What college-level students think: Student alternate conceptions and their cognitive models of geoscience concepts

Special Paper of the Geological Society of America

Volumn 474, Issue , 2011, Pages 135-152

  Arthurs, Leilani ^a  

^a GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CONTINUUM MECHANICS; CURRICULA; DIGITAL STORAGE; EDUCATION COMPUTING; GEOLOGY; GROUNDWATER; POTABLE WATER;

CONTINUUM MODELING; CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT; FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS; PRACTICE OF TEACHINGS; QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS; SCIENTIFIC MODELING; STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING; THREE CATEGORIES;

STUDENTS;

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK; CURRICULUM; EARTH SCIENCE; GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION; LEARNING; MODELING; RESEARCH; STUDENT;

EID: 79960155162     PISSN: 00721077     EISSN: None     Source Type: Book Series    
DOI: 10.1130/2011.2474(10)     Document Type: Article

References (72)

1. Arthurs, L., and Marchitto, T., 2011, this volume, Qualitative methods applied in the development of an introductory oceanography concept inventory survey, in Feig, A.D., and Stokes, A., eds., Qualitative Inquiry in Geoscience Education Research: Geological Society of America Special Paper 474, doi:10.1130/2011.2474(08).
2. Bereiter, C., and Scardamalia, M., 1986, Educational relevance of the study of expertise: Interchange, v. 17, no. 2, p. 10-19, doi:10.1007/BF01807464.
3. Bogdan, R.C., and Biklen, S.K., 1998, Qualitative Research for Education: An Introduction to Theory and Methods: Boston, Allyn and Bacon, 276 p.
4. Clement, J., 1993, Using bridging analogies and anchoring intuitions to deal with students' preconceptions in physics: Journal of Research in Science Teaching, v. 30, no. 10, p. 1241-1257, doi:10.1002/tea.3660301007.
5. Creswell, J., 1998, Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Traditions: Thousand Oaks, California, Sage Publications, 403 p.
6. Dahl, J., Anderson, S.W., and Libarkin, J.C., 2005, Digging into earth science: Alternative conceptions held by K-12 teachers: Journal of Science Education, v. 6, no. 2, p. 65-68.
7. Dal, B., 2007, How do we help students build beliefs that allow them to avoid critical learning barriers and develop a deep understanding of geology?: Eurasia Journal of Mathematics: Science and Technology Education, v. 3, no. 4, p. 251-269.
8. Delaughter, J.E., Stein, S., Stein, C.A., and Bain, K.R., 1998, Preconceptions abound among students in an introductory earth science course: Eos (Transactions, American Geophysical Union), v. 79, no. 36, p. 429-436, doi:10.1029/98EO00325.
9. Dickerson, D., and Dawkins, K., 2004, Eighth grade students' understandings of groundwater: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 52, no. 2, p. 178-181.
10. Dickerson, D., Callahan, T.J., Van Sickle, M., and Hay, G., 2005, Students' conceptions of scale regarding groundwater: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 53, no. 4, p. 374-380. (Pubitemid 41599985)
11. Dixon, R.M.W., 1982, Where Have All the Adjectives Gone?: Berlin, Walter de Gruyter, 256 p.
12. Dolgoff, A., 1998, Physical Geology: Boston, Houghton Miffl in Company, 638 p.
13. Dove, J.E., 1998, Students' alternative conceptions in earth science: A review of research and implications for teaching and learning: Research Papers in Education, v. 13, no. 2, p. 183-201, doi:10.1080/0267152980130205.
14. Driver, R., 1981, Pupils' alternative frameworks in science: European Journal of Science Education, v. 3, p. 93-101.
15. Feig, A.D., 2011, this volume, Methodology and location in the context of qualitative data and theoretical frameworks in geoscience education research, in Feig, A.D., and Stokes, A., eds., Qualitative Inquiry in Geoscience Education Research: Geological Society of America Special Paper 474, doi:10.1130/2011. 2474(01).
16. Ford, D.J., 2003, Sixth graders' conceptions of rocks in their local environments: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 51, no. 4, p. 373-377. (Pubitemid 37453761)
17. Geer, J.G., 1991, Do open-ended questions measure "salient" issues?: Public Opinion Quarterly, v. 55, no. 3, p. 360-370, doi:10.1086/269268.
18. Gobert, J.D., 2000, A typology of causal models for plate tectonics: Inferential power and barriers to understanding: International Journal of Science Education, v. 22, p. 937-977, doi:10.1080/095006900416857.
19. Handelsman, J., Miller, S., and Pfund, C., 2007, Scientific Teaching: New York, W.H. Freeman and Company, 184 p.
20. Helm, H., 1980, Misconceptions in physics amongst South African students: Physics Education, v. 15, p. 92-105, doi:10.1088/0031-9120/15/2/308.
21. Henriques, L., 2005, Children's ideas about weather: A review of the literature: School Science and Mathematics, v. 102, p. 202-215; available online at http://www.cascience.org/csta/pub-misconceptionsjournal.asp, doi:10.1111/j.1949-8594.2002.tb18143.x.
22. Izquierdo-Aymerich, M., and Aduriz-Bravo, A., 2003, Epistemological foundations of school science: Science and Education, v. 12, p. 27-43, doi:10.1023/A:1022698205904.
23. Kastens, K.A., Liben, L.S., and Agrawal, S., 2009, How students and fi eld geologists reason in integrating spatial observations from outcrops to visualize a 3-D geological structure: International Journal of Science Education, v. 31, p. 365-393, doi:10.1080/09500690802595797.
24. Kinchin, I.M., Hay, D.B., and Adams, A., 2000, How a qualitative approach to concept map analysis can be used to aid learning by illustrating patterns of conceptual development: Educational Research, v. 42, no. 1, p. 43-57, doi:10.1080/001318800363908.
25. Kortz, K.M., and Murray, D.P., 2009, Barriers to college students learning how rocks form: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 57, p. 300-315.
26. Kurasaki, K.S., 2000, Intercoder reliability for validating conclusions drawn from open-ended interview data: Field Methods, v. 12, no. 3, p. 179-194, doi:10.1177/1525822X0001200301.
27. Kusnick, J., 2002, Growing pebbles and conceptual prisms-Understanding the source of student misconceptions about rock formation: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 50, no. 1, p. 31-39. (Pubitemid 34207129)
28. Lakoff, G., 1987, Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things-What Categories Reveal about the Mind: Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 614 p.
29. LeCompte, M.D., and Schensul, J.J., 1999, Designing and Conducting Ethnographic Research: Walnut Creek, California, AltaMira Press, 220 p.
30. Libarkin, J.C., and Kurdziel, J.P., 2001, Research methodologies in science education: Assessing students' alternative conceptions: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 49, no. 4, p. 378-383.
31. Libarkin, J.C., and Kurdziel, J.P., 2002, Research methodologies in science education: Qualitative data: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 50, p. 195-200.
32. Libarkin, J.C., and Kurdziel, J., 2006, Ontology and the teaching of earth system science: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 54, no. 3, p. 408-413.
33. Libarkin, J.C., Beilfuss, M., and Kurdziel, J.P., 2003, Research methodologies in science education: Mental models and cognition in education: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 51, no. 1, p. 121-126. (Pubitemid 36557895)
34. Libarkin, J.C., Anderson, S.W., Dahl, J., Beilfull, M., and Boone, W., 2005, Qualitative analysis of college students' ideas about the Earth: Interviews and open-ended questionnaires: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 53, no. 1, p. 17-26. (Pubitemid 40355268)
35. Libarkin's Geocognition Research Laboratory and collaborators, 2004, The Geoscience Concept Inventory, version 1: https://www.msu.edu/~libarkin/gci.html (accessed 29 November 2009).
36. Lindblom-Ylänne, S., and Lonka, K., 2001, Students' perceptions of assessment practices in a traditional medical curriculum: Advances in Health Sciences Education: Theory and Practice, v. 6, p. 121-140, doi:10 .1023/A:1011422517238. (Pubitemid 33645959)
37. Mark, D.M., Freksa, C., Hirtle, S.C., Lloyd, R., and Tversky, B., 1999, Cognitive models of geographic space: International Journal of Geographical Information Science, v. 13, no. 8, p. 747-774, doi:10.1080/136588199241003.
38. Mason, J., 2002, Qualitative Researching: London, Sage Publications, 223 p.
39. Mayer, R.E., 1998, Learning and Instruction: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Merrill Prentice Hall, 516 p.
40. Mazur, E., 1997, Peer Instruction: A User's Manual: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 253 p.
41. McConnell, D.A., Steer, D.N., Owens, K.D., and Knight, C.C., 2005, How students think: Implications for learning in introductory geoscience courses: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 53, no. 4, p. 462-470. (Pubitemid 41599994)
42. McKenney, R., and Webster, J., 2004, Magnetism, the Earth as a magnet, and seafl oor banding-How much magnetism is enough?: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 52, no. 4, p. 352-362.
43. McNeal, K.S., Miller, H.R., and Herbert, B.E., 2008, Developing non-science majors' conceptual models of complex Earth systems in a physical geology course: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 56, p. 201-211.
44. Mortimer, E.F., 1995, Conceptual change or conceptual profi le change?: Science and Education, v. 4, p. 267-285, doi:10.1007/BF00486624.
45. National Research Council, 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Washington, D.C., National Academy Press, 374 p.
46. National Society for the Study of Education, 1995, Improving Science Education: Chicago, National Society for the Study of Education, 233 p.
47. Nield, A.F., and Wintre, M.G., 1986, Multiple-choice questions with an option to comment: Student attitudes and use: Teaching of Psychology, v. 13, p. 196-199, doi:10.1207/s15328023top1304-6.
48. Norman, D.A., 1983, Some observations on mental models, in Gentner, D., and Stevens, A., eds., Mental Models: Hillsdale, New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, p. 7-14.
49. Novak, J.D., 1977, A Theory of Education: Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Press, 297 p.
50. Office of Planning, Budget, and Analysis, 2009, Quick Facts: Demographics: http://www.colorado.edu/pba/qfacts/demog.html (accessed 6 November 2009).
51. Redish, E.F., 2003, Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite: Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons, 216 p.
52. Reiner, M., Slotta, J.D., Chi, M.T.H., and Resnick, L.B., 2000, Naïve physics reasoning: A commitment to substance-based conceptions: Cognition and Instruction, v. 18, no. 1, p. 1-34, doi:10.1207/S1532690XCI1801- 01.
53. Rosch, E., 1975, Cognitive reference points: Cognitive Psychology, v. 7, p. 532-547, doi:10.1016/0010-0285(75)90021-3.
54. Rosch, E., 1981, Prototype classifi cation and logical classifi cation: The two systems, in Scholnick, E., ed., New Trends in Cognitive Representation: Challenges to Piaget's Theory: Hillsdale, New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, p. 73-86.
55. Rule, A., 2005, Elementary students' ideas concerning fossil fuels: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 53, no. 3, p. 309-318. (Pubitemid 40990339)
56. Sapsford, R., 1999, Survey Research: London, Sage Publications, 258 p.
57. Schensul, S.L., Schensul, J.J., and LeCompte, M.D., 1999, Essential Ethnographic Methods: Observations, Interviews, and Questionnaires: London, AltaMira Press, 318 p.
58. Schwartz, D.L., and Bransford, J.D., 1998, A time for telling: Cognition and Instruction, v. 16, no. 4, p. 475-522, doi:10.1207/s1532690xci1604-4. (Pubitemid 128368485)
59. Scouller, K., 1998, The infl uence of assessment method on students' learning approaches: Multiple choice question examination versus assignment essay: Higher Education, v. 35, no. 4, p. 453-472, doi:10.1023/ A:1003196224280.
60. Sell, K.S., Herbert, B.E., Stuessy, C., and Schielack, J., 2006, Supporting student conceptual model development of complex earth systems through the use of multiple representations and inquiry: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 54, p. 396-407.
61. Shepardson, D.P., Harbor, J., and Wee, B., 2005, Water towers, pump houses, and mountain streams: Students' ideas about watersheds: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 53, no. 4, p. 381-386. (Pubitemid 41599986)
62. Sibley, D.F., 2005, Visual abilities and misconceptions about plate tectonics: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 53, p. 471-477. (Pubitemid 41599995)
63. Sibley, D.F., 2009, A cognitive framework for reasoning with Scientific models: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 57, p. 255-263.
64. Stokes, A., 2011, this volume, A phenomenographic approach to investigating students' conceptions of geoscience as an academic discipline, in Feig, A.D., and Stokes, A., eds., Qualitative Inquiry in Geoscience Education Research: Geological Society of America Special Paper 474, doi:10.1130/2011. 2474(03).
65. Stone, A.A., Turkkan, J.S., Bachrach, C.A., Jobe, J.B., Kurtzman, H.S., and Cain, V.S., eds., 2000, The Science of Self-Report: Implications for Research and Practice: Mahwah, New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 380 p.
66. Treagust, D.F., 1988, Development and use of diagnostic tests to evaluate students' misconceptions in science: International Journal of Science Education, v. 10, no. 2, p. 159-169, doi:10.1080/0950069880100204.
67. Vosniadou, S., and Brewer, W.F., 1992, Mental models of the Earth: A study of conceptual change in childhood: Cognitive Psychology, v. 24, p. 535-585, doi:10.1016/0010-0285(92)90018-W.
68. Wieman, C., 2007, Why not try a Scientific approach to science education?: Change, v. 39, no. 5, p. 9-15.
69. Wieman, C., and Perkins, K., 2005, Transforming physics education: Physics Today, v. 58, no. 11, p. 36-41, doi:10.1063/1.2155756. (Pubitemid 41541349)
70. Willis, J.W., 2008, Qualitative Research Methods in Education and Educational Technology: Charlotte, North Carolina, Information Age Publishing, 371 p.
71. Wolcott, H., 1994, Writing up Qualitative Research: Newbury Park, California, Sage Publishing, 94 p.
72. Yeaton, W.H., and Wortman, P.M., 1993, On the reliability of meta-analytic reviews: The role of intercoder agreement: Evaluation Review, v. 17, no. 3, p. 292-309, doi:10.1177/0193841X9301700303.