Nature of Science and Science Content Learning: The Relation between Students' Nature of Science Understanding and Their Learning about the Concept of Energy

Autor/inn/en	Michel, Hanno; Neumann, Irene
Titel	Nature of Science and Science Content Learning: The Relation between Students' Nature of Science Understanding and Their Learning about the Concept of Energy
Quelle	In: Science & Education, 25 (2016) 9-10, S.951-975 (25 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0926-7220
DOI	10.1007/s11191-016-9860-4
Schlagwörter	Scientific Principles; Grade 6; Grade 7; Energy; Science Instruction; Conventional Instruction; Comparative Analysis; Scores; Science Tests; Correlation; Knowledge Level; Concept Formation; Foreign Countries; Day Camp Programs; Statistical Analysis; Coding; Pretests Posttests; Student Motivation; Science Interests; Cognitive Ability; Germany + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? School year 06; 6. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 06; School year 07; 7. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 07; Energie; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Korrelation; Wissensbasis; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; Ausland; Statistische Analyse; Codierung; Programmierung; Schulische Motivation; Denkfähigkeit; Deutschland
Abstract	Besides viewing knowledge about the nature of science (NOS) as important for its own value with respect to scientific literacy, an adequate understanding of NOS is expected to improve science content learning by fostering the ability to interrelate scientific concepts and, thus, coherently acquire scientific content knowledge. However, there is a lack of systematic investigations, which clarify the relations between NOS and science content learning. In this paper, we present the results of a study, conducted to investigate how NOS understanding relates to students' acquisition of a proper understanding of the concept of energy. A total of 82 sixth and seventh grade students received an instructional unit on energy, with 41 of them receiving generic NOS instruction beforehand. This NOS instruction, however, did not result in students having higher scores on the NOS instrument. Thus, correlational analyses were performed to investigate how students' NOS understanding prior to the energy unit related to their learning about science content. Results show that a more adequate understanding of NOS might relate to students' perspective on the concept of energy and might support them in understanding the nature of energy as a theoretical concept. Students with higher NOS understanding, for example, seemed to be more capable of learning how to relate the different energy forms to each other and to justify why they can be subsumed under the term of energy. Further, we found that NOS understanding may also be related to students' approach toward energy degradation--a concept that can be difficult for students to master--while it does not seem to have a substantive impact on students' learning gain regarding energy forms, transformation, or conservation. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01