ERIC Number: EJ773046
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2003-Sep
Pages: 27
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0036-8326
EISSN: N/A
Mediating Mental Models of Metals: Acknowledging the Priority of the Learner's Prior Learning
Taber, Keith S.
Science Education, v87 n5 p732-758 Sep 2003
This paper describes the conceptualizations, or mental models, of the nature of the bonding and structure of metals of a group of U.K. college students. It is suggested that these mental models may be understood in terms of the students' prior learning about covalent and ionic bonding, and the prevalence of a common alternative conceptual framework for chemical bonding labeled "the octet framework." This study illustrates the prominence of prior learning in channeling the interpretation of subsequent teaching, and highlights the significance of the decisions made by curriculum planners, textbook authors, and teachers on the order of presenting subject content, the degree of simplification of scientific models, and the selection and presentation of metaphors. (Contains 6 figures and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Prior Learning, Chemistry, Scientific Concepts, Concept Formation, Foreign Countries, College Students, Figurative Language, Science Instruction, Textbooks, Authors, Curriculum, Models, Cognitive Processes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A