• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.221-237
• /
• 2004

This research analyzed mathematical discourse of the students in an RME-based differential equations course at a university in order to investigate the social transformation of the students' conceptual model of differential equations. The analysis focused on the change in the students' use of conceptual metaphor for differential equations and pedagogical factors promoting the change. The analysis shows that discrete and quantitative conceptual model was prevalent in the beginning of the semester However, continuous and qualitative conceptual model emerged through the negotiation of mathematical meaning based on the inquiry of context problems. The participation in the project class has a positive impact on the extension of the students' conceptual model of differential equations and increases the fluency of the students' problem solving in differential equations. Moreover, this paper provides a discussion to identify the pedagogical factors Involved with the transformation of the students' conceptual model. The discussion highlights the sociocultural aspect of teaching and learning of mathematics and provides implications to improve teaching of mathematics in school.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.510-518
• /
• 2000

The purpose of this study was to develop learning materials for the discussion and examine the effects of the discussion learning over the students' conceptual change on force and motion. The subjects consisted of 360 middle school students, comprising of 5 discussion groups of 185 students and 5 traditional learning groups of 175 students. The results indicated that students in the discussion groups showed higher achievement than those in the traditional learning groups. Therefore this study supported the importance of discussion in conceptual change. However further research should be conducted to examine other educational effects of discussion.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.472-486
• /
• 1995

The purpose of this study was to classify the types of scientific concepts by theoretical concepts and empirical concepts in physics, and to create cognitive conflict in students with logical statements and demonstrations, and to investigate conceptual changes. It seems that mechanics has much to do with the empirical concepts, and electromagnetics has much to do with the theoretical concepts. The condition of the instrument is intellegible, plausible, fruitful, and able to state and demonstrate. The instrument appropriate for these conditions was developed, which consisted of 6 items in mechanics and 6 items in electromagnetics, and conceptual changes were investigated. Structured interviews were conducted with 32 high school students to create cognitive conflict. We have elicited their ideas three times : pretest, posttest and delayed posttest. As the results of this study, demonstration method was more effective for conceptual change than logical argument method. In case of content areas, the misconceptions on mechanics concepts were changed more easily than those on electromagnetics concepts. In addition, the results of the study showed that the more cognitive conflict, the more the conceptual change was occurred.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.502-523
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between selected components of conceptual ecology that are reflected in high school science students' statements, when answering questions. This study follows from a position that there is reason to believe that, in the process of answering questions, many aspects of conceptual ecology are likely to play a role. Data were gathered through six audio-taped interviews, the science teacher's profiles of each student, the students' personal journals, their assignments, and their examinations and participation in class. Kay and KY were selected as the focus of this study because theirs were both dramatic as well as representative cases. As the findings suggest, learning styles differ according to distinctions within individuals' conceptual ecologies. Thus the way in which a person learns science varies according to the construction of her/his conceptual ecology. This suggests that different forms of pedagogy may be effective with different types of learners. This also suggests that science educators may have a role in assisting students to develop into constructed, rather than received, learners.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.412-420
• /
• 2007

In this study, we investigated the influences of the epistemological beliefs on the conceptual change processes in respects of cognitive conflict, situational interest, attention and state learning strategies. After administering epistemological belief questionnaire as a pretest, 218 seventh graders possessing misconceptions about density were selected from the results of a preconception test. The questionnaires of responses to a discrepant event and situational interest were administered. After learning with a CAI program, attention test, state learning strategy test and conception test were also administered as post-tests. Analysis of the results revealed that fixed ability, quick learning and certain knowledge, which are epistemological factors, were highly related, but only certain knowledge exerted a direct effect on conceptual understanding negatively. It also had positive effects on attention directly as well as via situational interest, and thus increased conceptual understanding, even if the effects were relatively smaller than the direct effect. However, epistemological beliefs had little influence on conceptual understanding through cognitive conflict and/or state learning strategies.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.723-731
• /
• 2006

In this study, twenty-eight 7th graders were interviewed to explore their emotional responses and perceived teaching-learning strategies for effective conceptual change by the types of cognitive responses to a discrepant event. The results revealed that cognitive conflict was more induced by a discrepant event when its reliability and validity were emphasized. The students' cognitive responses to a discrepant event, the existence of alternative hypotheses, and their clearness influenced the patterns of emotional responses such as interest and anxiety. Many students perceived that emotional responses would have positive influences on concept learning processes. In the cases of the students exhibiting cognitive responses such as belief decrease, peripheral belief change, and belief change, opinions about teaching-learning strategies for effective conceptual change were different depending on whether they had alternative hypotheses or not. Educational implications are discussed.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.252-260
• /
• 2002

The types and the characteristics of students' responses to anomalous data in studying 'boiling point' were investigated, and the degree of cognitive conflict and conceptual change were compared by students' cognitive variables. Tests regarding field dependence-independence and logical thinking ability, a preconception test, and a test of responses to anomalous data were administered to 137 sixth graders. Among them, 90 students whose preconceptions were consistent with the presented initial theory were selected. After learning the scientific concept, students' conceptual change was examined. Six types of responses identified were as follows: Rejection, reinterpretation, exclusion, uncertainty, belief decrease, and theory change. The main responses were rejection (33%) and theory change (39%). The results of Mann-Whitney U test indicated students who were field independent and had higher logical thinking abilities felt more cognitive conflict and exhibited more conceptual change.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.125-134
• /
• 2016

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between motivational belief about learning science, self-directed learning ability and conceptual understanding of matter change with a quantitative method, assuming that motivational belief and self-directed learning ability might affect conceptual understanding. To do this, the authors investigated middle school students' motivational belief about learning science, self-directed learning ability, and conceptual understanding of matter change using measurement tools based on previous studies, and then analysed the casual relationship between three variables using PLS structural equation model. As a result, three latent variables in this study could be evaluated as appropriated in reliability and validity. And also, self-directed learning ability could affect both the motivational belief and conceptual understanding, while motivational belief could affect only self-directed learning ability but not conceptual understanding. Through this study the authors confirmed that in the context of science learning self-directed learning ability can directly affect conceptual understanding but motivational belief can affect indirectly. This study is significant in that the causal relationship between different variables in science learning could be confirmed in a quantitate manner, and also in that it can suggest PLS structural equation method as a new research methodology in science education research area.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.279-286
• /
• 2007

In this study, we investigated the influences of cognitive conflict and situational interest induced by a discrepant event and an alternative hypothesis, attention and state learning strategies on conceptual change. A preconception test was administered to 486 seventh graders. They also completed the questionnaires of cognitive response and situational interest to a discrepant event before/after presenting an alternative hypothesis. After learning the concept of density with a CAI program as conceptual change intervention, the tests of attention, state learning strategies, and conceptual understanding were administered as posttests. Analyses of the results for 197 students having misconceptions about density revealed that post-cognitive conflict was significantly higher than pre-cognitive conflict. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the test scores of pre-situational interest and post-situational interest. Pre-cognitive conflict only exerted a direct effect on post-cognitive conflict, while post-cognitive conflict exerted a direct effect and Journal of the Korean Chemical Society an indirect effect via attention on conceptual understanding. Both pre- and post-situational interests were found to influence on conceptual understanding via attention. Attention had influences positively on deep learning strategy and negatively on surface learning strategy. There was a relatively small effect of state learning strategies on conceptual understanding.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.63-73
• /
• 2004

This study investigated the effect of cooperative learning on the middle school students’ conceptual change of atmospheric and water cycle and also examined the verbal interaction patterns in a cooperative group. The study also analyzed the relationship between the verbal interaction and students’ conceptual change in the cooperative learning situation. Two classes from a middle school were selected as an experimental group (cooperative learning group, n = 37) and a control group (traditional learning group, n = 37), respectively. The experimental group was taught by STAD cooperative learning model and received collaborative skill training. The results of the study can be summarized as follows: first, there were no significant differences in conceptual change between the two groups. As for the middle-achieving students on the pretest, however, the score of the cooperative learning group was significantly higher than that of the traditional learning group. Secondly, verbal interaction in the cooperative learning situation mainly happened among high- and middle achieving students. In addition, the students who were successful in undergoing conceptual change had more frequent verbal interactions than the students who were not. The study suggests that it is more important to interact between a teacher and students than to interact between the students and students in order to correct students’ misconception.