Differentiation and Theory Change in Thermal Physics: The Role of Conceptual Models and Metaconceptual Understanding

本研究将探讨“朴素理论”观点对热物理教学的启示。要解决的主要问题是如何促进理论变革。研究者将关注三个因素：(1)使教科书理论在学生误解的情况下易于理解；(2)为学生提供对科学知识本质的元概念理解；(3)课程设计要考虑自身的分化过程。鉴于分化似乎是在特定阶段进行的，应该选择课程顺序以优化从一个阶段到下一个阶段的过渡。两个课堂研究（研究1和研究4）通过比较基于模型的课程和基于实验定律和应用新学定律解决问题的更标准的课程，探索使用多种计算机实现的交互式可视化模型，使九年级学生能够理解教科书理论。研究4还考察了元概念知识在内容层面对再概念化的影响。两项研究（研究2和研究3）探讨了在一个月的时间里，计算机模型在个别学生中诱导分化的过程。该项目将根据这些模型开发原型教材（软件、课程和教师指南）。

This research will explore the implications of the "naive theory" view for the teaching of thermal physics. The main questions to be addressed concern how to promote theory change. The investigator will focus on three factors: (1) making the textbook theory intelligible in spite of students' misconceptions; (2) providing students with metaconceptual understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge; and (3) designing the curriculum taking into account the process of differentiation itself. Given that the differentiation appears to proceed in specific stages the curricular sequence should be chosen to optimize the transition from one stage to the next. Two classroom studies (Studies 1 and 4) explore the use of multiple computer-implemented, interactive, visual models in making the textbook theory accessible to ninth graders by comparing a model-based curriculum to a more standard one based on the laws from experimental and problem-solving applying the newly learned laws. Study 4 also examines the effect of metaconceptual knowledge on the reconceptualization at the content level. Two studies (Studies 2 and 3) explore the process of differentiation induced by a computer model in individual students over a one-month period. The project will develop prototype teaching materials (software, curriculum and a teacher guide) based on these models.