To cite this version:Dimitrios Stamovlasis, Georgios Tsitsipis, George Papageorgiou. The effect of three cognitive variables on students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter and its changes of state. In- The effect of three cognitive variables on students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter and its changes of state AbstractIn this study, students' understanding of the structure of matter and its changes of state, such as, melting, evaporation, boiling and condensation was investigated in relation to three cognitive variables: logical thinking, field-dependence/field-independence and convergence/divergence dimension. The study took place in Greece with the participation of 329 ninth-grade junior high school pupils (age 14-15). A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that all of the above mentioned cognitive variables were statistically significant predictors of the students' achievement. Among the three predictors, logical thinking was found to be the most dominant one. In addition, students' understanding of the structure of matter, along with the cognitive variables, were shown to have an effect on their understanding the changes of states and on their competence to interpret these physical changes. Path analyses were implemented to depict these effects. Moreover, a theoretical analysis is provided that associates logical thinking and cognitive styles with the nature of mental tasks involved when learning the material concerning the particulate nature of matter and its changes of state. Implications for science education are also discussed. KeywordsParticulate structure of matter, changes of state, logical thinking, cognitive styles, field-dependence/field-independence, convergence/divergence thinking.

In this study, the effect of 3 cognitive variables such as logical thinking, field dependence/field independence, and convergent/divergent thinking on some specific students' answers related to the particulate nature of matter was investigated by means of probabilistic models. Besides recording and tabulating the students' responses, a combination of binomial and multinomial logistic regression techniques was used to analyze the data. Thus, students' misconceptions as well as the compatible-with-thescientific-view student's answers were explored one by one in relation to the above 3 cognitive variables. The study took place with the participation of 329 ninth-grade junior high school pupils (aged 14-15). The results showed that mostly logical thinking and sporadically the other 2 cognitive variables were significantly associated with students' answers. Interpretation of the results and implications for science education are discussed.

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This work uses the concepts and tools of complexity theory to examine the effect of logical thinking and two cognitive styles, such as, the degree of field dependence/independence and the convergent/divergent thinking on students' understanding of the structure of matter. Students were categorized according to the model they adopted for the structure of matter: continuous or particulate. This categorical variable was then analysed by the random walk approach in order to search for power law correlations in the rank-ordered psychometric scores. In addition, the random walk method was applied to students' three misconceptions on this matter. Moreover, elements of complexity theory in relation to the present method are given. The results provide empirical evidence for the effect of these variables on students' understanding of the structure of matter. Interpretations of the results are provided and implications for teaching are discussed.

In this study, structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied to an instrument assessing students' understanding of the particulate nature of matter, the collective properties and physical changes, such as melting, evaporation, boiling and condensation. The structural relationships among particular groups of items were investigated. In addition, three cognitive variables, such as logical thinking, field-dependence/field-independence and convergence/divergence dimension were included in the SEM analysis and their effects on students' performance were estimated. Specifically, three models were tested: a confirmatory factor model (CFM), a multiple-indicator multiple-cause (MIMIC) model and a path analysis. The results showed that the three cognitive variables, along with achievements in the dimensions of structure understanding, sufficiently explain students' understanding of physical changes, providing additionally their direct and the indirect effects. Moreover, a theoretical analysis and interpretation of the results are provided that adds to our understanding about the role of cognitive variables in the mental processes involved in learning the specific-domain material. Implications for science education are discussed.