Effect of a Diagram on Primary Students' Understanding about Electric Circuits

Autor/in	Preston, Christine Margaret
Titel	Effect of a Diagram on Primary Students' Understanding about Electric Circuits
Quelle	In: Research in Science Education, 49 (2019) 5, S.1433-1456 (24 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0157-244X
DOI	10.1007/s11165-017-9662-y
Schlagwörter	Elementary School Students; Visual Aids; Instructional Effectiveness; Equipment; Concept Formation; Children; Elementary School Science; Energy; Science Instruction + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Anschauungsmaterial; Unterrichtserfolg; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Child; Kind; Kinder; Energie; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht
Abstract	This article reports on the effect of using a diagram to develop primary students' conceptual understanding about electric circuits. Diagrammatic representations of electric circuits are used for teaching and assessment despite the absence of research on their pedagogical effectiveness with young learners. Individual interviews were used to closely analyse Years 3 and 5 (8-11-year-old) students' explanations about electric circuits. Data was collected from 20 students in the same school providing pre-, post- and delayed post-test dialogue. Students' thinking about electric circuits and changes in their explanations provide insights into the role of diagrams in understanding science concepts. Findings indicate that diagram interaction positively enhanced understanding, challenged non-scientific views and promoted scientific models of electric circuits. Differences in students' understanding about electric circuits were influenced by prior knowledge, meta-conceptual awareness and diagram conventions including a stylistic feature of the diagram used. A significant finding that students' conceptual models of electric circuits were energy rather than current based has implications for electricity instruction at the primary level. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01