ERIC Number: EJ736290
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 29
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0737-0008
EISSN: N/A
Helping Students Understand Challenging Topics in Science through Ontology Training
Slotta, James D.; Chi, Michelene T. H.
Cognition and Instruction, v24 n2 p261-289 2006
Chi (2005) proposed that students experience difficulty in learning about physics concepts such as light, heat, or electric current because they attribute to these concepts an inappropriate ontological status of material substances rather than the more veridical status of emergent processes. Conceptual change could thus be facilitated by training students in the appropriate ontology prior to physics instruction. We tested this prediction by developing a computer-based module whereby participants learned about emergent processes. Control participants completed a computer-based task that was uninformative with respect to ontology. Both groups then studied a physics text concerned with electricity, including explanations and a posttest. Verbal explanations and qualitative problem solutions revealed that experimental students gained a deeper understanding of electric current.
Descriptors: Difficulty Level, Physics, Heat, Light, Scientific Concepts, Science Instruction, Computer Assisted Instruction, Prediction, Teaching Methods, Concept Formation, Control Groups, Experimental Groups
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Journal Subscription Department, 10 Industrial Avenue, Mahwah, NJ 07430-2262. Tel: 800-926-6579 or 201-258-2200; Fax: 201-236-0072; E-mail: journals@erlbaum.com; Web site: https://www.erlbaum.com/journals.htm.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A