Non-scientific Concepts Research Articles

Teaching Geometry Using an Adapted Narrative: A Case Study with a Visually Impaired Student

Context: Inclusive education for disabled people is an ongoing debate within schools, making it necessary for teachers and institutions to create methodological pathways that ensure an equitable and effective learning process for all pupils, regardless of their limitations. Objectives: To investigate the contributions of a tactile adapted version of the historical narrative “Eratosthenes and the Circumference of the Earth” in the formation of geometry concepts in visually impaired students and the challenges associated with the teaching process, this proposal is based on the application of an adapted didactic structure through Eratosthenes’ historical narrative, focusing on teaching the similarity of triangles and geometry. The study was based on Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory and Galperin’s theory of the gradual formation of mental actions. Design: The methods are qualitative in nature via a case-study strategy. Environment and participants: The research was conducted with a class of 46 students, of which one is visually impaired, attending the first grade of high school at a public institution in the countryside of Paraná-Brazil. Data collection and analysis: Data were collected through activities performed in class and an evaluation questionnaire. Data were analysed through content analysis. Results: The results show that the intervention contributed to the assimilation of mathematical concepts by the visually impaired individual and other students, showing changes in the perceptions of key topics within plane geometry, previously demonstrated by the students as partial and non-scientific concepts. Conclusions: We can emphasise the need for research and studies targeting the construction of proposals and materials that enable an equitable and inclusive teaching process for all students.

Principles and Functionality of Popular Science Content in Ukrainian Television

The aim of this paper is to define the concept of “popular science content” and to study what characteristic features it has within the framework of modern TV-space.Research methodology. Various methodological approaches are used, including etymological origin, analysis, generalizations and others.Results. The following concepts are analyzed: “content”, “science” and “scientific”, “popular”, “television”. The paper studies the position of scientists regarding the semantic features of each of the elements of the concept “popular science content”. Such non-scientific concepts as “para-science”, “pseudoscience”, “anti-science” and the positions of scientists regarding their delineation are considered. The features of scientific and unscientific are singled out. The boundaries of the Ukrainian television under inquiry are determined on the basis of three criteria of “accessibility” for a Ukrainian viewer: technical, linguistic and price. Novelty. Having studied the components of the concept “popular science content”, the author has formulated key criteria that characterize popular science content, such as: 1) covers certain scientific knowledge and achievements from one or more branches of science (social, technical, natural sciences, etc.); 2) has a research base in the structure; 3) does not contain pseudo-guesses; 4) is designed for a mass audience.The practical significance. The research can be recommended for developing lectures by specialists in science journalism courses.Key words: pseudoscience, scientific skepticism, popular science content, television.

MISCONCEPTIONS AND NON-SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS ON FREE RADICALS

INTRODUCTION: Misconceptions or alternative conceptions are defined as conceptions that are somewhat different from the scientifically accepted ones and are known to be highly resistant to changes. Free radicals are a widely publicized subject in the media due to their putative importance in human aging and health. Free radicals are a subject susceptible to misconceptions widely spread by the media supporting prejudicial advertising inducing antioxidant consumption. OBJECTIVES: Identify and categorized different free radicals misconceptions published in printed media. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Revista Veja (Digital Archive), the weekly magazine with the largest circulation in Brazil, was selected for this investigation. Period analyzed: from 01/01/2000 to 31/07/2014 with search terms Free radicals and antioxidants. Passages selected were classified as: Right Concept (RC), Wrong Concept (WC), Misconception (MC), Inadequate generalization (IG), Inductive [to misconceptions] Concept (IC), Inductive [to misconceptions] Information (II), and Not fit the inclusion criteria (NFIC). Each one of these categories were further subdivided. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS: 79 magazine articles, advertisements and information materials were found which led to 293 text passages. 56.3% were MC, 21.4% II, 8.8% IC, 5.4% IG, 3.4% RC, 2.7% WR, 2.0% NFIC. The most frequently subcategory in each category was: MC: x [something] combats free radicals (22.6%); II: x [substance] is antioxidant (54.0%); IC: x [something] increases free radicals production (34.6%); IG: antioxidant x [substance] combats cancer (56.3%); RC: too much vitamins and minerals is harmful to health (30.0%); WR: free radicals are formed during oxygen conversion to energy process (25.0%). CONCLUSION: Magazine analysis reveal non-scientific concepts (MC, II, IC and IG) to be highly frequent, notably misconceptions. Moreover, non-scientific concepts together reach 91.8% of all concepts while right concepts respond for only 2.7%. Scientists and specialists must be concerned about this large amount of free radicals misconceptions presented by printed media and the consequences of their dissemination.

Análises dos distratores das questões de Física em Exames de Larga Escala

http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7941.2016v33n1p72Geralmente os exames de larga escala são depreciados pela comunidade escolar, por serem provas consideradas somativas, onde os resultados observados na prova não retornam aos candidatos, não existe uma realimentação. Nesse trabalho nós buscamos apresentar análises, utilizados os resultados das pesquisas sobre as estratégias de solução de problemas, para compreender quais são as maiores dificuldades presentes entre os estudantes no que se refere aos conhecimentos de Física aferidos pelos exames de larga escala, utilizando como exemplo o Enem. Para tanto, serão analisadas as questões de Física classificados no objeto de conhecimento “o movimento, o equilíbrio e a descoberta das leis da física”, para os anos de 2009 a 2012. Será analisado, também, os distratores mais assinalados pelos candidatos declarados concluintes do Ensino Médio da rede pública de ensino. Nossos resultados apontam a que alguns estudantes utilizam concepções não científicas na resolução das questões, apresentam dificuldades na transposição do problema para outro contexto, utilizam raciocínios intuitivos e formas simbólicas em questões que necessitam de uma abordagem matemática para a resolução. Ao apresentar essas discussões esperamos fornecer uma análise das questões apresentando indicadores qualitativos e quantitativos das maiores dificuldades apresentadas pelos alunos na resolução de questões como as do Enem.

Multidimensional Scaling Analysis of the Proximity of Photosynthesis Concepts In Korean Students

Abstract:Multidimensional scaling can be used to identify relationships among concepts, revealing the structureof the cognitive framework by measuring distances within perceptual maps. The current study sought to examine therelationships among concepts related to photosynthesis in 2,844 3 rd -11 th grade science students. The questionnaireincluded items on ‘location,’ ‘products,’ ‘reactants,’ and ‘environmental factors’, presenting images related to eachtheme. Students provided responses corresponding to particular topics, and reported the extent to which the conceptwas related to the topic on a scale from 1 to 30. The survey results were as follows: first, students were not able toclearly distinguish between or understand the four main topics. Second, students organized their cognitive structuresby closely associating related concepts after learning. Third, the presented concepts revealed a mixture of scientificand non-scientific concepts, suggesting that students needed to clearly distinguish the preconceptions through whichthey organized concepts, so that they are suitable for cognitive structures based on learning. Furthermore, non-scientific concepts within perceptions were consistently maintained throughout learning, affecting the proximity ofscientific concepts. Key words: multidimensional scaling (MDS), proximity, photosynthesis, location of photosynthesis, products ofphotosynthesis, reactants of photosynthesis, environmental factors Kyungpook National University∙

Is theHomo LudensCheerful and Serious at the Same Time? An Empirical Study of Hugo Rahner's Notion ofErnstheiterkeit

The theologian Hugo Rahner argued that the homo ludens is a man of ‘Ernstheiterkeit’ (serious-cheerfulness), a person who can smile under tears but also recognizes the gravity in all earthly cheerfulness. The primary aim of this study was to test the validity of this notion: Do homines ludentes exist? Two hundred sixty-three adult subjects were measured for (1) seriousness and cheerfulness and (2) playfulness. Results provided unequivocal support for Rahner's thesis. Numerous subjects scored high in both seriousness and cheerfulness thus confirming the existence of homines ludentes. It was further found that these subjects were among those scoring highest in playfulness. Subjects scoring high in cheerfulness but low in seriousness were, however, even more closely associated with playfulness. The scores for homines ludentes did not differ from the rest of the subjects in the creative and dynamic facets of playfulness. The importance of developing empirical research to investigate hypotheses derived from non-scientific concepts is discussed.

Will the Europe Union's Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (Directive 2004/24/EC) be against traditional Chinese medicine in EU market?

As human civilization develops, biomedicine stays robust. Faced with the challenge of Europe Union's Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, if traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) wants to be still used as one kind of medicine to treat patients, China should be in line with scientific law, that is, each claim that TCM treats any disease or indication should be supported by the data of evidence-based randomized clinical trials. As a priority, there is an urgent need to conduct more scientific experiments and clinical trials to verify the concepts and mechanisms of TCM. Also, China is encouraged to get rid of non-scientific concepts and theories of TCM.

Memory content of scientific concepts in beginning university science students

This study examines the characteristics of the content of scientific concepts stored in memory by beginning university science students. The features of this representation are examined and compared to the memory content of abstract non-scientific concepts shown by previous studies. Property generation task, a tool extensively used in identifying conceptual content, was used for this purpose. The findings show that the content of scientific concepts stored in memory by beginning university students is characterised by a predominance of entity properties along with, to a lesser extent, situation and introspective properties. This stands in contrast to previous findings about non-scientific abstract concepts, where situation properties are predominant. The implications of this finding on the acquisition and use of scientific concepts are discussed.

Analysis of the Conceptual Change of Bacteria by Science Writing Heuristic Activity

The purpose of this study is to develop a science writing program regarding bacteria for elementary school students and to identify whether it can be used not only for an instructional strategy but also for analyzing conceptual change in science education. For the study, a science writing model was composed of five processes: searching, writing activity, opinion sharing, rewriting, and assessment. by which the writing program was constructed with seven topics on bacteria for elementary students. A total of twenty four students of 6th graders in public elementary school were participated in this program implementation. Three students who achieved their own different conception were selected by the test for Bacteria conception after the program and their writing products were collected. Their three different conceptual change patterns through the entire intervention were compared. It turned out that science writing was appropriate to be represented students' conceptual change undergoing. Their conceptual change patterns had been even getting sophisticated and refined gradually. Science writing in elementary science classes makes it possible for non-scientific concepts to turn into scientific ones and also can be used as a assessment tool analyzing the processes of conceptual change. This program can be used not only as an effective instructional strategy but also a assessment tool which can analyze the level and the degree of learning through observing the process of continual sophistication and refinement.

The Elusive Scientific Basis of Creation "Science"

Is there, as claimed, scientific support for "scientific creationism"? If so, arguments that scientific creationism is a legitimate scientific discipline deserving "equal time" with evolution in public-school science classes would be strengthened. An early study (Cole and Scott, 1982) revealed that 28 prominent creationists did not publish articles dealing with empirical, experimental or theoretical evidence for the scientific creationist "model" in over 4000 journals covered by the data-retrieval system SCISEARCH. To see if other scientific creationists were publishing proofs of creation, we surveyed editors of 68 journals to which scientific creationists would be likely to submit articles on this subject. Out of over 135,000 submissions from 1980 to 1983, only 18 dealt with empirical, experimental, or theoretical support for scientific creationism, and 12 of these went to one science education journal alone. No creationist articles have been published, although three were still under review at the time of this study. Papers were rejected due to poor scholarship, with editors commenting that the articles appeared to have been written by laymen rather than professional scientists. A number of differences are apparent in comparing the scholarship found in "in house" creation science sources and "mainline" scientific journals. Although scientific creationists complain that "completely scientific papers" would be rejected out of hand by "mainline" journals, it is obvious that none have been submitted. Outside of creationism outlets, then, there is no "scientific" creationism. We have documented this as a service to the teachers, professors, and lawyers who are striving to maintain high standards of science education in the face of pressures to introduce non-scientific concepts into the public school classroom.