Collaborative Research: Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Refutation Materials for Promoting Conceptual Change in STEM

个人可以从许多来源产生误解，从网上搜索的错误信息到日常生活的经历。一个例子是坚持认为冬天的发生是因为地球离太阳更远，夏天的发生是因为地球离太阳更近。（在这两个季节，地球与地球的距离大致相同，但地球的倾斜会影响太阳光线照射到北半球和南半球表面的角度。）误解可能非常持久，在大学物理课程和其他教育干预中仍然存在。克服误解的一个策略是使用反驳材料，包括文本、图形、视频和活动。反驳材料明确激活错误的先验知识，促使学习者在加工新的正确概念的同时回忆先前的错误概念。这种正确和不正确模型的共同激活增加了学习者注意到差异并努力调和它们的可能性，从而影响学习。然而，一些研究人员最近呼吁在使用反驳方法纠正误解时要谨慎，因为有时当学生们面对某些反驳时，他们会更加根深蒂固地误解。这种反应被称为“适得其反的效果”，尤其令人不安，因为“仅仅增加知识”很少能促进概念的改变。很难确定反驳材料是会促进观念的改变，还是会进一步强化误解。该提案旨在通过帮助STEM教育者了解何时可以最好地使用反驳来提高STEM知识，从而提高STEM素养。本研究综合的目标是研究1)反驳材料对STEM领域概念变化和学习的平均影响之间的异质性，以及2)促进或抑制反驳材料有效性的因素（设计，上下文，方法等）。为了满足这一需求，该项目将使用最先进的元分析技术来全面搜索有关反驳的研究，综合研究结果，并确定缓和反驳材料影响的因素。该项目旨在推动该领域的发展，并通过确定哪种类型的反驳材料适用于谁以及在什么条件下，为教师、从业者和科学传播者提供宝贵的资源。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Individuals can develop misconceptions from many sources, ranging from incorrect information in online searches to experiences of everyday life. An example is the persistence of thinking that winter happens because the earth is further away from the sun and summer happens because it is closer. (The earth is about the same distance away in both seasons, but the earth's tilt affects the angle at which the sun's rays hit the surface of the northern versus southern hemispheres.) Misconceptions can be very persistent, surviving college physics courses and other educational interventions. One strategy for overcoming misconceptions is the use of refutation materials, which include texts, graphics, videos, and activities. Refutation materials explicitly activate incorrect prior knowledge, prompting the learner to recall their prior incorrect conception at the same time as they process the new correct conception. This co-activation of correct and incorrect models increases the probability that the learner will notice the discrepancies and strive to reconcile them, thus influencing learning. However, some researchers have recently called for caution when using refutation approaches to correct misconceptions because, sometimes when students are presented with certain refutations, they become more entrenched in their misconception. This reaction is called the "backfire effect" and is especially troubling since "just adding knowledge" rarely facilitates conceptual change. It is difficult to determine whether refutation materials will promote conceptual change or further strengthen misconceptions. This proposal aims to enhance STEM literacy by helping STEM educators understand when refutation might be best used to improve STEM knowledge.The goals of this research synthesis are to study 1) the heterogeneity among the average effects of refutation materials on conceptual change and learning in STEM domains and 2) the factors (design, contextual, methodological, etc.) that foster or inhibit the effectiveness of refutation materials. To address this need, the project will use state of the art meta-analytic techniques to comprehensively search for studies about refutation, synthesize the findings, and identify factors that moderate the effects of refutation materials. The project is designed to advance the field and provide teachers, practitioners, and science communicators with a valuable resource by determining what type of refutation materials work, for whom, and under what conditions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.