Probing Middle School Students' Understanding of Computer Models

• In Event: 30.081 - Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: 30.081-3 - Science Learning and Teaching Posters I

Abstract

Computer models are powerful tools for teaching science, but middle-school students hold many non-normative ideas about how models work and how to interpret them. 133 middle school students completed an assessment of model understanding, and revealed a variety of ideas that may interfere with learning the target science content. When interpreting models, students’ often identified causes and outcomes, but missed the key intermediate causal mechanisms. Students generally had a superficial understanding of model accuracy, and could not meaningfully critique the accuracy of a computer model. Questions that asked students about the inner workings of models revealed aspects of their science understanding that were not demonstrated on questions that asked for explanations of what the model showed.

Authors

• Eliane Stampfer Wiese, University of California, Berkeley

• Hannah Gogel, University of California - Berkeley

• Libby F. Gerard, University of California - Berkeley

• Jonathan Michael Vitale, University of California - Berkeley

• Marcia Linn, University of California - Berkeley