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Parallel Conceptions in the Domain of Force and Motion

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Abstract

The basic assumption, for which we try to provide evidence in this paper, is that students always use multiple explanations before and after teaching. Other studies also give evidence of competing conceptions used in one content area, yet often a variation of context is seen as the cause of multiplicity. The study presented here focuses on individual answers within one context. A total of 47 students from grade 7 up to university level participated in interviews which dealt with three qualitative tasks in the domain of force and motion. As the interview technique was based on waiting and asking questions of specification without giving additional information, the context is assumed to be stable when dealing with one task. Data interpretation focused on 27 students from four different schools (age 16), who were interviewed before and after they attended a class in mechanics. Results show that most answers, even with respect to one task, reveal multiple explanations.

Keywords

  • Scientific Element
  • Impetus Conception
  • Multiple Choice Test
  • Interview Technique
  • Interview Situation

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Hartmann, S., Niedderer, H. (2005). Parallel Conceptions in the Domain of Force and Motion. In: Boersma, K., Goedhart, M., de Jong, O., Eijkelhof, H. (eds) Research and the Quality of Science Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3673-6_37

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