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Heuristic value of the notion of zone of proximal development in the study of child and adolescent construction of concepts in physics

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Abstract

The heuristic value of the concept ofzone of proximal development in the field of scientific instruction is demonstrated by means of a study on the construction of the concept offorce by students aged 14 and 15. Based on an analysis of the differences between the students’ intuitive concepts and those taught in school, a sequence of learning steps are proposed to allow students to achieve the “shifts” needed to receive the concept of force, defined as an interaction between systems. Acting on the zone of proximal development means taking advantage of what students already know in order to help them construct precursory concepts in preparation for new conceptual propositions. The original teaching sequence presented is based on experimental problem situations designed to promote modelling skills. Students are asked to make predictions about measurement variations. To perform these prediction tasks, they must construct new concepts and use specific representation techniques. The study enabled us to show that it is possible in ten sessions to lead students to construct a precursor for the formal concept of force.

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  1. University of Paris 7, France

    Annick Weil-Barais

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  1. Annick Weil-Barais
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Weil-Barais, A. Heuristic value of the notion of zone of proximal development in the study of child and adolescent construction of concepts in physics. Eur J Psychol Educ 9, 367–383 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03172908

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