A Study of the Misconception Types and Sources on Acid and Base Held by Students at Elementary Schools

• Main Authors: Chao Su-Min, 趙素敏
• Other Authors: Huang, Wanchu
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2003
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/07511359284556885725

碩士 === 臺北市立師範學院 === 科學教育研究所 === 91 === Abstract The purposes of this study were to investigate the misconception types and sources on acid and base held by students at elementary schools. There were two stages to select the samples. Stage 1: Chose randomly two classes from 4th grades and 6th grades, three classes from 5th grades. Stage 2: Sampled a student from each level (high, middle and low score level), twenty one in total. All the five classes students took acid-base conception questionnaire; the twenty one students took interview. The methods of this study were clinical interview (POE semisturctured interview and Focus group interview), content analysis and classroom observation by audio recording and videotaping. The reliability of the study was based on “scorer reliability”, while the internal validity of the study was examined by “data triangulation”. The results of this study were that the researcher explored a great extent of the acid-base misconception types and sources among elementary students; the researcher also analyzed and categorized them. The findings of this study were as follows: Students’ acid-base misconceptions originated from six major categories, and each of them could be subdivided in several side-categories. 1. Structured by students: Thought and experienced by students themselves, the five side-categories were: (1) reasoning by students themselves, (2) unable to learn the whole picture, (3) intuitive observations, (4) students’ visuality association, (5) living experiences. 2. Influenced by school instruction : Learned from formal classes, the six side-categories were: (1) from teachers’ misconceptions, (2) from teachers’ incorrect instructions, (3) from misunderstandings toward textbooks, (4) from morceau experiment results, (5) from the interactions of the instructions, (6) from classroom language. 3. Misunderstandings or over generalizations of learning: Students might result in misconceptions because of the morceau learning or over generalizations. The five side-categories were: (1) insufficient knowledge in science, (2) misconceptions from previous learning, (3) misunderstandings and confusions of the vocabularies, (4) preposterous inferences, (5) over analogism. 4. Influenced by peers: Three side-categories learning from companions were: (1) companions’ misconceptions, (2) the incorrect directions from discussions, (3) misunderstandings in discussions. 5. Influenced by extension courses: Other learning environments, not provided by formal instructions in classrooms, the four side-categories were: (1) mass medium, (2) incorrect instructions from parents, (3) misunderstandings from the extracurricular publications and the Internet information. 6. Influenced by learners’ gender: Learners’ attitudes were affected by their gender. Boys ventured upon a new study while girls were willing to follow the steps of teachers’ instructors. After discussing to the study results, the researcher suggested that teachers in elementary schools and anyone who was planning to develop curricula should understand deeply misconception types and sources on acid and base held by students. Then they would help students constructed correct concepts.