Identifying Ontological Difficulties in Causal Explanations of Everyday Science

• In Event: 66.018 - Everyday Science

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test an intervention aimed at teaching the crosscutting concept of emergent causality using an instructional approach comparing and contrasting everyday non-science “emergent” and “sequential” processes. Nine ninth-grade participants completed an online module that utilized text, videos, animated diagrams, and embedded open-ended question prompts and close-ended items. Analysis of baseline and post-test responses indicates that students correctly categorized novel processes and improved their application of emergent characteristics following instruction. Furthermore, students frequently explained emergent characteristics using contrast to sequential characteristics. These results support the theoretical supposition that students’ have a strong sequential schema they misappropriate to reason about emergent processes, and that using contrasting analogous pairs can help students develop an emergent schema.

Authors

• Nicole Bowers, Arizona State University - Tempe

• Michelle Jordan, Arizona State University

• Elon Langbeheim, Weizmann Institute of Science

• David L Yaghmourian, Arizona State University - Tempe

• Christiana Bruchok, Arizona State University

• Bryan Henderson, Arizona State University

• Na Li, Arizona State University - Tempe

• Michelene T.H. Chi, Arizona State University