Effects of Framing Complex System Problems With Less Complex Problems on Students' Inquiry Skills

• In Event: 29.091 - Poster Session 4
  In Poster Session: 29.091-5 - Inquiry and Problem Solving: Tools, Scaffolds, and Strategies

Abstract

The causal systems underlying many life science domains are complex, causing a challenge to middle school students in understanding complex systems. For this study, we had 115 middle school students engage in inquiry with our AnimalCell and Ecosystem microworlds within our environment, SYSTEM (Authors, 2013), but varied the order in which students did the two microworlds. We sought to investigate whether engaging in AnimalCell first might provide procedural leverage in terms of experimenting when students then engaged in Ecosystems. Results show main effects for both the order in which students engaged with the microworlds and differences in the microworlds themselves. There was also an interaction effect, indicating the effect of condition was greater in the Ecosystems activity than in AnimalCell.

Authors

• Maura Ferrarini, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

• Ozge Yasar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

• Ermal Toto, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

• Janice D. Gobert, Worcester Polytechnic Institute