Children's Teleological Intuitions: What Kind of Explanations Do 7-8 Year Olds Give for the Features of Organisms, Artifacts and Natural Objects?

Autor/inn/en	Kampourakis, Kostas; Pavlidi, Vasiliki; Papadopoulou, Maria; Palaiokrassa, Eirini
Titel	Children's Teleological Intuitions: What Kind of Explanations Do 7-8 Year Olds Give for the Features of Organisms, Artifacts and Natural Objects?
Quelle	In: Research in Science Education, 42 (2012) 4, S.651-671 (21 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0157-244X
DOI	10.1007/s11165-011-9219-4
Schlagwörter	Scientific Principles; Familiarity; Children; Correlation; Scientific Concepts; Biology; Investigations; Thinking Skills; Evolution; Concept Formation; Elementary Education; Elementary School Science + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Child; Kind; Kinder; Korrelation; Biologie; Untersuchung; Denkfähigkeit; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Elementarunterricht
Abstract	Research has shown that children usually provide teleological explanations for the features of organisms from a very early age (3-4 years old). However, it is not clear if teleology is applied selectively for organisms, or if it is generally applied to other objects as well (artifacts and non-living natural objects). The present study examined whether 7-8 year old students provided teleological explanations for particular organisms, artifacts and natural objects. We investigated whether children"s familiarity with these objects influenced the types of explanations they gave. Finally, we also investigated correlations between "teleology" and "usefulness" in children"s explanations. The results indicate that 7-8 year olds are able to distinguish between living and non-living entities, as well as that they provide teleological explanations mostly for organisms and artifacts. This may have important implications for biological education, since teleological explanations in classrooms are likely to pose important conceptual obstacles to the development of a scientific understanding of evolution. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10