Manipulating Models and Grasping the Ideas They Represent

Bryce, Tom; Blown, Eric

doi:10.1007/s11191-015-9802-6

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…In the empirical work described later, we give instances of children inter-connecting their imagined, visual images and their verbalised thoughts. These actions appear to be in keeping with the re-entry processes described by Edelman (2005) as children simulate concepts (see Bryce and Blown 2016;Barsalou 2003).…”

Section: Mental Imagerysupporting

confidence: 74%

“…1 Ordinal scale for Earth motion concept categories disembedded repertoires and, in some cases, the reverse. Two distinct forms of switching were detected (although they become inter-twined through re-entry processes) (see Bryce and Blown 2016;Edelman 2005). The first kind is the familiar intra-modal one of verbal language where a child switches between everyday and scientific language.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We are currently unable to answer Pylyshyn's (2003) question about the nature of such images: whether they are spatial Fig. 6 Percentage of children's responses featuring animism in particular age ranges concerning daytime and night-time concepts pictures or some other forms of representation or whether they may be non-representational (see Bryce and Blown 2016), but we have suggestions for further research.…”

Section: Quantitative Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, it was not uncommon for children to change the shape of their models of the shape of the Earth from disc-shaped to ball-shaped as a result of Socratic dialogue. These changes in shape had implications for Earth motion and daytime/night-time concepts since a complete (scientific) understanding of the cause of the daytime/night-time cycle depends on knowing that the Earth is spherical (see Bryce and Blown 2016). [An intra-modal (within language modality) switch from Sun motion concept category 8 (scientific) to Sun motion concept category 3 (semi-animistic)] (see Fig.…”

Section: Uncertain Of Motion or Nature Or Meaning Of "Moon" -Not Surementioning

confidence: 99%

“…4) at kindergarten stages to more than 8 at senior secondary/high school stages) and the move from everyday-animistic through everyday-semi-animistic to scientific concepts in New Zealand and China. Table 7 gives details of responses to questions about mental imagery as follows: These were used to investigate the hypothesis that when children access alternative everyday and scientific language repertoires in memory, they also access alternative static and dynamic images as an integral part of conscious and unconscious re-entrant processes (see Bryce and Blown 2016). Static imagery refers to children imagining pictures of the Earth, Sun and Moon, whereas dynamic imagery refers to children visualising the motion of these bodies (both being relevant to children's concepts of daytime and night-time).…”

Section: Quantitative Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Switching Between Everyday and Scientific Language

Blown

Bryce

2016

Res Sci Educ

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The research reported here investigated the everyday and scientific repertoires of children involved in semi-structured, Piagetian interviews carried out to check their understanding of dynamic astronomical concepts like daytime and night-time. It focused on the switching taking place between embedded and disembedded thinking; on the imagery which subjects referred to in their verbal dialogue and their descriptions of drawings and play-dough models of the Earth, Sun and Moon; and it examined the prevalence and character of animism and figurative speech in children's thinking. Five hundred and thirty-nine children (aged 3-18) from Wairarapa in New Zealand (171 boys and 185 girls) and Changchun in China (99 boys and 84 girls) took part in the study. Modified ordinal scales for the relevant concept categories were used to classify children's responses and data from each age group (with numbers balanced as closely as practicable by culture and gender) analysed with KolmogorovSmirnov two-sample tests (at an alpha level of 0.05). Although, in general, there was consistency of dynamic concepts within and across media and their associated modalities in keeping with the theory of conceptual coherence (see Blown and Bryce 2010; Bryce and Blown 2016), there were several cases of inter-modal and intra-modal switching in both cultures. Qualitative data from the interview protocols revealed how children switch between everyday and scientific language (in both directions) and use imagery in response to questioning. The research indicates that children's grasp of scientific ideas in this field may ordinarily be under-estimated if one only goes by formal scientific expression and vocabulary.Keywords Everyday and scientific language . Embedded and disembedded thinking . Switching . Animism and figurative speech . Astronomy . Daytime and night-time Much of the published research into the acquisition of scientific ideas by young people has concentrated upon their growing accumulation of correct or appropriately expressed terms for important concepts. This paper explores the boundaries between such language and the communications which precede and pre-determine its character. The empirical research which Res Sci Educ (2017) 47:621-653

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Section: Mental Imagerysupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quantitative Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Uncertain Of Motion or Nature Or Meaning Of "Moon" -Not Surementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Quantitative Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Switching Between Everyday and Scientific Language

Blown

Bryce

2016

Res Sci Educ

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Overview of Mental Models research using bibliometric indicators

Cárdenas-Figueroa.

Navarro

2020

Cogn Process

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The Enduring Effects of Early-Learned Ideas and Local Folklore on Children’s Astronomy Knowledge

Blown

Bryce²

2018

Res Sci Educ

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The research described here examined the sources of knowledge of astronomy of children (age 3-18) in China and New Zealand, together with the development of their awareness of competing sources, ranging from everyday language, childhood literature and folklore to the scientific accounts prevalent in schools. The authors cite examples of the bootstrapping encountered during these years, where children's expanding knowledge and how they process questions intended to probe their understandings-their metacognitive strategies-are mutually beneficial. The semi-structured interviews utilising three modalities (verbal language, drawing and play-dough modelling) carried out with pupils (n = 358), and questionnaires administered to their parents (n = 80), teachers (n = 65) and local librarians (n = 5), focused on young people's understanding of daytime and night-time and the roles played by the Sun and Moon in creating familiar events. The findings underscore the arguments put forward by the authors in a recent article in this journal concerning the coexistence of everyday and scientific concepts. The influence of early-learned ideas deriving from preschool experiences, recalled by children and largely corroborated by family members, was found to be extensive. Evidence of the migration of folklore in one of the two settings investigated (on the North East China Plain) and therefore its continuing influence on children's comprehension is provided. With respect to teaching, the authors argue the benefits to be had in making more explicit with young students the differences between early-learned (everyday-cultural) ideas-particularly local community knowledge and folklore-and the scientific content found in the school curriculum.

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Manipulating Models and Grasping the Ideas They Represent

Cited by 10 publications

References 55 publications

Switching Between Everyday and Scientific Language

Switching Between Everyday and Scientific Language

Overview of Mental Models research using bibliometric indicators

The Enduring Effects of Early-Learned Ideas and Local Folklore on Children’s Astronomy Knowledge

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