Abstract
Groups of children at a science museum were pre- and post-assessed with a type of concept map, known as personal meaning maps, to determine what new understandings, if any, they were gaining from participation in a series of structured hands-on activities about bones and the process of bones healing. Close examination was made regarding whether children’s prior knowledge or a ceiling effect was influencing results. Children made significant gains in vocabulary and concepts related to both bones and the bone healing process. Many children also demonstrated that their comprehension moved from a novice level to a transitional level of understanding. Prior to participation, children were more uniformly unacquainted with ideas about the healing process of bones than they were about bones; this led to more consistent learning gains related to the healing process. There was some indication of a ceiling effect occurring when children revealed what they had learned about bones, but not when they revealed what they had learned about the bone healing process. Although the prior knowledge theory was not statistically supported, data did show that children with greater understanding prior to the Busy Bones Lab activities end up with correspondingly greater understanding. This suggests that addressing concepts related to bones prior to a lab experience may bring more children to a higher level of understanding before engaging in the lab experience.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander, P. A., Kulikowich, J. M., & Jetton, T. L. (1994). The role of subject-matter knowledge and interest in the processing of linear and nonlinear texts. Review of Educational Research, 64(2), 201–252.
Cook, M. P. (2006). Visual representations in science education: The influence of prior knowledge and cognitive load theory on instructional design principles. Science Education, 90(6), 1073–1091.
Dochy, F. J. R. C., & Alexander, P. A. (1995). Mapping prior knowledge: A framework for discussion among researchers. European Journal for Psychology of Education, 10(1), 123–145.
Dochy, F., Segers, M., & Buehl, M. M. (1999). The relation between assessment practices and outcomes of studies: The case of research on prior knowledge. Review of Educational Research, 69(2), 145–186.
Donovan, M. S., & Bransford, J. D. (Eds.). (2005). How students learn: History, mathematics, and Science in the classroom. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Ellenbogen, K. M., Luke, J. J., & Dierking, L. D. (2004). Family learning research in museums: An emerging disciplinary matrix? Science Education, 88(S1), S48–S58.
Falk, J. H., Moussouri, T., & Coulson, D. (1998). The effect of visitors’ agendas on museum learning. Curator, 41(2), 106–120.
Falk, J., & Storksdieck, M. (2005). Using the contextual model of learning to understand visitor learning from a science center exhibition. Science Education, 89(5), 744–778.
Graves, M. F., Cooke, C. L., & Laberge, M. J. (1983). Effects of previewing difficult short stories on low ability junior high school students’ comprehension, recall, and attitudes. Reading Research Quarterly, 18(3), 262–276.
Hewson, M. G., & Hewson, P. W. (1983). Effect of instruction using students’ prior knowledge and conceptual change strategies on science learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20(8), 731–743.
Joseph, J. H., & Dwyer, F. M. (1984). The effects of prior knowledge, presentation mode, and visual realism on student achievement. Journal of Experimental Education, 52(2), 110–121.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Lelliott, A. (2007). Learning about Astronomy: A case study exploring how grade 7 and 8 students experience sites of informal learning in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Linton, T. H., & Kester, D. (2003). Exploring the achievement gap between white and minority students in Texas: A comparison of the 1996 and 2000 NAEP and TAAS eighth grade mathematics test results. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 11(10). Retrieved January 21, 2011, from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v11n10/.
Liu, S., & Lederman, N. G. (2002). Taiwanese gifted students’ views of nature of science. School Science and Mathematics, 102(3), 114–123.
Luke, J., O’Mara, H., & Dierking, L. (1999). Mammals hall front-end evaluation phase II, National Museum of Natural History. Unpublished evaluation report. Annapolis, MD: Institute for Learning Innovation.
McBee, M. (2010). Modeling outcomes with floor or ceiling effects: An introduction to the Tobit Model. Gifted Child Quarterly, 54(4), 314–320.
McKeown, M. G., Beck, I. L., Sinatra, G. M., & Loxterman, J. A. (1992). The relative contribution of prior knowledge and coherent text to comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 27(1), 78–93.
Ozuru, Y., Dempsey, K., & McNamara, D. S. (2009). Prior knowledge, reading skill, and text cohesion in the comprehension of science texts. Learning and Instruction, 19(3), 228–242.
Prokop, P., Fancovicová, J., & Tunnicliffe, S. D. (2009). The effect of type of instruction on expression of children’s knowledge: How do children see the endocrine and urinary system? International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 4(1), 75–93.
Reiss, M., & Tunnicliffe, S. D. (2001). Students’ understanding of their internal structure as revealed by drawings. In H. Behrendt, H. Dahncke, R. Duit, W. Graber, M. Komorek, A. Kross, & P. Reiska (Eds.), Research in science education—Past, present, and future (pp. 101–106). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Rennie, L. J., Feher, E., Dierking, L. D., & Falk, J. H. (2003). Toward an agenda for advancing research on science learning in out-of-school settings. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40(2), 112–120.
Rifkin, B. (2005). A ceiling effect in traditional classroom foreign language instruction: Data from Russian. The Modern Language Journal, 89(1), 3–18.
Rivet, A. E., & Krajcik, J. S. (2008). Contextualizing instruction: Leveraging students’ prior knowledge and experiences to foster understanding of middle school science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(1), 79–100.
Roschelle, J. (1995). Learning in interactive environments: Prior knowledge and new experience. In L. D. Dierking & J. Falk (Eds.), Public institutions for personal learning: Establishing a research agenda (pp. 37–51). Washington, DC: American Association of Museums.
Strangman, N., & Hall, T. (2004). Background knowledge. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved January 25, 2011, from http://www.aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/background_knowledge.
Uttl, B. (2005). Measurements of individual differences: Lessons from memory assessment in research and clinical practice. Psychological Science, 16(6), 460–467.
Wang, L., Zhang, Z., McArdle, J. J., & Salthouse, T. A. (2008). Investigating ceiling effects in longitudinal data analysis. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 43(3), 476–496.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the Framing New Pathways to Medical Discovery for Families, Students and Teachers grant (PI: Dr. Laura Martin, Award Number R25RR026032) at the Arizona Science Center, funded by the Science Education Partnership Award from the National Center for Research Resources, a division of the National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center For Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Dr. Laura Martin and Mr. Deron Ash for coordinating the research opportunity.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendices
Appendix 1: Busy Bones Lab activity flowchart
Appendix 2
(1) Novice understanding | (2) Transitional understanding | (3) Informed understanding | |
|---|---|---|---|
Depth of Understanding Bones Rubric | |||
Bones | The personal meaning map reflects limited knowledge of bones. The map may be restricted to a few nouns associated with bones. Items mentioned in the map may be unconnected or unrelated to bones. The map may yield only one or two basic words/phrases | The personal meaning map reflects age suitable rudimentary understanding of bones. Transitional understanding is often distinguished from novice understanding when the map indicates fair understanding of bones as being alive and/or critical to the body (e.g., for movement, protection). The map may reveal concept(s) related to bones without demonstrating deep understanding | The personal meaning map reflects age appropriate comprehension of bones. Informed understanding is often distinguished from transitional understanding when the map indicates developed understanding of bones as being alive and/or critical to the body and/or uses sophisticated terms correctly. The map need not provide complete expert knowledge, but does reflect a clear understanding of ideas recorded |
Depth of Understanding Bones Healing Rubric | |||
Bones Healing | The personal meaning map reflects limited knowledge of how bones heal. The map may be restricted to a few nouns associated with bones or with peripheral features of bone healing (e.g., casts). Items mentioned in the map may be unconnected or unrelated to the concept of healing | The personal meaning map reflects age suitable rudimentary understanding of one or more elements of the process of bones healing. Transitional understanding is often distinguished from novice understanding when the map indicates comprehension that healing processes that are not visible on the surface are occurring. The map may reveal concept(s) of bone healing (e.g., time is required or marrow involved), but process is not well depicted | The personal meaning map reflects age appropriate comprehension of stages and/or processes associated with bones healing. The map need not provide complete expert knowledge, but does reflect a clear understanding of ideas recorded |
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Judson, E. Learning about bones at a science museum: examining the alternate hypotheses of ceiling effect and prior knowledge. Instr Sci 40, 957–973 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-011-9201-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-011-9201-6