Knowledge in Pieces: Implications for Design

• In Event: Research in Science Learning and Teaching

Abstract

It has been documented that it is difficult to explore and understand how student knowledge develops within complex systems. This study proposes the use of a Knowledge in Pieces framework to analyze student knowledge and development in the domain of ecology. The aim was to utilize both quantitative and qualitative analyses of student p-prims to drive reflection on the design and modification of a developed curriculum. Early findings suggest that students expressed p-prims in five major areas of the curriculum and that student p-prims advanced in complexity and organization. The use of the KiP framework to examine student understanding is novel in this science domain, and is important because it frames student understanding from a resource, rather than deficit, perspective.

Authors

• Lana Marie Minshew, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Kelly Johnson Barber-Lester, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Sharon Derry, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Janice L. Anderson, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill