Foster Conceptual Understanding Research Articles

From cookbook lab to PEODE-based lab: redesigning lab activities to foster conceptual understanding

ABSTRACT Background Of many innovative laboratory approaches in the literature, POE (Predict-Explain-Observe) and PDEODE (Predict-Discuss-Explain-Observe-Discuss-Explain) based laboratories approach have been frequently used to enhance laboratory studies during the last ten years. We contend that excluding the discussion phase before the observation stage in PDEODE could be more suitable when applied to science laboratory settings. Consequently, we chose to employ the PEODE (Predict-Explain-Observe-Discuss-Explain) approach in lieu of PDEODE to enhance laboratory-based studies. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate effectiveness of PEODE-based laboratory activities in promoting prospective science teachers’ (PSTs) conceptual understanding about fundamental concepts. Sample The quasi-experimental study is based on 46 third grade PSTs in the primary science education department. In the study, randomly selected two groups were used, one experimental group (EG; n = 22) and one control group (CG; n = 24). Design and methods To achieve this aim, we selected fundamental science concepts that students have difficulty in sound understanding and often hold alternative conceptions based on the literature. While the CG participated in traditional laboratory activities, the EG took part in PEODE-based laboratory activities. Laboratory activities were carried out in both groups for a total of 18 hours. In order to assess PSTs’ conceptual understanding about fundamental concepts, a concept test (CT) including 22 test items (two-tiers and open-ended) were presented to them as pre- and post-test. The PSTs’ pre- and post-CT scores was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Results The study overall demonstrated that PEODE based laboratory activities have a significant impact on enhancing PSTs’ conceptual understanding of the fundamental science concepts. Conclusion The PEODE based laboratory employed in this study, introduced as a novel contribution to the literature, demonstrates its potential to facilitate conceptual change.

AN EXPLORATION OF THE INTEGRATION OF ICT IN MATHEMATICS LESSONS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, GARISSA COUNTY, KENYA

The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education has brought about significant transformations in teaching and learning processes. In a mathematics classroom, ICT offers unique opportunities to enhance students' engagement, promote critical thinking, and foster conceptual understanding. This study explores strategies employed by mathematics teachers in integrating ICT into their lessons. The research design was a descriptive survey. The study was informed by the Diffusion of Innovations Theory. The target population consisted of 18 public secondary schools located in Garissa County. A sample of 267 mathematics students was selected using simple random sampling, while purposive sampling was used to select 18 mathematics teachers and 10 school principals from the ten selected schools. Data were collected through interviews with school principals, classroom observations, and surveys given to Mathematics teachers and students. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Bar graphs were used to present the results. Findings revealed that projectors, printers, and smart televisions were the main ICT tools available for teaching mathematics, while GeoGebra was the most commonly used software by mathematics teachers. PowerPoint presentations and whiteboard displays were commonly used by teachers during mathematics lessons. Based on the findings, one conclusion is drawn: the scarcity of ICT resources hindered effective mathematics instruction. The study recommended the acquisition of more ICT resources for teaching and learning Mathematics. The study's findings can inform policymakers and education stakeholders to efficiently utilize ICT in the mathematics classroom and enhance students' mathematics performance.

Comparing drawing tasks and elaborate single-choice questions in simulation-based learning: how do they facilitate students’ conceptual understanding on chemical equilibria?

Past research repeatedly revealed students’ struggles to understand chemical equilibria, especially concerning their dynamic nature. Black-box simulations have proven to be helpful here. However, the effect is strongly dependent on the quality of teaching, the design principles of which are not yet fully known. One aspect of debate concerns the nature of supportive learning tasks, which require students to activate, construct and reflect on their mental models to foster conceptual understanding. In this paper, we investigate how drawing-assisted simulation-based learning promotes conceptual understanding of chemical equilibria in comparison to single-choice tasks. Both types of supporting tasks involve simulation-based activities according to the German instructional design SIMMS (Simulation-basedInstruction forMentalModelling inSchool), which requires students to construct their own explanations and predictions on a chemical system before exploring it via molecular dynamics simulations and revising their explanations and predictions retrospectively. In a quasi-experimental intervention study with 174 German high school students of ten chemistry courses (tenth grade), two treatment groups (drawing group and single-choice group) were compared with a control group, assessing the progress in conceptual understanding during simulation-based learning via drawings and explanations as well as pre- and post-intervention via questionnaire. Our findings reveal similar effects of drawing tasks and elaborate single-choice tasks on conceptual understanding of chemical equilibria. For equilibrium dynamics specifically, simulation-based settings featuring drawing tasks seem to be slightly more effective than simulation-based settings featuring elaborate single-choice-tasks in fostering understanding. What is more, simulation-based settings on the divergent phenomenon of Le Chatelier (where different final states emerge from the same initial state, depending on the nature of external perturbation) seem to be more efficient than those on the convergent nature of chemical equilibria (where several initial states with different educt/product ratios yield the same final state in equilibrium) in fostering student understanding irrespective of the mode of the supportive learning task.

A small-group activity to enhance learning of cardiovascular drugs for health science students.

This small‐group activity provides two cases in cardiovascular pharmacology to engage students in a medical or other health professions curriculum. The goal of this activity is to apply students' basic knowledge of physiology and pharmacology to clinical case scenarios. Students were provided with the cases 1 week in advance and were encouraged to use their lecture notes and/or other references of their choosing to answer as many of the questions as possible and prepare to discuss the answers with their classmates at the session. Facilitators were provided with detailed notes and a video that explain the answers and provide suggestions for engaging and challenging the students. For the 2021 academic year, 201 students (139 first‐year medical students and 62 second‐year pharmacy students) at UC San Diego participated in the small‐group activity. Eighteen facilitators were recruited to lead this 110‐min session. Students' performance was assessed on the final exam of their integrated cardiovascular physiology‐pharmacology course. Students achieved 84% (SD 17.54) on questions related to the small‐group session compared to 78% (SD 15.60) on other cardiovascular pharmacology questions not related to the activity. Student perceptions of the facilitators leading the small‐group activity were very positive (average of 4.7 on a 5‐point Likert Scale). Using this approach, we demonstrate that a small‐group activity with clinical scenarios helps students master the pharmacology content related to cardiovascular drugs. The small‐group activity included constructed response questions to foster conceptual understanding.

Development and didactic analysis of smartphone-based experimental exercises for the smart physics lab

Smartphone-based experimental exercises were incorporated as part of the homework problems in an introductory mechanics course at a university. A quasi-experimental field study with two cohorts design was performed to measure the impact of such exercises on motivation, interest and conceptual understanding. The empirical results on learning achievement show a significant positive influence of the smartphone-based experimental exercise for the dynamics of rigid bodies topic with a medium effect size of d = 0.42. For the analysis of rotational motion topic, a positive learning achievement for both groups was evidenced, but the effect size of the smartphone-based exercise was rather small at d = 0.20 . The intrinsic and germane cognitive loads turned out to be similar at an intermediate level for both groups. However, the extrinsic cognitive load for the intervention group decreased significantly, which might be the reason why more complex experimental exercises foster conceptual understanding.

Hands-on learning of chemistry concepts

Background – Stoichiometry is among the most difficult chemistry concepts to teach and it is often taught with an emphasis on algorithmic understanding, without emphasis on conceptual understanding. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if the use of dynamic submicro representations via hands-on learning activities, comprising molecular models and molecular graphics, can provide positive insights into students’ understanding of stoichiometry. Methods – An action research was carried out involving two cycles of lessons i.e., cycle 1 with “static” submicro representations (PowerPoint) to teach stoichiometry and cycle 2 with “dynamic” submicro representations (hands-on learning with molecular models and graphics) to teach stoichiometry. To gather data, these instruments were used: (1) a stoichiometry test with structured questions, (2) students’ activity journals and (3) open-ended semi-structured interviews. Results – This study indicated that students who had learnt stoichiometry with only “static” submicro representations, faced difficulties in understanding stoichiometry at the submicro level. This study also showed that students can benefit from the use of “dynamic” submicro representations (hands-on learning activities) in understanding stoichiometry at the submicro level. Positive changes in students’ understanding were categorised as a change from a ‘Lack of understanding’ to ‘Correct understanding’. This was determined from transcribed data obtained from the interview sessions and the students’ activity journals. Conclusion – This study provided evidence that the use of “dynamic” submicro representations can foster conceptual understanding of stoichiometry at the submicro level. As the local context of the study undertaken by the researcher was the prevailing factor that made this action research unique, the scope of the research and the pedagogical restrictions encountered by the researcher were considered the study’s limitations. The uniqueness of this study lies in its approach of involving hands-on learning activities in lessons on stoichiometry.

Providing Context for Identifying Effective Introductory Mechanics Courses

Research-based assessments (RBAs) measure how well a course achieves discipline-specific outcomes. Educators can use outcomes from RBAs to guide instructional choices and to request resources to implement and sustain instructional transformations. One challenge for using RBAs, however, is a lack of comparative data, particularly given the skew in the research literature toward calculus-based courses at highly selective institutions. In this article, we provide a large-scale dataset and several tools educators in introductory physics courses can use to inform how well their courses foster student conceptual understanding of Newtonian physics. The supplemental materials include this dataset and these tools. Educators and administrators will often target courses with high drop, withdrawal, and failure rates for transformations to student-centered instructional strategies. RBAs and the comparative tools presented herein allow educators to address critiques that the course transformations made the courses “easier” by showing that the transformed course supported physics learning compared to similar courses at other institutions. Educators can also use the tools to track course efficacy over time.

Teaching and learning special relativity theory in secondary and lower undergraduate education: A literature review

This review presents an overview and analysis of the body of research on special relativity theory (SRT) education at the secondary and lower undergraduate level. There is currently a growing international interest in implementing SRT in pre-university education as an introduction to modern physics. For this reason, insights into learning opportunities and challenges in SRT education are needed. The field of research in SRT education is still at an early stage, especially at the level of secondary education, and there is a shortage of empirical evaluation of learning outcomes. In order to guide future research directions, there is a need for an overview and synthesis of the results reported so far. We have selected 40 articles and categorized them according to reported learning difficulties, teaching approaches, and research tools. Analysis shows that students at all educational levels experience learning difficulties with the use of frames of reference, the postulates of SRT, and relativistic effects. In the reported teaching sequences, instructional materials, and learning activities, these difficulties are approached from different angles. Some teaching approaches focus on thought experiments to express conceptual features of SRT, while others use virtual environments to provide realistic visualization of relativistic effects. From the reported teaching approaches, three learning objectives can be identified: to foster conceptual understanding, to foster understanding of the history and philosophy of science, and to gain motivation and confidence toward SRT and physics in general. In order to quantitatively compare learning outcomes of different teaching strategies, a more thorough evaluation of assessment tools is required.

Content representations to support out-of-field physics teachers

A global shortage of qualified physics teachers requires some teachers to teach physics out-of-field (OOF). A concern for OOF physics teaching is that without appropriate physics content knowledge (CK), these teachers tend to focus on rote learning and may find it difficult to support students who require additional assistance or extension; they tend to teach in ways that do not foster conceptual understanding. This paper reports on research that investigated how content representations (CoRes) could be used to support OOF physics teachers’ knowledge for teaching electricity and magnetism. CoRes were used to elicit discussions between OOF and in-field physics teachers about important teaching and learning considerations (e.g. appropriate CK for students and appropriate instructional strategies for promoting conceptual understanding). Prior to engaging with CoRes, three OOF teachers were interviewed about teaching electricity and magnetism and their lessons during this topic were video recorded. Later, as these OOF teachers worked with their in-field colleagues using the CoRe framework, all discussions were audio recorded. To explore changes to the OOF teachers’ knowledge and practice from the CoRe process, they were interviewed and their follow-up electricity and magnetism lessons (for a different class) were video recorded. Findings showed that the CoRe processstimulated important discussions about teaching electricity and magnetism and considerations for students learning this topic. As a result, the OOF teachers developed their professional knowledge, including refinement of their CK, acquirement of new topic-specific instructional strategies, and more awareness of students’ understanding during lessons. This study concludes that CoRes are an effective strategy for supporting the professional learning of OOF physics teachers.

French teacher perceptions of student learning about force: a preliminary study

ABSTRACT Background Many researchers have investigated student reasoning in Newtonian mechanics. In 1979 Viennot revealed that most students associate the concept of force with the velocity or acceleration of a motion. Forty years later, student understandings remain a major challenge for teachers. The implications of this challenge are still unclear, however, including the effect on the instructions given by teachers. Purpose This paper investigated the perceptions that French teachers of science, technology and engineering have of core student misconceptions about, and learning difficulties with, the subject of force, and the extent to which these are dependent on a teacher’s subject knowledge, and how they affect grade levels. Sample One hundred teachers in the Académie d'Aix-Marseille, an educational organisation in the southeast France, were questioned randomly about their views on student learning issues of force. Design and method Teacher views were collected using an exploratory study based on an online questionnaire which included Likert-based and closed questions. The data was analysed using nonparametric tests. Results The analysis revealed four major outcomes: (1) main perceptions of misconceptions related to student ‘impetus force’ and ‘force linked to an object weight’, (2) key learning difficulties included ‘knowledge transfer’ and ‘knowledge construction’, (3) teachers believed that the Aristotelian view was still a common barrier to learning Newtonian mechanics, and (4) differences in perceptions were due, essentially, to the teachers’ subject domain and not to the grades they taught. The only statistically significant difference in perceptions between teachers was linked to the idea of impetus force, with this corresponding to discipline philosophy. Conclusion This paper provides baseline evidence about teacher perceptions of student learning about force, which suggests that more systemic teaching approaches are crucial to foster student conceptual understanding, transfer and knowledge construction. Some implications for teachers and curriculum developers are discussed.

Form-Focused Instruction in the Heritage Language Classroom: Toward Research-Informed Heritage Language Pedagogy

Heritage language speakers have been recognized as a special group of language learners, whose knowledge of and experiences with the language, as well as their motivations for (re)learning their home language, differ drastically from that of an average learner of a second language. Current heritage language pedagogical approaches mainly focus on the development of communicative (or functional) abilities of the heritage learners; however, heritage speakers continue to struggle with structural accuracy and complexity of their speech and, thus, often fail to develop higher levels of proficiency in their heritage language. In this paper, we propose that focus-on-form needs to be an integral part of teaching heritage learners from the start of instruction. We base our argument on the results of extensive linguistic research on heritage Russian and on insights from the currently available pedagogically oriented classroom and laboratory-based research on heritage learners. We formulate and discuss instructional methods that help educators develop heritage learners’ attention to grammatical form and ability to recognize form-meaning mappings; foster conceptual understanding of grammar, and increase their metalinguistic awareness. Given consistent parallels across different heritage languages, the methodologies developed for Russian learners readily apply in other heritage language classrooms as well.

Linking the submicroscopic and symbolic level in physical chemistry: how voluntary simulation-based learning activities foster first-year university students’ conceptual understanding

Research in the past decades repeatedly revealed university students’ struggles to properly understand physical chemistry concepts. In contrast to school, tertiary teaching relies heavily on the symbolic level, mainly applying abstract representations such as equations and diagrams. To follow the lessons and generate conceptual understanding, students need to connect those representations with macroscopic and submicroscopic aspects of the scientific concept depicted. For German first-year chemistry students, this increase in abstraction in a major subject of study contributes to excessive demand and demotivation (especially during out-of-class learning) and increases the risk of early dropouts. We designed a simulation-based learning environment (BIRC: Bridging Imagination and Representation in Chemistry) to suit the needs of first-year students and support them when learning physical chemistry at home. Our approach, featuring molecular dynamics simulations, requires students to assess their own mental models on the submicroscopic level and connect them to equations and diagrams on the symbolic level. Prior studies did already highlight the potential of individual BIRC learning units to foster conceptual understanding on specific topics. In this paper, we investigate if and how students of a broader sample use these learning activities as voluntary supplement beside regular coursework. During the term, we used think-aloud protocols, interviews and eight online questionnaires to analyse students’ mental and emotional interaction while working on BIRC, assessing whether students perceived BIRC as a suitable, enjoyable and supportive resource to enhance learning. Via two paper & pencil achievement tests we examined students’ retention concerning submicroscopic mental models and their ability to connect these mental models with symbolic representations 5–10 weeks later. Our findings indicate a cognitively engaging, comparably enjoyable learning process, which strengthens conceptual understanding and – despite the necessary time and effort – induces a broad number of students to voluntarily work on several units at home.

Promoting mathematical reasoning and problem solving through inquiry-based relevance focused computer simulations: a stoichiometry lab

Abstract Simulations model concepts and phenomena. Several researchers have called for an intuitive and user-friendly simulation design to foster conceptual understanding of users. Simulations can also be used to promote mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills of students in various chemistry courses. An example of such use of simulations would be teaching reaction stoichiometry and underlying dimensional analysis for determining the quantity of reactants and products involved in a chemical reaction. In this paper, the author presents an innovative model of a guided-inquiry based simulation for promoting mathematical thinking in chemistry by incorporating mathematical thinking as a component of simulation design. The simulation was implemented in an introductory organic chemistry laboratory course in which a significant gain in pre- and post-test was observed for participating students.

Exploring Undergraduate Students’ Computational Modeling Abilities and Conceptual Understanding of Electric Circuits

Contribution: This paper adds to existing literature on teaching basic concepts of electricity using computer-based instruction; findings suggest that students can develop an accurate understanding of electric circuits when they generate multiple and complementary representations that build toward computational models. Background: Several studies have explored the efficacy of computer-based, multi-representational teaching of electric circuits for novice learners. Existing research has found that instructional use of computational models that move from abstract to concrete representations can foster students’ comprehension of electric circuit concepts, but other features of effective instruction using computational models need further investigation. Research Questions: 1) Is there a correlation between students’ representational fluency and their ability to reason qualitatively on electric circuits? and 2) Is the quality of student-generated computational representations correlated to their conceptual understanding of electric circuits? Methodology: The study comprised two cases in which 51 sophomore-engineering students completed a voluntary assignment designed to assess their representational fluency and conceptual understanding of electric circuits. Qualitative insights from the first case informed the design of a scoring rubric that served as both the assessment and the data collection instrument. Findings: The results suggest that a multi-representational approach aimed at the construction of computational models can foster conceptual understanding of electric circuits. The number and quality of students’ representations showed a positive correlation with their conceptual understanding. In particular, the quality of the computational representations was found to be highly, and significantly, correlated with the correctness of students’ answers to qualitative reasoning questions.

Is Formal Language Proficiency in the Home Language Required to Profit from a Bilingual Teaching Intervention in Mathematics? A Mixed Methods Study on Fostering Multilingual Students\u2019 Conceptual Understanding

To what degree can multilingual students profit from bilingual teaching approaches, even when they lack experience in the academic or technical register in their home languages? This study explores this research question in a mixed methods design for a German/Turkish bilingual intervention aimed at fostering conceptual understanding of fractions (five sessions of 90 min each). The sample consisted of German/Turkish bilingual students (n = 128) in Grade 7 in German schools without prior formal mathematics education in Turkish. In a randomized control trial, the bilingual intervention was compared to the corresponding monolingual intervention and a control group. A repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that students in both interventions had significantly higher learning gains than in the control group, and in fact profited equally from both interventions, although some time and effort was required for overcoming initial barriers in the home language and especially in the academic register. A qualitative analysis of the videotaped bilingual learning processes revealed insights into specific obstacles and chances of connecting both languages in order to foster conceptual understanding. The students with some formal language proficiency in Turkish seemed to profit even more from the bilingual intervention, but a rigid technical register was not necessary.

Using Technology to Prompt Good Questions about Distributions in Statistics

Revisions of a textbook problem enhance the underlying tasks and foster conceptual understanding.

Revealing conceptual understanding of international business

This study aims to identify an adequate approach for revealing conceptual understanding in higher professional education. Revealing students’ conceptual understanding is an important step towards developing effective curricula, assessment and aligned teaching strategies to enhance conceptual understanding in higher education. Essays and concept maps were used to determine how students’ conceptual understanding of international business can be revealed adequately. To this end, 132 international business students in higher professional education were randomly assigned to four conditions to write essays and to construct concept maps about an international business research topic. The conditions were: essay alone, essay after concept map, concept map alone, and concept map after essay. An assessment rubric was used to assess the breadth and depth of students’ conceptual understanding. Results show essays are the most adequate approach for revealing conceptual understanding of international business. In particular, concept maps revealed fewer facts and less reasoning than essays. Essays written after concept maps were less effective than essays, possibly since students perceived these essays as redundant. Further research is suggested on how educators can foster conceptual understanding.

Supporting Students’ Learning and Socioscientific Reasoning About Climate Change—the Effect of Computer-Based Concept Mapping Scaffolds

Climate change is one of the most challenging problems facing today’s global society (e.g., IPCC 2013). While climate change is a widely covered topic in the media, and abundant information is made available through the internet, the causes and consequences of climate change in its full complexity are difficult for individuals, especially non-scientists, to grasp. Science education is a field which can play a crucial role in fostering meaningful education of students to become climate literate citizens (e.g., NOAA 2009; Schreiner et al., 41, 3–50, 2005). If students are, at some point, to participate in societal discussions about the sustainable development of our planet, their learning with respect to such issues needs to be supported. This includes the ability to think critically, to cope with complex scientific evidence, which is often subject to ongoing inquiry, and to reach informed decisions on the basis of factual information as well as values-based considerations. The study presented in this paper focused on efforts to advance students in (1) their conceptual understanding about climate change and (2) their socioscientific reasoning and decision making regarding socioscientific issues in general. Although there is evidence that “knowledge” does not guarantee pro-environmental behavior (e.g. Schreiner et al., 41, 3–50, 2005; Skamp et al., 97(2), 191–217, 2013), conceptual, interdisciplinary understanding of climate change is an important prerequisite to change individuals’ attitudes towards climate change and thus to eventually foster climate literate citizens (e.g., Clark et al. 2013). In order to foster conceptual understanding and socioscientific reasoning, a computer-based learning environment with an embedded concept mapping tool was utilized to support senior high school students’ learning about climate change and possible solution strategies. The evaluation of the effect of different concept mapping scaffolds focused on the quality of student-generated concept maps, as well as on students’ test performance with respect to conceptual knowledge as well as socioscientific reasoning and socioscientific decision making.

Patterns, Sets of Outcomes, and Combinatorial Justification: Two Students’ Reinvention of Counting Formulas

Counting problems provide an accessible context for rich mathematical thinking, yet they can be surprisingly difficult for students. To foster conceptual understanding that is grounded in student thinking, we engaged a pair of undergraduate students in a ten-session teaching experiment. The students successfully reinvented four basic counting formulas, but their work revealed a number of unexpected issues concerning justification in counting. In this paper, we describe the students’ successful reinvention of the four counting formulas, we critically examine their combinatorial reasoning in terms of Lockwood’s (2013) model of students’ combinatorial thinking, and we offer several directions for further research.

A Teachable Agent Game Engaging Primary School Children to Learn Arithmetic Concepts and Reasoning

In this paper we will describe a learning environment designed to foster conceptual understanding and reasoning in mathematics among younger school children. The learning environment consists of 48 ...