Identifying Aspects of Complex and Technological Systems in the Mental Models of Students Who Constructed Computational Models of Electric Circuits

Autor/inn/en	Saba, Janan; Langbeheim, Elon; Hel-Or, Hagit; Levy, Sharona T.
Titel	Identifying Aspects of Complex and Technological Systems in the Mental Models of Students Who Constructed Computational Models of Electric Circuits
Quelle	In: Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 60 (2023) 4, S.681-723 (43 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Saba, Janan) ORCID (Langbeheim, Elon)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-4308
DOI	10.1002/tea.21814
Schlagwörter	Energy; Scientific Concepts; Schemata (Cognition); Electronic Equipment; Concept Formation; Science Instruction; Teaching Methods; Instructional Effectiveness; Educational Technology; Computer Uses in Education + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Energie; Cognition; Schema; Kognition; Elektronisches Gerät; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Unterrichtserfolg; Unterrichtsmedien; Computernutzung
Abstract	Electricity, especially the flow of current, is a challenging topic for students of all ages. This study conceptualizes students' explanation of electric current as a cluster of knowledge elements. These clusters, in turn, represent students' mental models of electric circuits. Thus, this study aims to identify and characterize students' mental models of electric circuits and to determine, through these mental models, how the students' perception of electric circuits changed as they constructed and explored micro-level computational models. Using clustering methods, we identified five mental models, ranging between a naive technology perspective model and a more advanced complex systems perspective model. We employed a quasi-experimental, pretest-intervention-posttest-comparison-group design, comparing the mental model development of 33 students who constructed models of electric conductors using the Much.Matter.in.Motion (MMM) modeling platform, with that of 23 students who learned in a normative curriculum. Both groups completed identical pre- and posttest questionnaires, and three students from the experimental group were interviewed before and after the intervention. As expected, we found that students who learned by constructing computational models with the MMM platform exhibited greater shifts in the sophistication of their mental models compared with students who experienced the normative teaching approach. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01