Mental representations and obstacles in 10-11 year old children’s thought concerning the melting and coagulation of solid substances in everyday life

Children construct representations of concepts and physical phenomena and these representations are critical to education. For the physicist, the change of state is a transformation of matter due to the transfer of energy as heat. In several studies focused on children's representations we find that these representations are often incompatible with the scientific model. In this research, we studied the representations of the fusion and freezing of salt and of ice and 110 children aged 10 to 11 years participated. The results of the interviews show that these children use different types of representations, the majority of which are dominated by the nature of the substance under study

Mental representations of 14-15 years old students about the light propagation time

Abstract: Mental representations of 14-15 years old students about the light propagation time. Objectives: The study of students’ representations of physics concepts and phenomena constitutes a central part of science education research, as they play a decisive role in teaching. In the study presented here, we investigate the mental representations of 14-15 years old students about the light propagation time, before they were taught about it in school. Methods: The empirical data was gathered through an interview using three tasks which involved the evaluation of hypothetical situations. The research data included representations that cause difficulty in the comprehension of the position of a light source in relevance to the light propagation time. Findings: Most of students assumed that the identification of the light propagation time is strongly correlated with the large distance between the light source and the receiver. Conclusion: This study concluded that the arrangement of objects in space strongly influences the students’ thinking.Keywords: Light propagation time, mental representations, 14-15 years old students. Abstrak: Representasi mental siswa berusia 14-15 tahun tentang waktu propagasi cahaya. Tujuan: Studi mengenai representasi siswa terhadap konsep dan fenomena fisika merupakan bagian sentral dari penelitian pendidikan sains, karena hal itu memainkan peran penting dalam kegiatan belajar mengajar. Pada penelitian ini, kami menyelidiki representasi mental siswa berusia 14-15 tahun tentang waktu propagasi cahaya sebelum mereka diajarkan tentang hal itu di sekolah. Metode: Data empiris dikumpulkan melalui wawancara menggunakan tiga penugasan yang melibatkan evaluasi situasi-situasi hipotetis. Data penelitian meliputi representasi-representasi yang menyebabkan kesulitan dalam pemahaman posisi sumber cahaya yang relevan terhadap waktu propagasi cahaya. Temuan: Sebagian besar siswa mengasumsikan bahwa waktu propagasi cahaya berhubungan erat dengan jarak luas antara sumber dan penerima cahaya.  Kesimpulan: Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa pengaturan objek di ruang sangat mempengaruhi pemikiran siswa.Kata kunci: Waktu propagasi cahaya, representasi mental, siswa berusia 14-15 tahun.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23960/jpp.v8.i2.20180

Thermal Conduction in Metals: Mental Representations in 5-6 Years Old Children’s Thinking

In this paper, we present the findings of research on mental representations of thermal conduction on the metal of children aged 5-6 years. The research was carried out using interviews of 87 urban area kindergarten students in Greece. The children were asked for predictions and macroscopic descriptions of phenomena illustrated in 3 different tasks during which simple thermal conduction experiments were performed with both daily and non-daily materials. The research results clearly show the vast majority of children express mental representations which are far from the scientific models used in education. Moreover, many children can make predictions on heat conduction without being able to analyze their way of thinking. Finally, differences were found in heat conduction on familiar and non-familiar materials used by children. Findings of the current research study are likely to equip teachers with the appropriate basic tools for designing their teaching interventions in the lessons of heat and thermal conduction for children aged 5-6 years

Représentations des enfants de 10 ans sur le concept de lumière: perspectives piagétiennes

Les enfants construisent de représentations des concepts et des phénomènes physiques et ces représentations jouent un rôle décisif à l’enseignement. Pour le physicien, la lumière est une entité distincte dans l’espace, indépendante des sources qui la produisent et des effets qu’elle provoque pendant sa propagation. Dans plusieurs recherches centrées sur les représentations de la lumière que se font les enfants de 5 à 15 ans on trouve que ces représentations sont souvent incompatibles au modèle scientifique. Cent trente-deux enfants (66 filles et 66 garçons) ont participé à cette recherche où on étudie les représentations des enfants de dix ans sur la lumière dans une perspective piagétienne. Comme technique de la recherche on a choisi l’entretien individuel directif. Les résultats de la recherche montrent que les enfants des dix ans, utilisent différentes catégories des représentations pour la lumière, dominées pour la majorité par la pensée préopératoire dans une perspective piagétienne

LINKING TEACHER COURSEWORK TRAINING, PEDAGOGIES, METHODOLOGIES AND PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS FOR THE UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE EDUCATION STUDENT TEACHERS AT THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO

Most pre-service teacher training programs around the world conform to the traditional model in which student teachers undergo intensive theoretical coursework training on campus followed by an extended classroom practice in schools. In this qualitative research study, the National University of Lesotho science teacher training curriculum, pedagogies and methodologies employed on campus and in practice schools were explored. That was triggered by persistently reported observations of student teachers’ inadequacy in classroom teaching during Teaching Practice. The thrust of the research question was the development of the student teachers in learning to teach. The directly involved people who were interviewed and provided their written reports included: two Teacher Educators for Year IV Curriculum Studies courses, ten Student Teachers from each course and their twenty Teaching Practice Tutors. The relevant documents complemented the primary data from the interviews and the produced written reports. The main findings revealed relevant teacher knowledge domains and their components dealt with in the preparation of student teachers for their work in schools. Four main findings that distinctly had a perceptible bearing on student teachers’ learning and practice were the exclusion of assessment as a topic in the course content and teaching, the cross-cutting fragmentation, limited time and teacher educators’ modeling. A limited follow-up study conducted introduced an intervention program targeting one area of fragmentation in the training program. It was implemented in one practice school with one student teacher and his mentor. That was done to explore the possible means of a collaborative rather than cooperative partnership based on the expectations of the Faculty of Education about the field learning experience for the student teacher. The intervention revealed some promising benefits for the student teacher and the tutor that could inform program improvement as discussed and the recommendations made thereof. It was hoped that the results of the two studies would form the basis for or add to the research into other areas of teacher training and teacher education policies and practices that could curb the fragmentation in order to achieve the aspired beneficial and quality education.   Article visualizations

How Do We See The Non Luminous Objects? 12-13 Years Old Students’ Mental Representation of Vision

In this paper, we present the findings of a research which has two objectives: firstly, it recorded 12-13 years old (7th grade) students’ mental representation regarding the vision of non-luminous objects, and, secondly, it emphasized on the relative cognitive fields. The research was done through interviews of 107 urban area students in Greece. The students were asked to explain how objects become visible, stressing the following themes: The manner in which our eyes help us see the objects, whether natural or artificial light helps us see the objects and in what way, and if the objects emit light. The data analysis led to the recording of the students' basic mental representation on the one hand, while on the other hand emphasized the reemission or reflection of light by the luminous objects as a basic mental representation.From the research results, it can be concluded that through a teaching intervention based on mental representation we can foster and enhance scientific thinking and learning about light and vision

Narration and multimodality: The role of the human body and material objects in science teaching

This article seeks to shed light on the semiotic approach to science teaching and learning. Essentially, the mental representations of learners are also affected by the sign vehicles employed to communicate ideas in the material world. Thus, any learning object also appears as a material representation, consisting of acoustic and visual forms, which affect its content. The human body’s kinetic modalities, spatial configurations (i.e., graphs, images), material objects, prosody, as well as the written and spoken word constitute the perceptual data that encode the concepts. This particular paper deals with the possibility that the more emphatic signifiers, i.e., the human body and material objects, can create narrative spaces and produce meaning during science teaching. It also discusses alternative uses of material objects along with the multiple interpretations their visual images can evoke. As regards the human body, iconic, deictic, and ergotic gestures are analyzed as forms that produce meaning and are autonomous and dynamic when working with the other semiotic systems. Both material objects and the human body rely upon the ability of the learners’ imagination to transport them to narrative worlds located outside the classroom

CONCEPTUALIZING SOLID IN LIQUID DISSOLUTION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SETTINGS: A SOCIO-CULTURAL APPROACH

In this study, we attempt to exhibit the importance of the socio-cultural environment for the conceptualization of the dissolution of solids into liquids by 5 to 6 years old children. Through the organization and encouragement of conceptual play processes within every day educational reality in kindergarten, we examine whether children are able to form reasoning on dissolution, to recognize this phenomenon in their familiar environment as well as to search for processes that facilitate the ascertainment of materials’ solubility or dissolubility. In this article, we present data collected from conversations between two children in an urban-area kindergarten in Greece. The conversations were developed during the children’s conceptual play within the period of one week. The data were collected through recordings and field notes during semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data analysis exhibited that the social and cultural reality of children is dynamically present in their play and constitutes the source of development for young children’s thinking regarding the phenomenon of dissolution.  Article visualizations

PRESCHOOL PUPILS MENTAL REPRESENTATIONS ON ELECTRICITY, SIMPLE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT AND ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES

This research paper seeks to determine 5-6 years-old pupils’ representations about the general characteristics of the elementary electricity, the electrical appliances and their reasoning about the consisting elements of a simple electrical circuit. The sample consisted of 131 children from public kindergarten classes in an urban area in Greece. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. The analysis of the qualitative data showed that although the preschoolers had fruitful representations, the majority of them encountered difficulties on approaching several aspects of the phenomena. Pupils’ reasoning about the phenomena also seemed to be without a stable and coherent structure. The need for a categorization of preschoolers’ representations based on the use of a system of concrete criteria and the prospect of a didactic approach leading to the creation of a precursor model is designated. Article visualizations

Creating a simple electric circuit with children between the ages of five and six

This paper presents a study of how preschool-aged children go about creating and operating a simple electric circuit (wires, light bulb, and battery), and how they view the elements that comprise it, particularly how they view the role of the battery. The research involved 108 children aged between five and six, who were individually interviewed. The results of the study show that the children have already begun to form representations which link the battery, the light bulb and the wires to electrical functions, and that the majority of children are able, with or without help, to successfully create a simple electric circuit. Moreover, their involvement in the process of creating and operating such a circuit leads many children not only to a comprehensive viewing of the circuit, but also to the creation of a pre-energy thought-form in which the battery is acknowledged as the distribution source of an entity which is responsible for the luminescence of the light bulb