Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 10, Issue 2, Article 2 (Dec., 2009) Mızrap BULUNUZ Undergraduate and masters students' understanding about properties of air and the forms of reasoning used to explain air phenomena Contents Next

Undergraduate and masters students' understanding about properties of air and the forms of reasoning used to explain air phenomena

 

Mızrap BULUNUZ^1,3 and Olga S. JARRETT²

¹Uludag University,College of Education,
Elementary Science Education Department,
Gorukle Campus, BURSA, TURKEY

Email: mbulunuz@gmail.com

²Georgia State University

Email: ojarrett@mindspring.com

³Correspondence author

Received 27 Jul., 2009
Revised 30 Nov., 2009

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Contents

• Abstract
• Introduction
  • Research on Reasoning about Scientific Phenomena
  • Hands-on Activities and Discrepant Event Demonstrations as Conceptual Change Strategies
• Method
  • Purpose of the Research
  • Subjects and Context
  • Assessment Instrument
  • Instructional Intervention with journaling
• Results
  • Content Knowledge of Students on Physical Properties of Air
  • Effects of Hands-on Centers and Discrepant Event Demonstrations
  • Forms of Reasoning used to Explain Results of Demonstrations and Activities
  • Phenomena-based reasoning
  • Relation-based reasoning
  • Model-based reasoning
• Discussion and Conclusion
• References
• Appendix A
• Appendix B

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Abstract

The purposes of this study were to examine initial content knowledge about properties of air by three cohorts of undergraduate and master's students studying elementary education and to determine forms of reasoning used to explain air phenomena and the effect of an intervention on content knowledge. Subjects were assessed using a 14-question test on air phenomena before and after a lab consisting of 17 hands-on activities and six discrepant event demonstrations. The activities and demonstrations included the following concepts: air occupies space, air exerts pressure, Boyle's Law and Bernoulli’s Principle. Analysis of lab journals indicated that student reasoning was focused on what was happening rather than why it was happening. A 3 group x 2 time (pretest/posttest) ANOVA with repeated measures indicated that the groups did not differ, initial understanding of the air concepts was low, and all groups improved significantly on the posttest. Instructions for activities and demonstrations are included.

Keywords: Air, understanding, reasoning, elementary science education