest posttest weak experimental design. The students were given a pre-test Word Association Test (WAT), then the subject of striated muscles in the training information curriculum was explained, and then WAT was re-applied as a post-test. As a result of the tests applied, the frequencies of the answer words given by the students to 11 key concepts were calculated and the cut-off points were determined and concept networks were created. In addition, the sentences formed by the students about these concepts were examined in terms of misconceptions.
 Results. We found that the students produced 44 answer words in the pre-test and 64 in the post-test, and the frequency of many concepts increased in the post-test compared to the pre-test. However, an increase in the knowledge level and concept associations of the students at the desired level was not observed. In addition, we determined that although the students' misconceptions about striated muscle decreased in the post-test compared to the pre-test, they still continued, and the students generally had unscientific or superficial knowledge in both tests.
 Conclusions. As a result of the research, it was determined that there was a significant change in the cognitive structure of the students about the skeletal muscle, although it was not at a sufficient level, and their misconceptions were reduced. It has been concluded that the WAT is an important alternative assessment tool to determine the conceptual development in preliminary and post-knowledge, as well as a strategy that can be used to ensure meaningful learning and conceptual change.

Exploring beliefs about teaching sports

The study analyzed the change in beliefs of an undergraduate student about sports teaching during her initial training in Physical Education at a public university in southern Brazil. In this qualitative, descriptive, and interpretive longitudinal study, the unique case of an undergraduate student was investigated, based on semi-structured interview procedures, systematic observation, memory stimulation and Content analysis technique. The results revealed that throughout her initial training, the undergraduate student changed her beliefs related to the purposes, strategies, and organization of content through different processes of conceptual change. This evidence shows that professional learning, comprehensive from the perspective of conceptual change, is an active, long, slow, and gradual process that involves a continuous revision of beliefs.

Examining pre-service science teachers' diagnostic question preparation skills on Seasons, climate, and weather movements

For meaningful learning to take place and to eliminate misconceptions, it is necessary to identify the process of conceptual change on any given topic. The research aims to examine the skills of science teacher candidates to prepare two-stage diagnostic questions on ‘Seasons, Climate and Weather Movements’. For this purpose, the research was carried out in 4 weeks with 40 (39 females, 1 male) second-grade science teacher candidates in the fall semester of the 2019-2020 academic year, using the holistic single-case study pattern of the ‘Observation-Based Case Study'. Tests prepared by pre-service teachers were applied to eighth-grade students. The 'Diagnostic Test Preparation Rubric' was collected using ”Concept maps“, ”Open-ended two-stage tests“ and ”Multiple choice two-stage tests". As a result of the descriptive and content analysis, it was noticed that teacher candidates are usually at an intermediate and good level in determining the propositions of knowledge about the subject, developing a concept map, and a two-stage diagnostic test related to the subject content. Keywords: Diagnostic questions; science teacher candidates; seasons; climate; weather movements

Üstbiliş Destekli Tartışma Tabanlı Öğrenme Yaklaşımının Fizik Eğitiminde Kavramsal Değişim ve Üstbiliş Üzerine Etkisi

The process of conceptual change begins when a preconception of a student fails to solve a problem. It ends when the student abandons his preconception and accepts a scientific concept. Although the theory and variables of conceptual change have been defined, how the theory would be implemented in a class environment has not been defined. For this reason, a course incorporating an argumentation approach supported with metacognitive strategies in accordance with the theory of conceptual change was designed and implemented for the subject of special relativity theory. A qualitatively dominant status mixed-method approach was used as the research design. The participants of the study were 51, 10th-grade students studying at a secondary school. Data were collected with qualitative and quantitative measurement tools. It was concluded that the applied course contributed positively to the students' conceptual changes and regulation of cognition (planning, monitoring, evaluating).

Inhibiting intuition: Scaffolding children's theory construction about species evolution in the face of competing explanations

Acquiring the counterintuitive logic of how the mechanism of natural selection (NS) leads to the evolution of new species (speciation) represents a paradigm case of conceptual change. Given this, we examined children's intuitive preconceptions about speciation and their ability to construct, generalize, and retain an accurate understanding of the theory. We did so by conducting two multi-age, multi-session, and multi-measure intervention studies that assessed children's understanding of natural selection 4 times over three months using extended interviews. We also examined the role of Executive Function skills (EF) in these conceptual change processes. Distinctively, we explored whether—consistent with conceptual co-existence accounts—EF not only supports children's initial construction of a counterintuitive theory but also plays an ongoing role in the online reasoning of successful learners. Across two studies, North American children in Grades 2 (N = 34) and 3 (N = 34) were provided with coherent mechanistic explanations of NS through a two-storybook intervention sequence. The first storybook described the logic of NS to explain how a specialized body part evolved within a fictional species (adaptation). The second storybook extended the logic to explain how this same species evolved into a new, distinct species (speciation). Findings revealed that many second and third graders were able to learn and generalize the logic of speciation. This is a remarkable feat given that speciation conflicts with early developing essentialist and teleological intuitions, and defeats most adults. Our analyses also confirmed that constructing this counterintuitive theory draws heavily on children's EF capacities. They additionally reveal that once the theory is constructed, EF plays a continuing role in reasoning by inhibiting competing intuitive explanations that co-exist rather than being replaced during the process of conceptual change.

A Comparative Analysis of Processes of Conceptual Change for the Enhancement of Implementation of Green Energy Education and Training

Green energy is promoted via education and training. In education, concepts are the cornerstone in knowledge creation. Comparative analysis in the present paper assists in the discovery of patterns of processes of conceptual change. The aim of this paper is to compare processes of conceptual change underpinning the enhancement of implementation of green energy education and training. Our motivation here is to identify an efficient process of conceptual change for the enhancement of implementation of green energy education and training. The novelty of the research presented in this paper lies in the formulated implications for research and practice devoted to the efficient implementation of green energy education and training.

Investigating the Impact of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Processes of Conceptual, Emotional, and Attitude Change

Through three separate studies, our research explored whether a mindfulness-based intervention could facilitate processes of conceptual change by evoking a heightened state of cognitive engagement with controversial topics in science including Genetically Modified Foods (Study One), Human-Induced Climate Change, (Study Two), and Fluoridated Water (Study Three). We used Dole and Sinatra’s (Educational Psychologist 33:109–128, 1998) Cognitive Reconstruction of Knowledge Model (CRKM) to operationalize conceptual change, focusing on knowledge, attitude, and emotional change during conceptual change. Using a pre and post design, in Studies One and Two, participants received a single-shot mindfulness intervention. Based upon the findings from Studies One and Two, we modified the design intervention for Study Three to include a mobile app–based mindfulness intervention to allow for more practice between pre and post data collection. Results of Study One revealed a significant difference on attitude change, however, in favor of the control condition. Results of Study Two revealed no significant differences between conditions. Results of Study Three were also null. The findings have implications for mindfulness and conceptual change strategies. Our null findings potentially suggest that the mindfulness interventions used were not potent enough, in terms of length and content, to generate the type of mindful engagement we predicted would occur.

A study on the Process of Conceptual Change of Communities of Practice

A study on the Process of Conceptual Change of Communities of Practice

Concept Mapping in Magnetism and Electrostatics: Core Concepts and Development over Time

Conceptual change theories assume that knowledge structures grow during the learning process but also get reorganized. Yet, this reorganization process itself is hard to examine. By using concept maps, we examined the changes in students’ knowledge structures and linked it to conceptual change theory. In a longitudinal study, thirty high-achieving students (M = 14.41 years) drew concept maps at three timepoints across a teaching unit on magnetism and electrostatics. In total, 87 concept maps were analyzed using betweenness and PageRank centrality as well as a clustering algorithm. We also compared the students’ concept maps to four expert maps on the topic. Besides a growth of the knowledge network, the results indicated a reorganization, with first a fragmentation during the unit, followed by an integration of knowledge at the end of the unit. Thus, our analysis revealed that the process of conceptual change on this topic was non-linear. Moreover, the terms used in the concept maps varied in their centrality, with more abstract terms being more central and thus more important for the structure of the map. We also suggest ideas for the usage of concept maps in class.

Don’t Take It Personally? The Role of Personal Relevance in Conceptual Change

The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the role of personal relevance in conceptual change. First, we used an experimental design to investigate the role of augmented activation—which directly implicated teachers’ personal prior beliefs about mathematics learning and instruction—and refutational text manipulations on short and long-term conceptual change in preservice and inservice teachers’ constructivist beliefs about mathematics to test for a mechanism of change. Second, we examined the relationships among affect, cognitive processing, and conceptual change to clarify our understanding of the mechanisms of the conceptual change process and to empirically test key hypotheses in the Cognitive-Affective Model of Conceptual Change (CAMCC). Our results indicated that messages that heighten the personal relevance and challenge to prior beliefs with contrary evidence (i.e., augmented activation) produced conceptual change in preservice and inservice teachers’ mathematics beliefs, whereas there was no consistent effect of refutational text. We also found support for several key pathways in the CAMCC, with implications for conceptual change theory and teacher education.

Situational interest helps correct misconceptions: An investigation of conceptual change in university students

Many learners possess misconceptions regarding instructional content; toward this aim, educational practitioners employ teaching practices that support learners’ efforts to restructure their existing knowledge structures—a process known as conceptual change. The Cognitive Reconstruction of Knowledge Model emphasizes the importance of conceptual dissatisfaction, topic interest, and learners’ need for cognition in the process of conceptual change. However, most conceptual change studies have failed to differentiate the contribution of dispositional and situational interest to the revision of conceptual understanding. The current study was designed to test key predictions of the Cognitive Reconstruction of Knowledge Model while also exploring the influence of dispositional and situational interest on the conceptual change process. Participants (N = 360) recruited from two universities in the United States completed measures assessing pre- and post-test knowledge, individual and situational interest, need for cognition, dissatisfaction, and cognitive engagement. Further, participants read a refutational text designed to address commonly endorsed misconceptions regarding HIV/AIDS. Results of a path analysis indicated situational interest exerted a significant indirect effect on conceptual change scores through cognitive engagement. Contrary to the predictions of the Cognitive Reconstruction of Knowledge Model, our findings indicated that the need for cognition, individual interest, and cognitive conflict were not significant predictors of conceptual change. We believe the findings of our investigation highlight the importance of fostering situational interest when attempting to promote knowledge reconstruction among learners.

Virtual laboratory for enhancing students’ understanding on abstract biology concepts and laboratory skills: a systematic review

The virtual laboratory has been widely used in biology learning at all levels of education, but it remains a challenge for countries with technological shortages. Many biological concepts were abstract and difficult to be understood through simple explanation or even difficult to do in a laboratory. Utilization of virtual labs in biology learning, especially in higher education needs to be reviewed about the characteristics of contents, and function and its efficiency to assess the specific variables. Thus, this systematic review was carried out to analyze research articles published from 2010 to 2018. The articles were selected using the PRISMA. The articles were obtained from Google Scholar, the Science Direct, and the Journal of Science Education, ERIC, and Journal of Biological Education. In total, 199 articles were found. The general analysis was conducted. The results yielded 47 articles to be further analyzed by looking at the content and results of the study. Twenty-three articles were obtained and analyzed. Journal content analysis was focused on the selected topic, the dependent variables, sample size, effect size, research design, data collection techniques, research objectives, and the results. Cell or molecular biology was the most widely used topics in the virtual laboratory. Students’ conceptual understanding was the most studied variable, some studies examine students’ affective and psychomotor skills, but only a few studies examine the learning process. Most biology virtual labs were developed using the Adobe Flash Player application with 3D animation. The results suggested for further research to develop a virtual biology lab that is more inquiry-based, and capable of assessing students’ conceptual change and science process skills which not have been widely studied.

Changes in undergraduate students’ conceptual knowledge of translation during the first years of translation/interpreting- and foreign language-related education

ABSTRACT Research in domains such as cognitive psychology and pedagogy has long postulated and demonstrated the importance of learners’ subjective concepts/theories and their restructuring in the process of conceptual change. These theories tend to be deeply entrenched and are related to various learner characteristics, such as epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs, or emotions, and are contextually situated. This paper presents the results of a study investigating the initial conceptual knowledge of translation of undergraduate students and the changes it underwent during the course of the first two years of translation/interpreting- and foreign language-related training. The students’ concepts were examined at three stages of their studies using an adapted version of the PACTE questionnaire regarding implicit knowledge about the principles of translation, which revealed a dynamic vs. static approach towards translation. The responses given by 25 students who participated in all three tests have been analysed on a group and individual level with respect to changes in the dynamicness of the students’ concepts. Observations are made concerning the process of conceptual change, also with reference to particular aspects of translation investigated by the questionnaire, and some pedagogical implications regarding how conceptual change can be promoted more effectively are offered.

Conceptual changes for and during working life

Rapid and radical changes in science, technology and society may result in new scientific concepts and new workplace practices, which require fundamental restructuring of prior knowledge. Over the years a noteworthy body of research has documented the processes of conceptual change, the learning mechanisms involved, and the instructional methods and strategies that can promote conceptual changes. This research, however, focused young learners in school settings. Conceptual changes in working life go beyond traditional conceptual change consisting of processes and mechanisms that involve the interaction between expertise development and workplace learning processes.This Special Issue investigates whether and how conceptual change research can be extended from learning in schools to learning in professional life.

Does Conceptual Change Process of Instruction Promote Scientific Understanding of Biological Evolution?

This study investigated the teaching experiences of secondary science teachers on biological evolution to promote conceptual change among their students. Descriptive phenomenological analysis was employed to explore the lived experiences of teachers (n=12) via a semi-structured interviews with the participants. Thematic analysis revealed six stages of conceptual change process of instruction of biological evolution, namely recognition, reinforcement, relevance, restructuring, reflection, and enrichment. These stages facilitated gradual conceptual change among students; however, students did not completely develop a sophisticated understanding of evolutionary concepts due to strongly held inherent beliefs and biases by their teacher and the lack of mastery of the concept. Strengthened teacher preparatory program, content enrichment, pedagogical retooling, availability of manipulative and audio-visual materials, and the supportive collegial group will help capacitate teachers to effectively and competently teach evolution. Keywords: teaching evolution, conceptual change process, Philippine education, science education, Phenomenological study

Development of the ecological concepts of energy flow and materials cycling in middle school students participating in earth education programs

This paper focuses on the development of understandings of the ecological concepts of energy flow and materials cycling of middle school students. It is based on a qualitative analysis of individual interviews with 6 students in an urban area of the southern US conducted every year over a 5-year period in 2004–2008, starting in grade 4 and finishing in grade 8. In addition to their formal education, all of the students participated in three outdoor earth education programs (Earthkeepers, Sunship Earth & Sunship III) over a 4-year period. Specifically, the study analyzed what misconceptions connected with energy and matter emerged and how students’ conceptual understanding developed over time. In addition, it discusses the possible effects of educational programs on participating students. The study demonstrates the non-linear process of conceptual change, constrained by a few persistent students’ misconceptions. The study also discusses potential implications for the practice of outdoor educational programs.

Refutation texts compensate for detrimental effects of misconceptions on comprehension and metacomprehension accuracy and support transfer.

Misconceptions impair not only learners’ comprehension of a text but also the accuracy with which they judge their comprehension, that is, metacomprehension accuracy. Refutation texts are beneficial to elicit conceptual-change processes and thus to overcome the detrimental impact of misconceptions on comprehension. However, it is unclear whether refutation texts and the conceptual-change processes induced by reading them benefit metacomprehension accuracy in addition to comprehension and how robust these effects are when reading further texts. We conducted an experiment in which we asked 80 student teachers with a varying number of statistical misconceptions to read either a standard or a refutation text on statistics and assessed their comprehension and metacomprehension. In a subsample, we examined the students’ conceptual-change processes during reading with the think-aloud methodology. Subsequently, we asked the students to read a research report that required the application of the previously acquired statistical knowledge and assessed their comprehension and metacomprehension again. The results revealed that the refutation text compensated for the detrimental impact of misconceptions on comprehension and metacomprehension accuracy. The think-aloud data indicated that when reading the refutation text, students with more misconceptions engaged in conceptual-change processes more actively, which in turn supported their comprehension and metacomprehension accuracy. Compensatory effects of the refutation text were also found when the students read the research report. In sum, the findings show that refutation texts are beneficial for both comprehension and metacomprehension accuracy and that these benefits transfer to situations where the acquired knowledge has to be put into practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)