Enhancing Conceptual Change in Preschool Children’s Representations of Light: A Sociocognitive Approach

Ravanis, Konstantinos; Christidou, Vasilia; Hatzinikita, Vassilia

doi:10.1007/s11165-013-9356-z

Cited by 57 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In fact, this age group has been neglected generally in the field of substantive scientific conceptual research. There has been some recent activity in the science education literature focusing on early scientific attitudes and affect (Fleer, ; Leibham, Alexander, & Johnson, ; Spektor‐Levy, Baruch, & Mevarech, ), preschool teaching strategies (Ljung‐Djärf, Magnusson, & Peterson ; Ravanis, Christidou, & Hatzinikita, ) and emerging reasoning skills (Piekny, Grube, & Maehler, ). However, there is a dearth of empirical evidence that sheds light upon what preschool children understand by the taxonomic label animal , as well as the related vertebrate class taxa fish, amphibian, reptile, bird and mammal , and the arthropod taxon insect .…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preschool children's taxonomic knowledge of animal species

Allen

2014

J Res Sci Teach

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Although taxonomic proficiency is a prerequisite for understanding ideas central to biology, previous research has established that learners frequently misclassify animals by not following the tenets of accepted taxonomic rubrics. This has immediate relevance with the recently revised English National Curriculum now requiring concepts of animal classification to be taught to 5–6 year‐olds. The current study represents an attempt to explore how preschool children aged 3–5 years classify animals, and patterns in the ways in which their taxonomic knowledge might progress with age were sought to illuminate potential origins of naive conceptions in the early years. A quantitative approach was employed with a sample of 75 children utilising a structured interview method to determine their ideas about the taxonomic labels animal, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, mammal and insect. Findings revealed common learning trajectories as children's prototypes developed from 3 to 5 years. These trajectories confirmed that the preschool children held many of the same naive conceptions as those previously reported in older learners. Some of these conceptions started to dissipate with age; however, others began to emerge in the older children within the sample, representing a decline in performance with age. This decline is concerning though can be accounted for by contemporary categorization theory, giving support to the view that science misconceptions can emerge in the early years due to natural maturation (cognitive factors), as well as exposure to formal and informal learning experiences (socio‐cultural factors). To supplement established conceptual change strategies, which deal with already‐formed misconceptions, it is proposed that there be a fresh research emphasis towards conceptual creation where acceptable scientific ideas are seeded at the earliest years of schooling. Accordingly, the role of early years educators would become fundamental to effective science education. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 52: 107–134, 2015

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Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preschool children's taxonomic knowledge of animal species

Allen

2014

J Res Sci Teach

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“…Une série de recherches a été réalisée dans cette perspective. Elles avaient comme objectif d'étudier les représentations mentales des enfants d'une part, d'essayer de transformer ces dernières afin qu'elles deviennent compatibles avec certains aspects descriptifs et fonctionnels des modèles scientifiques d'autre part (Ravanis, Christidou & Hatzinikita, 2013;Ravanis, Papamichaël & Koulaidis, 2002).…”

Section: Problématique Théoriqueunclassified

L'utilisation des prises de notes dans le cadre d'une activité scientifique chez les enfants de 5 à 12 ans

Tantaros¹,

Ravanis²,

Koliopoulos³

et al. 2016

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<p>La recherche qualitative présentée dans cet article a comme objectif d'étudier les prises de notes chez des enfants de 5 à 12 ans en tant que moyen de communication avec autrui. La situation expérimentale, comprenait une activité relative aux notions de “flottaison/immersion” des objets. Les enfants devaient, après l'avoir travaillé eux-mêmes, prendre des notes sur une feuille afin qu'un autre enfant puisse travailler dans le cadre de la même activité. Les résultats obtenus semblent supporter l'idée que les enfants de l'échantillon répondent à la demande de prendre des notes avec succès et avec une nette tendance à utiliser, suivant l'âge, l'écriture, ce qui montrerait l'influence de l'activité en tant que situation scolaire. On observe aussi une augmentation presque linéaire du degré d'exhaustivité et du degré de fonctionnalité des notations par rapport à l'âge des enfants.</p>

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“…For example, children frequently understand light as a concept centered on the light source. Therefore, they have many difficulties to locate light in space and most of them ignore the space in which light beams propagate [20]. Consequently, children do not spontaneously plan the form of different shadows because they do not understand the notion of rectilinear propagation of light.…”

Section: The Need To Overcome Barriers To Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Helios: a tangible and augmented environment to learn optical phenomena in astronomy

Fleck

Hachet

2015

SPIE Proceedings

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France is among the few countries that have integrated astronomy in primary school levels. However, for fifteen years, a lot of studies have shown that children have difficulties in understanding elementary astronomic phenomena such as day/night alternation, seasons or moon phases' evolution. To understand these phenomena, learners have to mentally construct 3D perceptions of aster motions and to understand how light propagates from an allocentric point of view. Therefore, 4-5 grades children (8 to 11 years old), who are developing their spatial cognition, have many difficulties to assimilate geometric optical problems that are linked to astronomy. To make astronomical learning more efficient for young pupils, we have designed an Augmented Inquiry-Based Learning Environment (AIBLE): HELIOS. Because manipulations in astronomy are intrinsically not possible, we propose to manipulate the underlying model. With HELIOS, virtual replicas of the Sun, Moon and Earth are directly manipulated from tangible manipulations. This digital support combines the possibilities of Augmented Reality (AR) while maintaining intuitive interactions following the principles of didactic of sciences. Light properties are taken into account and shadows of Earth and Moon are directly produced by an omnidirectional light source associated to the virtual Sun. This AR environment provides users with experiences they would otherwise not be able to experiment in the physical world. Our main goal is that students can take active control of their learning, express and support their ideas, make predictions and hypotheses, and test them by conducting investigations.

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Enhancing Conceptual Change in Preschool Children’s Representations of Light: A Sociocognitive Approach

Cited by 57 publications

References 32 publications

Preschool children's taxonomic knowledge of animal species

Preschool children's taxonomic knowledge of animal species

L'utilisation des prises de notes dans le cadre d'une activité scientifique chez les enfants de 5 à 12 ans

Helios: a tangible and augmented environment to learn optical phenomena in astronomy

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