• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.127-140
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• 2020

This study investigated the influence of an explicit and reflective modeling instruction on the metamodeling knowledge of fourth-graders. Two fourth-grade classes in an elementary school in Seoul were selected and each class was assigned to an experimental group and a control group, respectively. The experimental group was engaged in explicit and reflective modeling instruction, whereas the control group was engaged in implicit modeling instruction. The two groups were surveyed before and after instruction on the basis of five metamodeling knowledge categories: definition, purpose, design/construction, changeability, and multiplicity. The experimental group showed positive changes in model's meaning, examples, purpose, changeability as well as multiplicity. In contrast, fewer students in the control group understood the meaning of the model and modeling. They also showed limited changes in their understandings with regards to the modeling instruction, and could not expand their understanding of the nature of model and modeling. The findings indicate that an explicit and reflective modeling instruction has positive influence on elementary students' metamodeling knowledge.