Addressing climate and energy misconceptions - teaching tools offered by the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gold, A. U.; Ledley, T. S.; Kirk, K. B.; Grogan, M.; McCaffrey, M. S.; Buhr, S. M.; Manduca, C. A.; Fox, S.; Niepold, F.; Howell, C.; Lynds, S. E.

2011-12-01

Despite a prevalence of peer-reviewed scientific research and high-level reports by intergovernmental agencies (e.g., IPCC) that document changes in our climate and consequences for human societies, the public discourse regards these topics as controversial and sensitive. The chasm between scientific-based understanding of climate systems and public understanding can most easily be addressed via high quality, science-based education on these topics. Well-trained and confident educators are required to provide this education. However, climate science and energy awareness are complex topics that are rapidly evolving and have a great potential for controversy. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of climate science further increases the difficulty for teachers to stay abreast of the science and the policy. Research has shown that students and educators alike hold misconceptions about the climate system in general and the causes and effects of climate change in particular. The NSF-funded CLEAN Pathway (http://cleanet.org) as part of the National Science Digital Library (http://www.nsdl.org) strives to address these needs and help educators address misconceptions by providing high quality learning resources and professional development opportunities to support educators of grade levels 6 through 16. The materials focus on teaching climate science and energy use. The scope and framework of the CLEAN Pathway is defined by the Essential Principles of Climate Science (CCSP, 2009) and the Energy Literacy Principles recently developed by the Department of Energy. Following this literacy-based approach, CLEAN helps with developing mental models to address misconceptions around climate science and energy awareness through a number of different avenues. These are: 1) Professional development opportunities for educators - interactive webinars for secondary teachers and virtual workshops for college faculty, 2) A collection of scientifically and pedagogically reviewed, high

Misconceptions about Sound among Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pejuan, Arcadi; Bohigas, Xavier; Jaen, Xavier; Periago, Cristina

2012-01-01

Our first objective was to detect misconceptions about the microscopic nature of sound among senior university students enrolled in different engineering programmes (from chemistry to telecommunications). We sought to determine how these misconceptions are expressed (qualitative aspect) and, only very secondarily, to gain a general idea of the…

Secondary School Students' Misconceptions about Simple Electric Circuits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Küçüközer, Hüseyin; Kocakülah, Sabri

2007-01-01

The aim of this study is to reveal secondary school students' misconceptions about simple electric circuits and to define whether specific misconceptions peculiar to Turkish students exist within those identified. Data were obtained with a conceptual understanding test for simple electric circuits and semi-structured interviews. Conceptual…

Misconceptions of Students and Teachers in Chemical Equilibrium.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banerjee, Anil C.

1991-01-01

Written test was developed and administered to diagnose misconceptions in different areas of chemical equilibrium among 162 undergraduate chemistry students and 69 teachers of chemistry. Responses reveal widespread misconceptions among students and teachers in areas related to the prediction of equilibrium conditions, rate and equilibrium,…

Diagnosing Portuguese Students' Misconceptions about the Mineral Concept

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monteiro, Antonio; Nobrega, Clevio; Abrantes, Isabel; Gomes, Celeste

2012-01-01

Educational researchers and teachers are well aware that misconceptions--erroneous ideas that differ from the scientifically accepted ones--are very common amongst students. Daily experiences, creative and perceptive thinking and science textbooks give rise to students' misconceptions which lead them to draw erroneous conclusions that become…

Addressing Student Misconceptions Concerning Electron Flow in Aqueous Solutions with Instruction Including Computer Animations and Conceptual Change Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanger, Michael J.; Greenbowe, Thomas J.

2000-01-01

Investigates the effects of both computer animations of microscopic chemical processes occurring in a galvanic cell and conceptual-change instruction based on chemical demonstrations on students' conceptions of current flow in electrolyte solutions. Finds that conceptual change instruction was effective at dispelling student misconceptions but…

Undergraduate Mathematics Students' Pronumeral Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bardini, Caroline; Vincent, Jill; Pierce, Robyn; King, Deborah

2014-01-01

Despite an emphasis on manipulative algebraic techniques in secondary school algebra, many tertiary mathematics students have mastered these skills without conceptual understanding. A significant number of students with high tertiary entrance ranks enrolled in first semester university mathematics were found to have misconceptions relating to…

Concept Inventory Development Reveals Common Student Misconceptions about Microbiology †

PubMed Central

Briggs, Amy G.; Hughes, Lee E.; Brennan, Robert E.; Buchner, John; Horak, Rachel E. A.; Amburn, D. Sue Katz; McDonald, Ann H.; Primm, Todd P.; Smith, Ann C.; Stevens, Ann M.; Yung, Sunny B.; Paustian, Timothy D.

2017-01-01

Misconceptions, or alternative conceptions, are incorrect understandings that students have incorporated into their prior knowledge. The goal of this study was the identification of misconceptions in microbiology held by undergraduate students upon entry into an introductory, general microbiology course. This work was the first step in developing a microbiology concept inventory based on the American Society for Microbiology’s Recommended Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology. Responses to true/false (T/F) questions accompanied by written explanations by undergraduate students at a diverse set of institutions were used to reveal misconceptions for fundamental microbiology concepts. These data were analyzed to identify the most difficult core concepts, misalignment between explanations and answer choices, and the most common misconceptions for each core concept. From across the core concepts, nineteen misconception themes found in at least 5% of the coded answers for a given question were identified. The top five misconceptions, with coded responses ranging from 19% to 43% of the explanations, are described, along with suggested classroom interventions. Identification of student misconceptions in microbiology provides a foundation upon which to understand students’ prior knowledge and to design appropriate tools for improving instruction in microbiology. PMID:29854046

Mathematics, thermodynamics, and modeling to address ten common misconceptions about protein structure, folding, and stability.

PubMed

Robic, Srebrenka

2010-01-01

To fully understand the roles proteins play in cellular processes, students need to grasp complex ideas about protein structure, folding, and stability. Our current understanding of these topics is based on mathematical models and experimental data. However, protein structure, folding, and stability are often introduced as descriptive, qualitative phenomena in undergraduate classes. In the process of learning about these topics, students often form incorrect ideas. For example, by learning about protein folding in the context of protein synthesis, students may come to an incorrect conclusion that once synthesized on the ribosome, a protein spends its entire cellular life time in its fully folded native confirmation. This is clearly not true; proteins are dynamic structures that undergo both local fluctuations and global unfolding events. To prevent and address such misconceptions, basic concepts of protein science can be introduced in the context of simple mathematical models and hands-on explorations of publicly available data sets. Ten common misconceptions about proteins are presented, along with suggestions for using equations, models, sequence, structure, and thermodynamic data to help students gain a deeper understanding of basic concepts relating to protein structure, folding, and stability.

Student Misconceptions about Plants - A First Step in Building a Teaching Resource.

PubMed

Wynn, April N; Pan, Irvin L; Rueschhoff, Elizabeth E; Herman, Maryann A B; Archer, E Kathleen

2017-01-01

Plants are ubiquitous and found in virtually every ecosystem on Earth, but their biology is often poorly understood, and inaccurate ideas about how plants grow and function abound. Many articles have been published documenting student misconceptions about photosynthesis and respiration, but there are substantially fewer on such topics as plant cell structure and growth; plant genetics, evolution, and classification; plant physiology (beyond energy relations); and plant ecology. The available studies of misconceptions held on those topics show that many are formed at a very young age and persist throughout all educational levels. Our goal is to begin building a central resource of plant biology misconceptions that addresses these underrepresented topics, and here we provide a table of published misconceptions organized by topic. For greater utility, we report the age group(s) in which the misconceptions were found and then map them to the ASPB - BSA Core Concepts and Learning Objectives in Plant Biology for Undergraduates, developed jointly by the American Society of Plant Biologists and the Botanical Society of America.

Omani Twelfth Grade Students' Most Common Misconceptions in Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Balushi, Sulaiman M.; Ambusaidi, Abdullah K.; Al-Shuaili, Ali H.; Taylor, Neil

2012-01-01

The current study, undertaken in the Sultanate of Oman, explored twelfth grade students' common misconceptions in seven chemistry conceptual areas. The sample included 786 twelfth grade students in Oman while the instrument was a two-tier test called Chemistry Misconceptions Diagnostic Test (CMDT), consisting of 25 items with 12 items…

Common Student Misconceptions in Exercise Physiology and Biochemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morton, James P.; Doran, Dominic A.; MacLaren, Don P. M.

2008-01-01

The present study represents a preliminary investigation designed to identify common misconceptions in students' understanding of physiological and biochemical topics within the academic domain of sport and exercise sciences. A specifically designed misconception inventory (consisting of 10 multiple-choice questions) was administered to a cohort…

Two-Year Community: Resolving Misconceptions through Student Reflections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tawde, Mangala; Boccio, Dona; Kolack, Kevin

2017-01-01

Students arrive in college with significant prior knowledge including misconceptions that hinder their ability to learn new concepts correctly. Misconceptions, or "alternative beliefs," have been widely studied in the physical sciences at higher education institutions; however, there is a paucity of research concerning the community…

Student Misconceptions about Plants – A First Step in Building a Teaching Resource†

PubMed Central

Wynn, April N.; Pan, Irvin L.; Rueschhoff, Elizabeth E.; Herman, Maryann A. B.; Archer, E. Kathleen

2017-01-01

Plants are ubiquitous and found in virtually every ecosystem on Earth, but their biology is often poorly understood, and inaccurate ideas about how plants grow and function abound. Many articles have been published documenting student misconceptions about photosynthesis and respiration, but there are substantially fewer on such topics as plant cell structure and growth; plant genetics, evolution, and classification; plant physiology (beyond energy relations); and plant ecology. The available studies of misconceptions held on those topics show that many are formed at a very young age and persist throughout all educational levels. Our goal is to begin building a central resource of plant biology misconceptions that addresses these underrepresented topics, and here we provide a table of published misconceptions organized by topic. For greater utility, we report the age group(s) in which the misconceptions were found and then map them to the ASPB – BSA Core Concepts and Learning Objectives in Plant Biology for Undergraduates, developed jointly by the American Society of Plant Biologists and the Botanical Society of America. PMID:28912929

A Analysis of Saudi Arabian High School Students' Misconceptions about Physics Concepts.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Rubayea, Abdullah A. M.

This study was conducted to explore Saudi high students' misconceptions in selected physics concepts. It also detected the effects of gender, grade level and location of school on Saudi high school students' misconceptions. In addition, a further analysis of students' misconceptions in each question was investigated and a correlation between students' responses, confidence in answers and sensibleness was conducted. There was an investigation of sources of students' answers in this study. Finally, this study included an analysis of students' selection of reasons only in the instrument. The instrument used to detect the students' misconceptions was a modified form of the Misconception Identification in Science Questionnaire (MISQ). This instrument was developed by Franklin (1992) to detected students' misconceptions in selected physics concepts. This test is a two-tier multiple choice test that examines four areas of physics: Force and motion, heat and temperature, light and color and electricity and magnetism. This study included a sample of 1080 Saudi high school students who were randomly selected from six Saudi educational districts. This study also included both genders, the three grade levels of Saudi high schools, six different educational districts, and a city and a town in each educational district. The sample was equally divided between genders, grade levels, and educational districts. The result of this study revealed that Saudi Arabian high school students hold numerous misconceptions about selected physics concepts. It also showed that tenth grade students were significantly different than the other grades. The result also showed that different misconceptions are held by the students for each concept in the MISQ. A positive correlation between students' responses, confidence in answers and sensibleness in many questions was shown. In addition, it showed that guessing was the most dominant source of misconceptions. The result revealed that gender and

One Output Function: A Misconception of Students Studying Digital Systems--A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trotskovsky, E.; Sabag, N.

2015-01-01

Background: Learning processes are usually characterized by students' misunderstandings and misconceptions. Engineering educators intend to help their students overcome their misconceptions and achieve correct understanding of the concept. This paper describes a misconception in digital systems held by many students who believe that combinational…

Secondary School Students' Misconceptions about Photosynthesis and Plant Respiration: Preliminary Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Svandova, Katerina

2014-01-01

The study investigated the common misconceptions of lower secondary school students regarding the concepts of photosynthesis and plant respiration. These are abstract concepts which are difficult to comprehend for adults let alone for lower secondary school students. Research of the students misconceptions are conducted worldwide. The researches…

Students' Misconceptions about Medium-Scale Integrated Circuits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, G. L.; Loui, M. C.; Zilles, C.

2011-01-01

To improve instruction in computer engineering and computer science, instructors must better understand how their students learn. Unfortunately, little is known about how students learn the fundamental concepts in computing. To investigate student conceptions and misconceptions about digital logic concepts, the authors conducted a qualitative…

Text Based Analogy in Overcoming Student Misconception on Simple Electricity Circuit Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hesti, R.; Maknun, J.; Feranie, S.

2017-09-01

Some researcher have found that the use of analogy in learning and teaching physics was effective enough in giving comprehension in a complicated physics concept such as electrical circuits. Meanwhile, misconception become main cause that makes students failed when learning physics. To provide teaching physics effectively, the misconception should be resolved. Using Text Based Analogy is one of the way to identifying misconceptions and it is enough to assist teachers in conveying scientific truths in order to overcome misconceptions. The purpose of the study to investigate the use of text based analogy in overcoming students misconception on simple electrical circuit material. The samples of this research were 28 of junior high school students taken purposively from one high school in South Jakarta. The method use in this research is pre-experimental and design in one shot case study. Students who are the participants of sample have been identified misconception on the electrical circuit material by using the Diagnostic Test of Simple Electricity Circuit. The results of this study found that TBA can replace the misconceptions of the concept possessed by students with scientific truths conveyed in the text in a way that is easily understood so that TBA is strongly recommended to use in other physics materials.

Moving Beyond Misconceptions: A New Model for Learning Challenges in Cognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, T. F.; Slater, S. J.

2011-12-01

For over 40 years, the science education community has given its attention to cataloging the substantial body of "misconceptions" in individual's thinking about science, and to addressing the consequences of those misconceptions in the science classroom. Despite the tremendous amount of effort given to researching and disseminating information related to misconceptions, and the development of a theory of conceptual change to mitigate misconceptions, progress continues to be less than satisfying. An analysis of the literature and our own research has persuaded the CAPER Center for Astronomy and Physics Education Research to put forth model that will allow us to operate on students' learning difficulties in a more fruitful manner. Previously, much of the field's work binned erroneous student thinking into a single construct, and from that basis, curriculum developers and instructors addressed student misconceptions with a single instructional strategy. In contrast this model suggests that "misconceptions" are a mixture of at least four learning barriers: incorrect factual information, inappropriately applied mental algorithms (phenomenological primitives), insufficient cognitive structures (e.g. spatial reasoning), and affective/emotional difficulties. Each of these types of barriers should be addressed with an appropriately designed instructional strategy. Initial applications of this model to learning problems in the Earth & Space Sciences have been fruitful, suggesting that an effort towards categorizing persistent learning difficulties in the geosciences beyond the level of "misconceptions" may allow our community to craft tailored and more effective learning experiences for our students and the general public.

Misconceptions of Selected Science Concepts Held by Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doran, Rodney L.

1972-01-01

Describes a test, administered as a motion picture, designed to measure misconceptions about the particle model of matter held by students in grades two through six. Reliability values for tests of eight misconceptions are given and the correlations of misconception scores with measures of IQ, reading, mathematics, and science ability reported.…

Identifying Novice Student Programming Misconceptions and Errors from Summative Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veerasamy, Ashok Kumar; D'Souza, Daryl; Laakso, Mikko-Jussi

2016-01-01

This article presents a study aimed at examining the novice student answers in an introductory programming final e-exam to identify misconceptions and types of errors. Our study used the Delphi concept inventory to identify student misconceptions and skill, rule, and knowledge-based errors approach to identify the types of errors made by novices…

Does Conceptual Understanding of Limit Partially Lead Students to Misconceptions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulyono, B.; Hapizah

2017-09-01

This article talks about the result of preliminary research of my dissertation, which will investigate student’s retention of conceptual understanding. In my preliminary research, I surveyed 73 students of mathematics education program by giving some questions to test their retention of conceptual understanding of limits. Based on the results of analyzing of students’ answers I conclude that most of the students have problems with their retention of conceptual understanding and they also have misconception of limits. The first misconception I identified is that students always used the substitution method to determine a limit of a function at a point, but they did not check whether the function is continue or not at the point. It means that they only use the substitution theorem partially, because they do not consider that the substitution theorem \\mathop{{lim}}\\limits\\text{x\\to \\text{c}}f(x)=f(c) works only if f(x) is defined at χ = c. The other misconception identified is that some students always think there must be available of variables χ in a function to determine the limit of the function. I conjecture that conceptual understanding of limit partially leads students to misconceptions.

Addressing Students' Misconceptions about Eclipses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slater, Timothy F.; Gelderman, Richard

2017-01-01

The upcoming Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse, with its 70-mile wide path of totality stretching across much of North America, provides us with a unique opportunity to teach students about eclipses. One might naturally assume that students have little difficulty understanding the nature of eclipses. After all, the notion that eclipses occur when…

Diagnostic Assessment of Student Misconceptions about the Particulate Nature of Matter from Ontological Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özalp, Dilek; Kahveci, Ajda

2015-01-01

Student conceptions related with matter and the particulate nature of matter (PNM), are vital for advanced understanding in chemistry, and have been a research area of significant attention. Lacking in the literature are studies addressing chemical misconceptions from an ontological point of view. The purpose of the current study was to develop a…

An Analysis of Students' Misconceptions Concerning Photosynthesis and Respiration in Plants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capa, Yesim; Yildirim, Ali; Ozden, M. Yasar

The aims of this study were to diagnose students' misconceptions concerning photosynthesis and respiration in plants, and to investigate reasons behind these misconceptions. The subjects were 45 ninth grade high school students and 11 high school teachers. Data were collected by interview technique. All of the interviews were audiotaped and…

Better Categorizing Misconceptions Using a Contemporary Cognitive Science Lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, S. J.; Slater, T. F.

2013-12-01

Much of the last three decades of discipline-based education research in the geosciences has focused on the important work of identifying the range and domain of misconceptions students bring into undergraduate science survey courses. Pinpointing students' prior knowledge is a cornerstone for developing constructivist approaches and learning environments for effective teaching. At the same time, the development of a robust a priori formula for professors to use in mitigating students' misconceptions remains elusive. An analysis of the literature and our own research has persuaded researchers at the CAPER Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research to put forth a model that will allow professors to operate on students' various learning difficulties in a more productive manner. Previously, much of the field's work binned erroneous student thinking into a single construct, and from that basis, curriculum developers and instructors addressed student misconceptions with a single instructional strategy. In contrast, we propose a model based on the notion that 'misconceptions' are a mixture of at least four learning barriers: incorrect factual information, inappropriately applied mental algorithms (phenomenological primitives), insufficient cognitive structures (e.g. spatial reasoning), and affective/emotional difficulties (e.g. students' spiritual commitments). In this sense, each of these different types of learning barriers would be more effectively addressed with an instructional strategy purposefully targeting these different attributes. Initial applications of this model to learning problems in geosciences have been fruitful, suggesting that an effort towards categorizing persistent learning difficulties in the geosciences beyond the single generalized category of 'misconceptions' might allow our community to more effectively design learning experiences for our students and the general public

"I Thought It Would Be More Glamorous": Preconceptions and Misconceptions among Students in the Public Relations Principles Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowen, Shannon A.

2003-01-01

Addresses public speaking students' preconceptions as they begin their study and the misconceptions to which they ascribe. Finds that students often enter the basic course unaware of a management focus, shocked by the level of strategic decision making required of practitioners, and surprised by the amount of research knowledge and activity…

Secondary & College Biology Students' Misconceptions About Diffusion & Osmosis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odom, Arthur Louis

1995-01-01

Tests on diffusion and osmosis given to (n=116) secondary biology students, (n=123) nonbiology majors, and (n=117) biology majors found that, even after instruction, students continue to have misconceptions about these ideas. Appendix includes diffusion and osmosis test. (MKR)

Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Students' Misconceptions in Learning Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naah, Basil Mugaga

2015-01-01

Preservice teachers enrolled in a modified introductory chemistry course used an instructional rubric to improve and evaluate their understanding of students' misconceptions in learning various chemistry concepts. A sample of 79 preservice teachers first explored the state science standards to identify chemistry misconceptions associated with the…

The Relationship between the Process Skill of Prediction and Students' Misconceptions in Biology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavoie, Derrick R.

Misconceptions, shown to be prevalent in students even at the college level, may affect the cognitive process of making predictions in biology. The purpose of this study was to: (1) identify students' misconceptions about important biological concepts; (2) identify students' cognitive behaviors associated with making predictions about these…

The Geoscience Concept Test: A New Assessment Tool Based on Student Misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Libarkin, J.; Anderson, S. W.; Boone, W. J.; Beilfuss, M.; Dahl, J.

2002-12-01

We developed and began pilot testing of an earth science assessment tool called the geoscience concept test (GCT). The GCT uses student misconceptions as distractors in a 30 item multiple-choice instrument. Student misconceptions were first assessed through the analysis of nearly 300 questionnaires administered in introductory geology courses at three institutions. Results from the questionnaires guided the development of an interview protocol that was used by four interviewers at four different institutions. Over 100 in-depth student interviews lasting from 0.5 to 1 hour probed topics related to the Earth's interior, geologic time, and the formation of Earth surface features such as mountains and volcanoes to better define misconceptions. Thematic content analysis of the interviews identified a number of widely held misconceptions, which were then incorporated into the GCT as multiple-choice distractors (wrong answers). For content validity, the initial GCT was reviewed by seven experts (3 geoscientists and 4 science educators) and revised before pilot testing. Approximately 100 introductory and non-science major college students from four institutions were assessed with the GCT pilot in the spring of 2002. Rasch model analysis of this data showed that students found the pilot test difficult, and the level of difficulty was consistent between the four institutions. Analysis of individual items showed that students had fewer misconceptions regarding the locations of earthquakes, and many misconceptions regarding the locations of volcanoes on the Earth's surface, suggesting a disconnect in their understanding of the role of plate tectonics in these phenomena. Analysis of the misfit statistic for each item showed that none of the questions misfit, although we dropped one question and modified the wording of another for clarity in the next round of piloting. A second round of piloting scheduled for the fall of 2002 includes nearly 3000 students from 34 institutions in

The Profile of Student Misconceptions on The Human and Plant Transport Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ainiyah, M.; Ibrahim, M.; Hidayat, M. T.

2018-01-01

This research aims to identify misconceptions on the humans and plants transportation systems. The research was done in the 8th grade in Indonesia. Data were collected to use a three-tier test. This type of research was used survey design. Content analysis was used to analyze the misconception data. The results of this research were the location of misconception of each student is different. The highest misconceptions identified in this research, namely: a) arteries that drain blood to the heart (73.3%); b) veins that drain blood from the heart (70.0%); c) place of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange occurs in the veins (66.7%); d) blood pressure in veins greater than in capillaries (63.3%); e) absorption of water occurs diffusion and absorption of minerals occurs osmosis (76.7%); f) transport of photosynthesis process occurs by diffusion (66.7%); g) photosynthesis process occurs during the day (63.3%); and h) process of evaporation of water through the leaves are guttation (56.7%). The results of this research show that the level of students misconceptions on the of human and plant transport systems is still high so that it can serve as a reference to improve the learning process and the reduction of student misconceptions.

On Misconceptions about Behavior Analysis among University Students and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arntzen, Erik; Lokke, Jon; Lokke, Gunn; Eilertsen, Dag-Erik

2010-01-01

Students frequently show misconceptions regarding scientific psychology in general and basic concepts in behavior analysis in particular. We wanted to replicate the study by Lamal (1995) and to expand the study by including some additional statements. In the current study, the focus was on misconceptions about behavior analysis held by…

Two-Dimensional, Implicit Confidence Tests as a Tool for Recognizing Student Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klymkowsky, Michael W.; Taylor, Linda B.; Spindler, Shana R.; Garvin-Doxas, R. Kathy

2006-01-01

The misconceptions that students bring with them, or that arise during instruction, are a critical barrier to learning. Implicit-confidence tests, a simple modification of the multiple-choice test, can be used as a strategy for recognizing student misconceptions. An important issue, however, is whether such tests are gender-neutral. We analyzed…

Cultural misconceptions and public stigma against mental illness among Lebanese university students.

PubMed

Rayan, Ahmad; Fawaz, Mirna

2018-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine cultural misconceptions about mental illness and how they are associated with the public stigma against mental illness among Lebanese university students. A sample of 203 participants completed the study. Data about cultural misconceptions, attitudes about mental illness, and public stigma of mental illness were obtained. The researchers examined the mean difference in public stigma according to cultural beliefs about mental illness. The majority of students believe that mental health professionals have inadequate knowledge and expertise to treat mental disorders. Various cultural misconceptions about mental illness were reported. Public stigma significantly differed based on these cultural misconceptions. Psychiatric nurses should play a vital role in reshaping the inappropriate cultural view about mental illness. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Black Boxes in Analytical Chemistry: University Students' Misconceptions of Instrumental Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbo, Antonio Domenech; Adelantado, Jose Vicente Gimeno; Reig, Francisco Bosch

2010-01-01

Misconceptions of chemistry and chemical engineering university students concerning instrumental analysis have been established from coordinated tests, tutorial interviews and laboratory lessons. Misconceptions can be divided into: (1) formal, involving specific concepts and formulations within the general frame of chemistry; (2)…

Exploring Lecturers' Views of First-Year Health Science Students' Misconceptions in Biomedical Domains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badenhorst, Elmi; Mamede, Sílvia; Hartman, Nadia; Schmidt, Henk G.

2015-01-01

Research has indicated that misconceptions hamper the process of knowledge construction. Misconceptions are defined as persistent ideas not supported by current scientific views. Few studies have explored how misconceptions develop when first year health students conceptually move between anatomy and physiology to construct coherent knowledge…

Students' Misconceptions about Heat Transfer Mechanisms and Elementary Kinetic Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pathare, S. R.; Pradhan, H. C.

2010-01-01

Heat and thermodynamics is a conceptually rich area of undergraduate physics. In the Indian context in particular there has been little work done in this area from the point of view of misconceptions. This prompted us to undertake a study in this area. We present a study of students' misconceptions about heat transfer mechanisms, i.e. conduction,…

Students' Misconceptions in Interpreting Center and Variability of Data Represented via Histograms and Stem-and-Leaf Plots

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Linda L.; Shore, Felice S.

2008-01-01

This paper identifies and discusses misconceptions that students have in making judgments of center and variability when data are presented graphically. An assessment addressing interpreting center and variability in histograms and stem-and-leaf plots was administered to, and follow-up interviews were conducted with, undergraduates enrolled in…

Exploring Common Misconceptions and Errors about Fractions among College Students in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alghazo, Yazan M.; Alghazo, Runna

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate what common errors and misconceptions about fractions exist among Saudi Arabian college students. Moreover, the study aimed at investigating the possible explanations for the existence of such misconceptions among students. A researcher developed mathematical test aimed at identifying common errors…

Remediating Misconception on Climate Change among Secondary School Students in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karpudewan, Mageswary; Roth, Wolff-Michael; Chandrakesan, Kasturi

2015-01-01

Existing studies report on secondary school students' misconceptions related to climate change; they also report on the methods of teaching as reinforcing misconceptions. This quasi-experimental study was designed to test the null hypothesis that a curriculum based on constructivist principles does not lead to greater understanding and fewer…

One output function: a misconception of students studying digital systems - a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trotskovsky, E.; Sabag, N.

2015-05-01

Background:Learning processes are usually characterized by students' misunderstandings and misconceptions. Engineering educators intend to help their students overcome their misconceptions and achieve correct understanding of the concept. This paper describes a misconception in digital systems held by many students who believe that combinational logic circuits should have only one output. Purpose:The current study aims to investigate the roots of the misconception about one-output function and the pedagogical methods that can help students overcome the misconception. Sample:Three hundred and eighty-one students in the Departments of Electrical and Electronics and Mechanical Engineering at an academic engineering college, who learned the same topics of a digital combinational system, participated in the research. Design and method:In the initial research stage, students were taught according to traditional method - first to design a one-output combinational logic system, and then to implement a system with a number of output functions. In the main stage, an experimental group was taught using a new method whereby they were shown how to implement a system with several output functions, prior to learning about one-output systems. A control group was taught using the traditional method. In the replication stage (the third stage), an experimental group was taught using the new method. A mixed research methodology was used to examine the results of the new learning method. Results:Quantitative research showed that the new teaching approach resulted in a statistically significant decrease in student errors, and qualitative research revealed students' erroneous thinking patterns. Conclusions:It can be assumed that the traditional teaching method generates an incorrect mental model of the one-output function among students. The new pedagogical approach prevented the creation of an erroneous mental model and helped students develop the correct conceptual understanding.

Misconceptions about "Misconceptions": Preservice Secondary Science Teachers' Views on the Value and Role of Student Ideas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larkin, Douglas

2012-01-01

There remains a lack of agreement in the field of science education as to whether student "misconceptions" ought to be considered obstacles or resources, and this has implications for the ways in which prospective teachers think about the value of their students' ideas. This empirical study examines how 14 preservice secondary science teachers in…

Does Prior Knowledge Matter? Do Lamarckian Misconceptions Exist? A Critique of Geraedts and Boersma (2006)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enderle, Patrick J.; Smith, Mike U.; Southerland, Sherry

2009-01-01

The existence, preponderance, and stability of misconceptions related to evolution continue as foci of research in science education. In their 2006 study, Geraedts and Boersma question the existence of stable Lamarckian misconceptions in students, challenging the utility of Conceptual Change theory in addressing any such misconceptions. To support…

Diagnosing students' misconceptions in algebra: results from an experimental pilot study.

PubMed

Russell, Michael; O'Dwyer, Laura M; Miranda, Helena

2009-05-01

Computer-based diagnostic assessment systems hold potential to help teachers identify sources of poor performance and to connect teachers and students to learning activities designed to help advance students' conceptual understandings. The present article presents findings from a study that examined how students' performance in algebra and their overcoming of common algebraic misconceptions were affected by the use of a diagnostic assessment system that focused on important algebra concepts. This study used a four-group randomized cluster trial design in which teachers were assigned randomly to one of four groups: a "business as usual" control group, a partial intervention group that was provided with access to diagnostic tests results, a partial intervention group that was provided with access to the learning activities, and a full intervention group that was given access to the test results and learning activities. Data were collected from 905 students (6th-12th grade) nested within 44 teachers. We used hierarchical linear modeling techniques to compare the effects of full, partial, and no (control) intervention on students' algebraic ability and misconceptions. The analyses indicate that full intervention had a net positive effect on ability and misconception measures.

Applying Scientific Principles to Resolve Student Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yin, Yue

2012-01-01

Misconceptions about sinking and floating phenomena are some of the most challenging to overcome (Yin 2005), possibly because explaining sinking and floating requires students to understand challenging topics such as density, force, and motion. Two scientific principles are typically used in U.S. science curricula to explain sinking and floating:…

Analysis of the Misconceptions of 7th Grade Students on Polygons and Specific Quadrilaterals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozkan, Mustafa; Bal, Ayten Pinar

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study will find out student misconceptions about geometrical figures, particularly polygons and quadrilaterals. Thus, it will offer insights into teaching these concepts. The objective of this study, the question of "What are the misconceptions of seventh grade students on polygons and quadrilaterals?" constitutes the…

Calcium contained tap water phenomena: students misconception patterns of acids-bases concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liliasari, S.; Albaiti, A.; Wahyudi, A.

2018-05-01

Acids and bases concept is very important and fundamental concept in learning chemistry. It is one of the chemistry subjects considered as an abstract and difficult concept to understand. The aim of this research was to explore student’s misconception pattern about acids and bases phenomena in daily life, such as calcium contained tap water. This was a qualitative research with descriptive methods. Participants were 546 undergraduate students of chemistry education and chemistry program, and graduate students of chemistry education in West Java, Indonesia. The test to explore students’ misconception about this phenomena was essay test. The results showed that there were five patterns of students’ misconception in explaining the phenomena of calcium carbonate precipitation on heating tap water. Students used irrelevant concepts in explaining this phenomena, i.e. temporary hardness, coagulation, density, and phase concepts. No students had right answer in explaining this phenomena. This research contributes to design meaningful learning and to achieve better understanding.

Students’ Misconceptions on Properties of Rectangles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ningrum, R. W.; Yulianti, M.; Helingo, D. D. Z.; Budiarto, M. T.

2018-01-01

This research aims to describe students’ misconception of junior high school on the concept of the properties of rectangles and the alternative to overcome them. This research was qualitative descriptive research using test with the CRI (Certainty of Response Index) method and interview method. There were three students as subjects in this study who was identified to have the most misconceptions among students in the class . Based on the data analysis, the subjects showed similar misconceptions. One of student misconception was on the properties of rectangles. Student thought that rectangles were always regularly shaped, or in other word no rectangle was irregular shaped. Students’ misconception caused by picture given to the problem. The misconceptions may due to the lack of understanding of rectangle properties. Alternatives can be done such as re-explain (remediation) or by using cognitive conflict strategies. In particular, our results indicated that 8th grade students had misconceptions in understanding the properties of rectangles. By knowing the misconceptions, students can possibly know how new knowledge is interpreted as well as having an impact on student’s ability to learn correct information in the future.

Change in Elementary School Students' Misconceptions on Material Systems after a Theoretical-Practical Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cañada-Cañada, Florentina; González-Gómez, David; Airado-Rodríguez, Diego; Melo Niño, Lina Viviana; Dávila Acedo, María Antonia

2017-01-01

Students get to Elementary School with a series of misconceptions which are not necessarily in agreement with the scientific knowledge. Misconceptions result from the student's attempts to understand their previous experiences resulting from their interaction with their environment and they must be taken into account in educational practice to…

Particulate Nature of Matter Misconceptions Held by Middle and High School Students in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özgür Kapici, Hasan; Akcay, Hakan

2016-01-01

Misconceptions are one the biggest troubles for both teachers and students. In order to have scientifically valid knowledge, students should have meaningful conceptual understanding. Researchers have been designing studies based on different teaching methods so as to reach beneficial outcomes to handle with misconceptions. In this study, the main…

Reduction of cognitive conflict and learning style impact towards student-teacher's misconception load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A'yun, Kurroti; Suyono, Poedjiastoeti, Sri; Bin-Tahir, Saidna Zulfiqar

2017-08-01

The most crucial issue in education is a misconception that is caused by the misconception of the students themselves. Therefore, this study provided the solution to improve the quality of teaching chemistry in the schools through the remediation of misconceptions to the chemistry teacher candidates. This study employed a mixed method approach using concurrent embedded designs where it tended more to the qualitative research, but it still relied on the quantitative research in the assessment of the learning impact. The results of this study were the students with higher levels of cognitive conflict still have high loads of misconceptions (MC), it possibly due to the type of students' learning styles that is the sequential-global balanced. To facilitate the cognitive conflict character and the learning style of sequential-global balanced, the researchers created an integrated worksheet conceptual change with peer learning (WCCPL). The peer learning undertaken in the last stages of conceptual change of WCCPL can increase the resistance of students' concept in a category of knowing the concept significantly, but it should be examined in an in-depth study related to the long-term memory.

Misconceptions Surrounding Climate Change: A Review of the Literature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Templeton, C. M.; McNeal, K. S.; Libarkin, J.

2011-12-01

Misconceptions about climate change abound in every corner of society. The result manifests itself ranging from apprehension to total disregard for climate change conditions. According to several sources, however, a large percentage of the U. S. population do, indeed indicate some concern over global warming and climate change in general. These climate change misconceptions are numerous and include, to name a few; confusion between weather and climate, how greenhouse gases are affecting the earth, the effects of ozone depletion, earth's natural cycles, volcanic activity, nuclear waste and a host of other anthropogenic influences. This paper is a review of the current research literature relating to climate change misconceptions. These errant views will be addressed, cataloged, enumerated, and ranked to get a grasp on where the general population, politicians, scientists, and educators as well as students stand on informed climate change information. The categories where misconceptions arise have been identified in this literature review study and include the following: Natural cycles of the earth, ecological which include deforestation, urban development and any human intervention on the environment, educational - including teacher strategies, student understanding and textbook updates, emotional, ozone layer and its interactions, polar ice, political regulations, mandates and laws, pollution from human sources as well as from nature, religious beliefs and dogma and social beliefs. We suggest appropriate solutions for addressing these misconceptions, especially in the classroom setting, and broadly include available funding sources for work in climate change education. Some solutions include need for compilation of appropriate education resources and materials for public use, need for the development of educational materials that appropriately address the variety of publics, and need for programs that are conducting climate change education research and EPO work to

Student Misconceptions in Chemical Equilibrium as Related to Cognitive Level and Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, Alan E.; Kass, Heidi

Reported is an investigation to determine the nature and extent of student misconceptions in chemical equilibrium and to ascertain the degree to which certain misconceptions are related to chemistry achievement and to performance on specific tasks involving cognitive transformations characteristic of the concrete and formal operational stages of…

An inventory of student recollections of their past misconceptions as a tool for improved classroom astronomy instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favia, Andrej

My Ph.D. research is about examining the persistence of 215 common misconceptions in astronomy. Each misconception is based on an often commonly-held incorrect belief by college students taking introductory astronomy. At the University of Maine, the course is taught in alternating semesters by Prof. Neil F. Comins and Prof. David J. Batuski. In this dissertation, I examine the persistence of common astronomy misconceptions by the administration of a retrospective survey. The survey is a new instrument in that it permits the student to indicate either endorsement or rejection of each misconception at various stages in the student's life. I analyze data from a total of 639 students over six semesters. I compare the survey data to the results of exams taken by the students and additional instruments that assess students' misconceptions prior to instruction. I show that the consistency of the students' recollection of their own misconceptions is on par with the consistency of responses between prelims and the final exam. I also find that students who report higher increased childhood interest in astronomy are more likely to have accurate recalls of their own past recollections. I then discuss the use of principal components analysis as a technique for describing the extent to which misconceptions are correlated with each other. The analysis yields logical groupings of subtopics from which to teach. I then present a brief overview of item response theory, the methodology of which calculates relative difficulties of the items. My analysis reveals orders to teach the associated topics in ways that are most effective at dispelling misconceptions during instruction. I also find that the best order to teach the associated concepts is often different for high school and college level courses.

Observations on Student Misconceptions--A Case Study of the Build-Heap Algorithm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seppala, Otto; Malmi, Lauri; Korhonen, Ari

2006-01-01

Data structures and algorithms are core issues in computer programming. However, learning them is challenging for most students and many of them have various types of misconceptions on how algorithms work. In this study, we discuss the problem of identifying misconceptions on the principles of how algorithms work. Our context is algorithm…

Unraveling Students' Misconceptions about the Earth's Shape and Gravity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sneider, Cary I.; Ohadi, Mark M.

1998-01-01

Presents a study designed to test the effectiveness of a constructivist-historical teaching strategy in changing students' misconceptions about the earth's shape and gravity at the upper elementary and middle school levels. Contains 27 references. (DDR)

Diagnosing Secondary Students' Misconceptions of Photosynthesis and Respiration in Plants Using a Two-Tier Multiple Choice Instrument.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haslam, Filocha; Treagust, David F.

1987-01-01

Describes a multiple-choice instrument that reliably and validly diagnoses secondary students' understanding of photosynthesis and respiration in plants. Highlights the consistency of students' misconceptions across secondary levels and indicates a high percentage of students have misconceptions regarding plant physiology. (CW)

Influence of Learning Strategy of Cognitive Conflict on Student Misconception in Computational Physics Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akmam, A.; Anshari, R.; Amir, H.; Jalinus, N.; Amran, A.

2018-04-01

Misconception is one of the factors causing students are not suitable in to choose a method for problem solving. Computational Physics course is a major subject in the Department of Physics FMIPA UNP Padang. The problem in Computational Physics learning lately is that students have difficulties in constructing knowledge. The indication of this problem was the student learning outcomes do not achieve mastery learning. The root of the problem is the ability of students to think critically weak. Student critical thinking can be improved using cognitive by conflict learning strategies. The research aims to determine the effect of cognitive conflict learning strategy to student misconception on the subject of Computational Physics Course at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Universitas Negeri Padang. The experimental research design conducted after-before design cycles with a sample of 60 students by cluster random sampling. Data were analyzed using repeated Anova measurements. The cognitive conflict learning strategy has a significant effect on student misconception in the subject of Computational Physics Course.

Comparing the Plate-Tectonics-Related Misconceptions of High School Students and University Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kàdàr, Anett; Farsang, Andrea

2017-01-01

International research into the nature, emergence, and development of geographical misconceptions is substantial. However, Hungarian educational research lags behind in exploring this phenomenon in detail. The present study identified some plate-tectonics-related misconceptions of three distinctive groups of students: ninth-grade secondary school…

A Report of Undergraduates' Bonding Misconceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicoll, Gayle

2001-01-01

Describes misconceptions related to electronegativity, bonding, geometry, and microscopic representations that undergraduate students hold. Investigates the stability of misconceptions as a function of educational level, indicating that some students' misconceptions relating to bonding are resistant to change despite increased chemistry education.…

Students’ misconceptions on solubility equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiowati, H.; Utomo, S. B.; Ashadi

2018-05-01

This study investigated the students’ misconceptions of the solubility equilibrium. The participants of the study consisted of 164 students who were in the science class of second year high school. Instrument used is two-tier diagnostic test consisting of 15 items. Responses were marked and coded into four categories: understanding, misconception, understand little without misconception, and not understanding. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 45 students according to their written responses which reflected different perspectives, to obtain a more elaborated source of data. Data collected from multiple methods were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Based on the data analysis showed that the students misconceptions in all areas in solubility equilibrium. They had more misconceptions such as in the relation of solubility and solubility product, common-ion effect and pH in solubility, and precipitation concept.

The Efficacy of Screencasts to Address the Diverse Academic Needs of Students in a Large Lecture Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinder-Grover, Tershia; Green, Katie R.; Millunchick, Joanna Mirecki

2011-01-01

In large lecture courses, it can be challenging for instructors to address student misconceptions, supplement background knowledge, and identify ways to motivate the various interests of all students during the allotted class time. Instructors can harness instructional technology such as screencasts, recordings that capture audio narration along…

Essay Contest Reveals Misconceptions of High School Students in Genetics Content

PubMed Central

Mills Shaw, Kenna R.; Van Horne, Katie; Zhang, Hubert; Boughman, Joann

2008-01-01

National educational organizations have called upon scientists to become involved in K–12 education reform. From sporadic interaction with students to more sustained partnerships with teachers, the engagement of scientists takes many forms. In this case, scientists from the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG), the Genetics Society of America (GSA), and the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) have partnered to organize an essay contest for high school students as part of the activities surrounding National DNA Day. We describe a systematic analysis of 500 of 2443 total essays submitted in response to this contest over 2 years. Our analysis reveals the nature of student misconceptions in genetics, the possible sources of these misconceptions, and potential ways to galvanize genetics education. PMID:18245328

Identifying Students' Misconceptions about Nuclear Chemistry: A Study of Turkish High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakiboglu, Canan; Tekin, Berna Bulbul

2006-01-01

This study represents the first attempt to elucidate and detail the types of misconceptions high school students hold relating to basic concepts and topics of nuclear chemistry. A diagnostic multiple-choice test was administered to 157 tenth-grade students (15-16 years old) and the data were analyzed. The results show that high school students…

Myths and Misconceptions in Popular Psychology: Comparing Psychology Students and the General Public

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furnham, Adrian; Hughes, David J.

2014-01-01

This study examined the prevalence of psychological myths and misconceptions among psychology students and within the general population. In total, 829 participants completed a 249-item questionnaire designed to measure a broad range of psychological myths. Results revealed that psychological myths and misconceptions are numerous and widely held.…

Investigating Undergraduate Science Students' Conceptions and Misconceptions of Ocean Acidification.

PubMed

Danielson, Kathryn I; Tanner, Kimberly D

2015-01-01

Scientific research exploring ocean acidification has grown significantly in past decades. However, little science education research has investigated the extent to which undergraduate science students understand this topic. Of all undergraduate students, one might predict science students to be best able to understand ocean acidification. What conceptions and misconceptions of ocean acidification do these students hold? How does their awareness and knowledge compare across disciplines? Undergraduate biology, chemistry/biochemistry, and environmental studies students, and science faculty for comparison, were assessed on their awareness and understanding. Results revealed low awareness and understanding of ocean acidification among students compared with faculty. Compared with biology or chemistry/biochemistry students, more environmental studies students demonstrated awareness of ocean acidification and identified the key role of carbon dioxide. Novel misconceptions were also identified. These findings raise the question of whether undergraduate science students are prepared to navigate socioenvironmental issues such as ocean acidification. © 2015 K. I. Danielson and K. D. Tanner. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Some Student Misconceptions in Chemistry: A Literature Review of Chemical Bonding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozmen, Haluk

2004-01-01

Students' misconceptions before or after formal instruction have become a major concern among researchers in science education because they influence how students learn new scientific knowledge, play an essential role in subsequent learning and become a hindrance in acquiring the correct body of knowledge. In this paper some students'…

Thai High-School Students' Misconceptions about and Models of Light Refraction through a Planar Surface

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaewkhong, Kreetha; Mazzolini, Alex; Emarat, Narumon; Arayathanitkul, Kwan

2010-01-01

This article investigates the optics misconceptions of 220 year 11 Thai high-school students. These misconceptions became apparent when the students attempted to explain how an object submerged in a water tank is "seen" by an observer looking into the tank from above and at an angle. The two diagnostic questions used in the study probe…

Student Acquisition of Biological Evolution-Related Misconceptions: The Role of Public High School Introductory Biology Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yates, Tony Brett

2011-01-01

In order to eliminate student misconceptions concerning biological evolution, it is important to identify their sources. The purposes of this study were to: (a) identify biological evolution-related misconceptions held by Oklahoma public high school Biology I teachers; (b) identify biological evolution-related misconceptions held by Oklahoma…

The Equal Sign: Teachers' Knowledge and Students' Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vermeulen, Cornelis; Meyer, Bronwin

2017-01-01

This article reports on a study that investigated the extent to which 57 Grade 6 students at a particular school have misconceptions regarding equality, with the equal sign as focus. It also investigated this school's three Grade 5 and 6 teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching regarding equality, again focusing on the equal sign. The…

Misconceptions and Conceptual Changes Concerning Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics among Portuguese Students Aged 16-17.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marques, Luis; Thompson, David

1997-01-01

This study investigates student misconceptions in the areas of continent, ocean, permanence of ocean basins, continental drift, Earth's magnetic field, and plates and plate motions. A teaching-learning model was designed based on a constructivist approach. Results show that students held a substantial number of misconceptions. (Author/DKM)

An Astronomical Misconceptions Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LoPresto, Michael C.; Murrell, Steven R.

2011-01-01

Misconceptions that students bring with them to the introductory science classroom plague every area of science and are especially prevalent in astronomy. One way to identify and possibly dispel some of these misconceptions is through the use of a misconceptions survey. The following is a report on the development, implementation, and some early…

The Students’ misconceptions profile on chapter gas kinetic theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jauhariyah, M. N. R.; Suprapto, N.; Suliyanah; Admoko, S.; Setyarsih, W.; Harizah, Z.; Zulfa, I.

2018-03-01

Students have conception and misconceptions in the learning process. Misconceptions are caused by the teacher, students, and learning source. In the previous study, the researcher developed a misconception diagnosis instrument using three-tier on chapter gas kinetic theory. There are 14 items including 5 sub-chapters on gas kinetic theory. The profile of students’ misconceptions shows that students have misconceptions in each sub-chapter. The cause of misconceptions came from preconceptions, associative thinking, reasoning, intuition, and false negative. The highest cause of misconception in this chapter is student’s humanistic thinking.

A comparative cross-cultural study of the prevalence and nature of misconceptions in physics amongst English and Chinese undergraduate students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrahams, Ian; Homer, Matt; Sharpe, Rachael; Zhou, Mengyuan

2015-01-01

Background:Despite the large body of literature regarding student misconceptions, there has been relatively little cross-cultural research to directly compare the prevalence of common scientific misconceptions amongst students from different cultural backgrounds. Whilst previous research does suggest the international nature of many misconceptions, there is little evidence as to whether the prevalence of such common misconceptions varies from culture to culture. Purpose:To undertake a preliminary examination of the prevalence and reasons for some previously studied scientific misconceptions amongst English and Chinese undergraduate students so as to ascertain whether there is any evidence of cultural difference. Such a finding could help to identify teaching approaches in either country that are more effective in reducing the prevalence of common student misconceptions. Sample:The study involved a convenience sample of 40 undergraduate students - 20 English and 20 Chinese drawn equally from two universities in the North of England - whose formal science education ended at ages 16 and 15 respectively. Design and methods:The study employed semi-structured interview schedule containing eight questions. Results:Whilst similar misconceptions existed amongst both English and Chinese undergraduates, their prevalence was significantly higher amongst the English students (Overall mean score for scientifically correct answers amongst Chinese students was 27.7% higher, p < .01, r = .64). Often when English and Chinese undergraduates had similar misconceptions, they tended to explain these by drawing upon very similar erroneous analogies and these appear to be only nominally culturally independent in that they are based on globally shared everyday experiences. Conclusion:Differences in the prevalence of misconceptions amongst English and Chinese undergraduates appear to arise from differences in the way in which specific areas of physics are taught in both countries. It might

The Profile of Misconceptions among Science Subject Student-Teachers in Primary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subayani, Nataria Wahyuning

2016-01-01

Students' different background knowledge determines their quality of conceptions towards a specific subject in college. This research sought to uncover the profile of misconceptions experienced by 48 students of Primary School Teaching Major, studying Science in University of Muhammadiyah Gresik. The educational background of the students in high…

Enhancing Mathematics Teachers' Knowledge of Students' Thinking from Assessing and Analyzing Misconceptions in Homework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

An, Shuhua; Wu, Zhonghe

2012-01-01

This study focuses on teacher learning of student thinking through grading homework, assessing and analyzing misconceptions. The data were collected from 10 teachers at fifth-eighth grade levels in the USA. The results show that assessing and analyzing misconceptions from grading homework is an important approach to acquiring knowledge of…

Cognitive Processes and Students' Misconceptions in Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Deborah C.

Several categories of misconceptions which appear to be emerging across studies are discussed. They include: mis-perceptions; stunted conceptions; mis-translations; confused conceptions; lost conceptions; and true misconceptions. True misconceptions are metaphors and analogies which represent truly complete systems of explanation but are…

Student Misconceptions in Writing Balanced Equations for Dissolving Ionic Compounds in Water

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naah, Basil M.; Sanger, Michael J.

2012-01-01

The goal of this study was to identify student misconceptions and difficulties in writing symbolic-level balanced equations for dissolving ionic compounds in water. A sample of 105 college students were asked to provide balanced equations for dissolving four ionic compounds in water. Another 37 college students participated in semi-structured…

Tracking the Resolution of Student Misconceptions about the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology†

PubMed Central

Briggs, Amy G.; Morgan, Stephanie K.; Sanderson, Seth K.; Schulting, Molly C.; Wieseman, Laramie J.

2016-01-01

The goal of our study was to track changes in student understanding of the central dogma of molecular biology before and after taking a genetics course. Concept maps require the ability to synthesize new information into existing knowledge frameworks, and so the hypothesis guiding this study was that student performance on concept maps reveals specific central dogma misconceptions gained, lost, and retained by students. Students in a genetics course completed pre- and posttest concept mapping tasks using terms related to the central dogma. Student maps increased in complexity and validity, indicating learning gains in both content and complexity of understanding. Changes in each of the 351 possible connections in the mapping task were tracked for each student. Our students did not retain much about the central dogma from their introductory biology courses, but they did move to more advanced levels of understanding by the end of the genetics course. The information they retained from their introductory courses focused on structural components (e.g., protein is made of amino acids) and not on overall mechanistic components (e.g., DNA comes before RNA, the ribosome makes protein). Students made the greatest gains in connections related to transcription, and they resolved the most prior misconceptions about translation. These concept-mapping tasks revealed that students are able to correct prior misconceptions about the central dogma during an intermediate-level genetics course. From these results, educators can design new classroom interventions to target those aspects of this foundational principle with which students have the most trouble. PMID:28101260

Tracking the Resolution of Student Misconceptions about the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology.

PubMed

Briggs, Amy G; Morgan, Stephanie K; Sanderson, Seth K; Schulting, Molly C; Wieseman, Laramie J

2016-12-01

The goal of our study was to track changes in student understanding of the central dogma of molecular biology before and after taking a genetics course. Concept maps require the ability to synthesize new information into existing knowledge frameworks, and so the hypothesis guiding this study was that student performance on concept maps reveals specific central dogma misconceptions gained, lost, and retained by students. Students in a genetics course completed pre- and posttest concept mapping tasks using terms related to the central dogma. Student maps increased in complexity and validity, indicating learning gains in both content and complexity of understanding. Changes in each of the 351 possible connections in the mapping task were tracked for each student. Our students did not retain much about the central dogma from their introductory biology courses, but they did move to more advanced levels of understanding by the end of the genetics course. The information they retained from their introductory courses focused on structural components (e.g., protein is made of amino acids) and not on overall mechanistic components (e.g., DNA comes before RNA, the ribosome makes protein). Students made the greatest gains in connections related to transcription, and they resolved the most prior misconceptions about translation. These concept-mapping tasks revealed that students are able to correct prior misconceptions about the central dogma during an intermediate-level genetics course. From these results, educators can design new classroom interventions to target those aspects of this foundational principle with which students have the most trouble.

Identification misconception of primary school teacher education students in changes of matters using a five-tier diagnostic test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayuni, T. C.; Sopandi, W.; Sujana, A.

2018-05-01

This research was conducted on third grade students (III) semester six, with sample number 84 respondents. The method used in this research is descriptive method. This article identifies the misconceptions of Primary School Teacher Education students by using a five tier diagnostic test research instrument, a question adapted to three chemical representations accompanied by an open reason and a level of confidence in the choice of answers. The categorization of the five tier diagnostic test scoring is divided into four namely, understand the concept, lack of concept, misconception and not understand the concept. Questionnaire in the form of a closed questionnaire is used to determine the factors that cause misconception. The data obtained is misconception has the highest percentage on the concept of substance properties and changes in its form. The highest incidence of misconceptions is due to self-factors. The conclusion is that five tier diagnostic tests can be used to uncover misconceptions of elementary school teachers and assist teachers in presenting lesson material tailored to the chemical representation so that students can understand the concept of the nature of matter and change its form well.

High School Students' Understanding of Food Webs: Identification of a Learning Hierarchy and Related Misconceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffiths, Alan K.; Grant, Bette A. C.

1985-01-01

Developed and validated a learning hierarchy for the concept "food web" (the hierarchy consisting of nine skill areas). Also investigated the misconceptions of 200 students related to these nine areas. Suggestions for applying the hierarchy model to remediation and resolution of the misconceptions are provided. (DH)

Students' Misconceptions about the Ozone Layer and the Effect of Internet-Based Media on It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gungordu, Nahide; Yalcin-Celik, Ayse; Kilic, Ziya

2017-01-01

In this study, students' misconceptions about the ozone layer were investigated, looking specifically at the effect internet-based media has on the formation of these misconceptions. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used to perform the research. As part of the quantitative portion of the research, the descriptive survey…

An Investigation of Grade 12 Students' Misconceptions Relating to Fundamental Characteristics of Molecules and Atoms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffiths, Alan Keith; Preston, Kirk R.

An understanding of the concepts of atoms and molecules is fundamental to the learning of chemistry. Any misconceptions and alternative conceptions related to these concepts which students harbor will impede much further learning. This paper identifies misconceptions related to the fundamental characteristics of atoms and molecules which Grade 12…

Development and Application of an Instrument to Identify Students Misconceptions: Diffusion and Osmosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Misischia, Cynthia M.

2010-01-01

A large number of undergraduate students have naive understandings about the processes of Diffusion and Osmosis. Some students overcome these misconceptions, but others do not. The study involved nineteen undergraduate movement science students at a Midwest University. Participants' were asked to complete a short answer (fill-in the blank) test,…

The effect of remediation on reducing misconception: a metaanalysis of student thesis on physics education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oktavianty, E.; Haratua, T. M. S.; Anuru, M.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of various remediation practices in reducing the number of student misconceptions on physics concepts. This research synthesizes 68 thesis undergraduate students of physics education which are published in Tanjungpura University library 2009-2016 period. In this study, the guidance in the form of checklist in conducting the study arranged to facilitate the understanding and assessment of the scientific work. Based on the analysis result, the average of effect size of all the synthesized thesis is 1.13. There are six forms of remedial misconceptions performed by physics education students, such as re-learning, feedback, integration of remediation in learning, physical activity, utilization of other learning resources and interviews. In addition, sampling techniques and test reliability were have contributed to the effect size of the study. Therefore, it is expected that the results of this study can be considered in preparing the remediation of misconceptions on physics learning in the future.

Sources of Student Errors and Misconceptions in Algebra and Effectiveness of Classroom Practice Remediation in Machakos County--Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulungye, Mary M.; O'Connor, Miheso; Ndethiu, S.

2016-01-01

This paper is based on a study which sought to examine the various errors and misconceptions committed by students in algebra with the view to exposing the nature and origin of the errors and misconceptions in secondary schools in Machakos district. Teachers' knowledge on students' errors was investigated together with strategies for remedial…

Introducing the ‘Science Myths Revealed’ Misconception Video Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisenhamer, Bonnie; Villard, R.; Estacion, M.; Hassan, J.; Ryer, H.

2012-05-01

A misconception is a preconceived and inaccurate view of how the world works. There are many common science misconceptions held by students and the public alike about various topics in astronomy - including but not limited to galaxies, black holes, light and color, and the solar system. It is critical to identify and address misconceptions because they can stand in the way of new learning and impeded one’s ability to apply science principals meaningfully to everyday life. In response, the News and Education teams at the Space Telescope Science Institute worked in collaboration with a consultant to develop the “Science Myths Revealed” misconception video series. The purpose of this video series is to present common astronomy misconceptions in a brief and visually engaging manner while also presenting and reinforcing the truth of the universe and celestial phenomena within it. Viewers can the watch the videos to get more information about specific astronomy misconceptions as well as the facts to dispel them. Visual cues and demonstrations provide viewers with a more concrete representation of what are often abstract and misunderstood concepts - making the videos ideal as both engagement and instructional tools. Three videos in the series have been produced and are currently being field-tested within the education community.

Form Four Students' Misconceptions in Electrolysis of Molten Compounds and Aqueous Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bong, Anita Yung Li; Lee, Tien Tien

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to identify the Form Four students' misconceptions in the electrolysis of molten compounds and aqueous solutions. The respondents were 60 Form Four students from two secondary schools in Sibu, Sarawak. The two instruments used in this study were an open-ended electrochemistry assessment and interview protocol. This…

Investigation to reduce students’ misconception in energy material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wijayanti, M. D.; Raharjo, S. B.; Saputro, S.; Mulyani, S.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study is to analyse the misconception of Teacher Candidate of Elementary School (PGSD) on energy materials. This research is expected to be a common misconception in teaching and learning activities. One solution to overcome misconceptions is by investigation. This study uses qualitative research. The subject of this research needs 35 students. Data analysis is done by comparing the observation and test results. The results of this study is the result of students learning outcomes through cycle I and cycle II. The first cycle is due to overweight misconceptions of 18.57% and cycle II of 35.71%. Misconception can be caused by a procedural negligence. Students of PGSD Are examined to show if they understood in a simple movement problem which needs a neverse proportionality concept, to find out a way to prevent misunderstanding. The examination may consist of the question of energy materials by different representation for each student. The conceptual knowledge of the students show incorrectness because they feel confused of existing knowledge they got in their daily lives. It can cause scientific misunderstanding. The declining in student misconceptions is caused by investigation process. Search and data collection are helpful in improving their thinking skills.

Teaching Projectile Motion to Eliminate Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prescott, Anne; Mitchelmore, Michael

2005-01-01

Student misconceptions of projectile motion are well documented, but their effect on the teaching and learning of the mathematics of motion under gravity has not been investigated. An experimental unit was designed that was intended to confront and eliminate misconceptions in senior secondary school students. The approach was found to be…

Misconceptions of Astronomical Distances

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Brian W.; Brewer, William F.

2010-01-01

Previous empirical studies using multiple-choice procedures have suggested that there are misconceptions about the scale of astronomical distances. The present study provides a quantitative estimate of the nature of this misconception among US university students by asking them, in an open-ended response format, to make estimates of the distances…

Misconceptions about Traumatic Brain Injury among Students Preparing to Be Special Education Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hux, Karen; Bush, Erin; Evans, Kelli; Simanek, Gina

2013-01-01

The researchers performed a survey study to determine the effectiveness of collegiate programmes in dispelling common misconceptions about traumatic brain injury (TBI) while preparing undergraduate and graduate students for special education (SpEd) careers. Respondents included 136 undergraduate and 147 graduate SpEd students in their final…

Unweaving Misconceptions: Guided Learning, Simulations, and Misconceptions in Learning Principles of Natural Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weeks, Brian E.

2013-01-01

College students often come to the study of evolutionary biology with many misconceptions of how the processes of natural selection and speciation occur. How to relinquish these misconceptions with learners is a question that many educators face in introductory biology courses. Constructivism as a theoretical framework has become an accepted and…

Addressing Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dial, Katrina; Riddley, Diana; Williams, Kiesha; Sampson, Victor

2009-01-01

The law of conservation of mass can be counterintuitive for most students because they often think the mass of a substance is related to its physical state. As a result, students may hold a number of alternative conceptions related to this concept, including, for example, the believe that gas has no mass, that solids have greater mass than fluids,…

A Comparative Cross-Cultural Study of the Prevalence and Nature of Misconceptions in Physics amongst English and Chinese Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrahams, Ian; Homer, Matt; Sharpe, Rachael; Zhou, Mengyuan

2015-01-01

Background: Despite the large body of literature regarding student misconceptions, there has been relatively little cross-cultural research to directly compare the prevalence of common scientific misconceptions amongst students from different cultural backgrounds. Whilst previous research does suggest the international nature of many…

Exploring high-achieving sixth grade students' erroneous answers and misconceptions on the angle concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bütüner, Suphi Önder; Filiz, Mehmet

2017-05-01

The aim of this research was to investigate high achievers' erroneous answers and misconceptions on the angle concept. The participants consisted of 233 grade 6 students drawn from eight classes in two well-established elementary schools of Trabzon, Turkey. All the participants were considered to be current achievers in mathematics, graded 4 or 5 out of 5, and selected via a purposive sampling method. Data were collected through six questions reflecting the learning competencies set out in the grade 6 curriculum in Turkey and the findings of previous studies that aimed to identify students' misconceptions of the angle concept. This questionnaire was then applied over a 40-minute period in each class. The findings were analysed by two researchers whose inter-rater agreement was computed as 0.97, or almost perfect. Thereafter, coding discrepancies were resolved, and consensus was established. We found that although the participants in this study were high achievers, they still held several misconceptions on the angle concept such as recognizing a straight angle or a right angle in different orientations. We also show how some of these misconceptions could have arisen due to the definitions or representations used in the textbook, and offer suggestions concerning their content in the future.

A Review and Comparison of Diagnostic Instruments to Identify Students' Misconceptions in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gurel, Derya Kaltakci; Eryilmaz, Ali; McDermott, Lillian Christie

2015-01-01

Different diagnostic tools have been developed and used by researchers to identify students' conceptions. The present study aimed to provide an overview of the common diagnostic instruments in science to assess students' misconceptions. Also the study provides a brief comparison of these common diagnostic instruments with their strengths and…

The influence of implementation of interactive lecture demonstrations (ILD) conceptual change oriented toward the decreasing of the quantity students that misconception on the Newton's first law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawan, Yudi; Suhandi, Andi; Hasanah, Lilik

2016-02-01

This paper aims to know the influence of implementation of ILD conceptual change oriented (ILD-CC) toward the decreasing of the quantity of students that misconception on the Newton's First Law. The Newton's First Law misconceptions separated into five sub-misconceptions. This research is a quantitative research with one group pretest-posttest design. The samples of this research were 32 students on 9th grade of junior high school in Pandeglang, Banten, Indonesia. The diagnostic test is a multiple-choice form with three-tier test format. The result of this study found that there was decreasing of the quantity of students that misconception on the Newton's First Law. The largest percentage in the decreasing of the number of the students that misconception was on the Misconception 4 about 80, 77%. The Misconception 4 is "The cause of tendency of the body passenger that sat upright on the accelerated bus from motionless bus suddenly to backward be a backward force". For the future studies, it suggested to combine other methods to optimize the decreasing the number of students that misconception.

Prevalence and Persistence of Misconceptions in Tree Thinking.

PubMed

Kummer, Tyler A; Whipple, Clinton J; Jensen, Jamie L

2016-12-01

Darwin described evolution as "descent with modification." Descent, however, is not an explicit focus of most evolution instruction and often leaves deeply held misconceptions to dominate student understanding of common ancestry and species relatedness. Evolutionary trees are ways of visually depicting descent by illustrating the relationships between species and groups of species. The ability to properly interpret and use evolutionary trees has become known as "tree thinking." We used a 20-question assessment to measure misconceptions in tree thinking and compare the proportion of students who hold these misconceptions in an introductory biology course with students in two higher-level courses including a senior level biology course. We found that misconceptions related to reading the graphic ( reading the tips and node counting ) were variably influenced across time with reading the tips decreasing and node counting increasing in prevalence. On the other hand, misconceptions related to the fundamental underpinnings of evolutionary theory ( ladder thinking and similarity equals relatedness ) proved resistant to change during a typical undergraduate study of biology. A possible new misconception relating to the length of the branches in an evolutionary tree is described. Understanding the prevalence and persistence of misconceptions informs educators as to which misconceptions should be targeted in their courses.

Prevalence and Persistence of Misconceptions in Tree Thinking†

PubMed Central

Kummer, Tyler A.; Whipple, Clinton J.; Jensen, Jamie L.

2016-01-01

Darwin described evolution as “descent with modification.” Descent, however, is not an explicit focus of most evolution instruction and often leaves deeply held misconceptions to dominate student understanding of common ancestry and species relatedness. Evolutionary trees are ways of visually depicting descent by illustrating the relationships between species and groups of species. The ability to properly interpret and use evolutionary trees has become known as “tree thinking.” We used a 20-question assessment to measure misconceptions in tree thinking and compare the proportion of students who hold these misconceptions in an introductory biology course with students in two higher-level courses including a senior level biology course. We found that misconceptions related to reading the graphic (reading the tips and node counting) were variably influenced across time with reading the tips decreasing and node counting increasing in prevalence. On the other hand, misconceptions related to the fundamental underpinnings of evolutionary theory (ladder thinking and similarity equals relatedness) proved resistant to change during a typical undergraduate study of biology. A possible new misconception relating to the length of the branches in an evolutionary tree is described. Understanding the prevalence and persistence of misconceptions informs educators as to which misconceptions should be targeted in their courses. PMID:28101265

Some Misconceptions in Meiosis Shown by Students Responding to an Advanced Level Practical Examination Question in Biology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, C. R.

1990-01-01

Discussed are problems revealed in student responses to a practical task which formed part of an advanced level examination. The frequencies with which some misconceptions about cell reproduction and genetics occurred are presented. The nature of these misconceptions is analyzed and their implications discussed. (CW)

Unweaving misconceptions: Guided learning, simulations, and misconceptions in learning principles of natural selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weeks, Brian E.

College students often come to the study of evolutionary biology with many misconceptions of how the processes of natural selection and speciation occur. How to relinquish these misconceptions with learners is a question that many educators face in introductory biology courses. Constructivism as a theoretical framework has become an accepted and promoted model within the epistemology of science instruction. However, constructivism is not without its skeptics who see some problems of its application in lacking necessary guidance for novice learners. This study within a quantitative, quasi-experimental format tested whether guided online instruction in a video format of common misconceptions in evolutionary biology produced higher performance on a survey of knowledge of natural selection versus more constructivist style learning in the form of student exploration of computer simulations of the evolutionary process. Performances on surveys were also explored for a combination of constructivist and guided techniques to determine if a consolidation of approaches produced higher test scores. Out of the 94 participants 95% displayed at least one misconception of natural selection in the pre-test while the study treatments produced no statistically significant improvements in post-test scores except within the video (guided learning treatment). These overall results demonstrated the stubbornness of misconceptions involving natural selection for adult learners and the difficulty of helping them overcome them. It also bolsters the idea that some misconceptions of natural selection and evolution may be hardwired in a neurological sense and that new, more long-term teaching techniques may be warranted. Such long-term strategies may not be best implemented with constructivist techniques alone, and it is likely that some level of guidance may be necessary for novice adult learners. A more substantial, nuanced approach for undergraduates is needed that consolidates successful

Identifying Cell-Related Misconceptions among Fifth Graders and Removing Misconceptions Using a Microscope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hasiloglu, Mehmet Akif; Eminoglu, Selma

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to identify cell-related misconceptions among fifth graders attending middle schools in Turkey and examine the impact of microscopy on the elimination of these misconceptions. The study was conducted with the participation of 87 fifth grade students (schoolchildren are nearly 11 years old) attending a middle school in Agri…

Student Misconceptions About Astronomy and the Best Order of Teaching Astronomical Concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favia, Andrej; Comins, N. F.; Thorpe, G.

2013-01-01

My (Andrej Favia) Ph.D. thesis involves quantifying the "difficulty" of unlearning common astronomy misconceptions. I do this by applying factor analysis and Item Response Theory (IRT) to a retrospective inventory of when, or if, college students dispelled the misconceptions under consideration. Our inventory covers 235 misconceptions identified over the span of 10 years of teaching the college astronomy lecture course at the Universe of Maine by NFC. The analysis yields logical groupings of topics (e.g., teach one planet at a time rather than use comparative planetology) and the "order of difficulty" of the associated topics. We have results for about one fourth of the inventory, and our results show that there are concepts of different difficulties, which suggest that they should be presented in different orders. We also find that the order of teaching concepts is sometimes different for high school and college level courses.

Development and Use of Diagnostic Tests to Evaluate Students' Misconceptions in Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treagust, David F.

1988-01-01

Describes 10 steps for developing a diagnostic test of students' misconceptions and the use of two tests in chemistry (covalent bonding and structure) and in biology (photosynthesis and respiration in plants). Discusses the results and some implications for teaching science. (YP)

Misconceptions of High School Students Related to the Conceptions of Absolutism and Constitutionalism in History Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bal, Mehmet Suat

2011-01-01

The goal of this study is to analyze the 10th grade high school students' misconceptions related to the sense of ruling in the Ottoman State during the absolutist and constitutional periods and to investigate the causes of these misconceptions. The data were collected through eight open-ended questions related to the concepts of absolutism and…

Student certainty answering misconception question: study of Three-Tier Multiple-Choice Diagnostic Test in Acid-Base and Solubility Equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ardiansah; Masykuri, M.; Rahardjo, S. B.

2018-04-01

Students’ concept comprehension in three-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test related to student confidence level. The confidence level related to certainty and student’s self-efficacy. The purpose of this research was to find out students’ certainty in misconception test. This research was quantitative-qualitative research method counting students’ confidence level. The research participants were 484 students that were studying acid-base and equilibrium solubility subject. Data was collected using three-tier multiple-choice (3TMC) with thirty questions and students’ questionnaire. The findings showed that #6 item gives the highest misconception percentage and high student confidence about the counting of ultra-dilute solution’s pH. Other findings were that 1) the student tendency chosen the misconception answer is to increase over item number, 2) student certainty decreased in terms of answering the 3TMC, and 3) student self-efficacy and achievement were related each other in the research. The findings suggest some implications and limitations for further research.

Diagnosing Students' Misconceptions in Number Sense via a Web-Based Two-Tier Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Yung-Chi; Yang, Der-Ching; Li, Mao-Neng

2016-01-01

A web-based two-tier test (WTTT-NS) which combined the advantages of traditional written tests and interviews in assessing number sense was developed and applied to assess students' answers and reasons for the questions. In addition, students' major misconceptions can be detected. A total of 1,248 sixth graders in Taiwan were selected to…

A Two-Tier Multiple Choice Questions to Diagnose Thermodynamic Misconception of Thai and Laos Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamcharean, Chanwit; Wattanakasiwich, Pornrat

The objective of this study was to diagnose misconceptions of Thai and Lao students in thermodynamics by using a two-tier multiple-choice test. Two-tier multiple choice questions consist of the first tier, a content-based question and the second tier, a reasoning-based question. Data of student understanding was collected by using 10 two-tier multiple-choice questions. Thai participants were the first-year students (N = 57) taking a fundamental physics course at Chiang Mai University in 2012. Lao participants were high school students in Grade 11 (N = 57) and Grade 12 (N = 83) at Muengnern high school in Xayaboury province, Lao PDR. As results, most students answered content-tier questions correctly but chose incorrect answers for reason-tier questions. When further investigating their incorrect reasons, we found similar misconceptions as reported in previous studies such as incorrectly relating pressure with temperature when presenting with multiple variables.

Using Structured Examples and Prompting Reflective Questions to Correct Misconceptions about Thermodynamic Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olakanmi, E. O.; Doyoyo, M.

2014-01-01

This paper explores the effectiveness of using "structured examples in concert with prompting reflective questions" to address misconceptions held by mechanical engineering students about thermodynamic principles by employing pre-test and post-test design, a structured questionnaire, lecture room observation, and participants'…

Fundamental Research in Engineering Education. Identifying and Repairing Student Misconceptions in Thermal and Transport Science: Concept Inventories and Schema Training Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Ronald L.; Streveler, Ruth A.; Yang, Dazhi; Roman, Aidsa I. Santiago

2011-01-01

This paper summarizes progress on two related lines of chemical engineering education research: 1) identifying persistent student misconceptions in thermal and transport science (fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and thermodynamics); and, 2) developing a method to help students repair these misconceptions. Progress on developing the Thermal and…

Misconceptions in Rational Numbers, Probability, Algebra, and Geometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rakes, Christopher R.

2010-01-01

In this study, the author examined the relationship of probability misconceptions to algebra, geometry, and rational number misconceptions and investigated the potential of probability instruction as an intervention to address misconceptions in all 4 content areas. Through a review of literature, 5 fundamental concepts were identified that, if…

A guided enquiry approach to introduce basic concepts concerning magnetic hysteresis to minimize student misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Yajun; Zhai, Zhaohui; Gunnarsson, Klas; Svedlindh, Peter

2014-11-01

Basic concepts concerning magnetic hysteresis are of vital importance in understanding magnetic materials. However, these concepts are often misinterpreted by many students and even textbooks. We summarize the most common misconceptions and present a new approach to help clarify these misconceptions and enhance students’ understanding of the hysteresis loop. In this approach, students are required to perform an experiment and plot the measured magnetization values and thereby calculated demagnetizing field, internal field, and magnetic induction as functions of the applied field point by point on the same graph. The concepts of the various coercivity, remanence, saturation magnetization, and saturation induction will not be introduced until this stage. By plotting this graph, students are able to interlink all the preceding concepts and intuitively visualize the underlying physical relations between them.

Biology Undergraduates' Misconceptions about Genetic Drift

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, T. M.; Price, R. M.; Mead, L. S.; McElhinny, T. L.; Thanukos, A.; Perez, K. E.; Herreid, C. F.; Terry, D. R.; Lemons, P. P.

2012-01-01

This study explores biology undergraduates' misconceptions about genetic drift. We use qualitative and quantitative methods to describe students' definitions, identify common misconceptions, and examine differences before and after instruction on genetic drift. We identify and describe five overarching categories that include 16 distinct…

University and Secondary School Students' Misconceptions about the Concept of "Aromaticity" in Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Topal, Giray; Oral, Behcet; Ozden. Mustafa

2007-01-01

Aromaticity concept is given incorrect or incomplete to the student in secondary education and knowledge based on this basic concept has been caused to another misconception in future. How are the achievement levels relating to the comprehension of various characteristics of aromatic compounds for the first and third grade students attending…

Emergence, Learning Difficulties, and Misconceptions in Chemistry Undergraduate Students' Conceptualizations of Acid Strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tümay, Halil

2016-03-01

Philosophical debates about chemistry have clarified that the issue of emergence plays a critical role in the epistemology and ontology of chemistry. In this article, it is argued that the issue of emergence has also significant implications for understanding learning difficulties and finding ways of addressing them in chemistry. Particularly, it is argued that many misconceptions in chemistry may derive from students' failure to consider emergence in a systemic manner by taking into account all relevant factors in conjunction. Based on this argument, undergraduate students' conceptions of acids, and acid strength (an emergent chemical property) were investigated and it was examined whether or not they conceptualized acid strength as an emergent chemical property. The participants were 41 third- and fourth-year undergraduate students. A concept test and semi-structured interviews were used to probe students' conceptualizations and reasoning about acid strength. Findings of the study revealed that the majority of the undergraduate students did not conceptualize acid strength as an emergent property that arises from interactions among multiple factors. They generally focused on a single factor to predict and explain acid strength, and their faulty responses stemmed from their failure to recognize and consider all factors that affect acid strength. Based on these findings and insights from philosophy of chemistry, promoting system thinking and epistemologically sound argumentative discourses among students is suggested for meaningful chemical education.

The Development of a Web-Based Assessment System to Identify Students' Misconception Automatically on Linear Kinematics with a Four-Tier Instrument Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pujayanto, Pujayanto; Budiharti, Rini; Adhitama, Egy; Nuraini, Niken Rizky Amalia; Putri, Hanung Vernanda

2018-01-01

This research proposes the development of a web-based assessment system to identify students' misconception. The system, named WAS (web-based assessment system), can identify students' misconception profile on linear kinematics automatically after the student has finished the test. The test instrument was developed and validated. Items were…

Students’ misconception on equal sign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusuma, N. F.; Subanti, S.; Usodo, B.

2018-04-01

Equivalence is a very general relation in mathematics. The focus of this article is narrowed specifically to an equal sign in the context of equations. The equal sign is a symbol of mathematical equivalence. Studies have found that many students do not have a deep understanding of equivalence. Students often misinterpret the equal sign as an operational rather than a symbol of mathematical equivalence. This misinterpretation of the equal sign will be label as a misconception. It is important to discuss and must resolve immediately because it can lead to the problems in students’ understanding. The purpose of this research is to describe students’ misconception about the meaning of equal sign on equal matrices. Descriptive method was used in this study involving five students of Senior High School in Boyolali who were taking Equal Matrices course. The result of this study shows that all of the students had the misconception about the meaning of the equal sign. They interpret the equal sign as an operational symbol rather than a symbol of mathematical equivalence. Students merely solve the problem only single way, which is a computational method, so that students stuck in a monotonous way of thinking and unable to develop their creativity.

Using conceptual maps to assess students' climate change understanding and misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gautier, C.

2011-12-01

The complex and interdisciplinary nature of climate change science poses special challenges for educators in helping students understand the climate system, and how it is evolving under natural and anthropogenic forcing. Students and citizens alike have existing mental models that may limit their perception and processing of the multiple relationships between processes (e.g., feedback) that arise in global change science, and prevent adoption of complex scientific concepts. Their prior knowledge base serves as the scaffold for all future learning and grasping its range and limitations serves as an important basis upon which to anchor instruction. Different instructional strategies can be adopted to help students understand the inherently interdisciplinary topic of global climate change, its interwoven human and natural causes, and the connections it has with society through a complex range of political, social, technological and economic factors. One assessment method for students' understanding of global climate change with its many uncertainties, whether associated with the workings of the climate system or with respect to social, cultural and economic processes that mediate human responses to changes within the system, is through the use of conceptual maps. When well designed, they offer a representation of students' mental model prior and post instruction. We will present two conceptual mapping activities used in the classroom to assess students' knowledge and understanding about global climate change and uncover misconceptions. For the first one, concept maps will be used to demonstrate evidence of learning and conceptual change, while for the second we will show how conceptual maps can provide information about gaps in knowledge and misconceptions students have about the topic.

Misconceptions about Psychological Science: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Sean; Lyddy, Fiona; Lambe, Sinead

2013-01-01

This article provides an overview of the available evidence on psychological misconceptions, including key findings, current directions and emerging issues for investigation. We begin by defining misconceptions and then examine their prevalence and persistence, discuss their implications for student learning and highlight potential strategies to…

A Study on Primary and Secondary School Students' Misconceptions about Greenhouse Effect (Erzurum Sampling)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gul, Seyda; Yesilyurt, Selami

2011-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine what level of primary and secondary school students' misconceptions related to greenhouse effect is. Study group consists of totally 280 students attended to totally 8 primary and secondary schools (4 primary school, 4 secondary school) which were determined with convenient sampling method from center of…

Overcoming Students' Misconceptions Concerning Thermal Physics with the Aid of Hints and Peer Interaction during a Lecture Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leinonen, Risto; Asikainen, Mervi A.; Hirvonen, Pekka E.

2013-01-01

As has been shown by previous research, students may possess various misconceptions in the area of thermal physics. In order to help them overcome misconceptions observed prior to instruction, we implemented a one-hour lecture-based intervention in their introductory thermal physics course. The intervention was held after the conventional lectures…

Exploring Secondary Students' Knowledge and Misconceptions about Influenza: Development, validation, and implementation of a multiple-choice influenza knowledge scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romine, William L.; Barrow, Lloyd H.; Folk, William R.

2013-07-01

Understanding infectious diseases such as influenza is an important element of health literacy. We present a fully validated knowledge instrument called the Assessment of Knowledge of Influenza (AKI) and use it to evaluate knowledge of influenza, with a focus on misconceptions, in Midwestern United States high-school students. A two-phase validation process was used. In phase 1, an initial factor structure was calculated based on 205 students of grades 9-12 at a rural school. In phase 2, one- and two-dimensional factor structures were analyzed from the perspectives of classical test theory and the Rasch model using structural equation modeling and principal components analysis (PCA) on Rasch residuals, respectively. Rasch knowledge measures were calculated for 410 students from 6 school districts in the Midwest, and misconceptions were verified through the χ 2 test. Eight items measured knowledge of flu transmission, and seven measured knowledge of flu management. While alpha reliability measures for the subscales were acceptable, Rasch person reliability measures and PCA on residuals advocated for a single-factor scale. Four misconceptions were found, which have not been previously documented in high-school students. The AKI is the first validated influenza knowledge assessment, and can be used by schools and health agencies to provide a quantitative measure of impact of interventions aimed at increasing understanding of influenza. This study also adds significantly to the literature on misconceptions about influenza in high-school students, a necessary step toward strategic development of educational interventions for these students.

High school students' misconceptions in electricity and magnetism and some experiments that can help students to reduce them

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koudelkova, Vera; Dvorak, Leos

2016-05-01

The Czech Conceptual test from the area of Electricity and Magnetism was prepared at Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague. The first part of the paper presents three problematic topics which were identified using this test -- charge distribution on an insulators, Coulomb's law and electromagnetic induction. However, to identify misconceptions is not enough. Therefore, the main part of the paper presents some experiments which can help students to overcome their misconceptions and to better understand not only the topics mentioned above. Most of these experiments can be done with very simple tools and materials.

Identifying and Remediating Student Misconceptions in Introductory Biology via Writing-to-Learn Assignments and Peer Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halim, Audrey S.; Finkenstaedt-Quinn, Solaire A.; Olsen, Laura J.; Gere, Anne Ruggles; Shultz, Ginger V.

2018-01-01

Student misconceptions are an obstacle in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses and unless remediated may continue causing difficulties in learning as students advance in their studies. Writing-to-learn assignments (WTL) are characterized by their ability to promote in-depth conceptual learning by allowing students to explore…

An Analogy-Based Computer Tutor for Remediating Physics Misconceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Tom; And Others

1990-01-01

Describes an intelligent tutoring system designed to help students remedy misconceptions of physics concepts based on a teaching strategy called bridging analogies. Highlights include tutoring strategies; misconceptions in science education; the example situation network; confidence checking; formative evaluation with college students, including…

BIOMIND Portal for Developing 21st Century Skills and Overcoming Students' Misconception in Biology Subject

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vebrianto, Rian; Rery, Radjawaly Usman; Osman, Kamisah

2016-01-01

This research was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of BIOMIND portal in enhancing students' 21st century skills and overcoming their misconceptions in Biology subject. 118 Indonesian high school students were involved in this quasi-experimental study. The experimental group underwent learning experiences using BIOMIND portal whereas the…

Relieving of Misconceptions of Derivative Concept with Derive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Abdullah; Ozturk, Mesut; Ocal, Mehmet Fatih

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine students' learning levels in derivative subjects and their misconceptions. In addition, this study aims to compared to the effects of the computer based instruction and traditional instruction in resolving these misconceptions. For this purpose, 12th grade 70 students were chosen from high schools in Agri…

Relieving of Misconceptions of Derivative Concept with Derive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Abdullah; Ozturk, Mesut; Ocal, Mehmet Fatih

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine students' learning levels in derivative subjects and their misconceptions. In addition, this study aims to compared to the effects of the computer based instruction and traditional instruction in resolving these misconceptions. For this purpose, 70 12th grade students were chosen from high schools in Agri…

Identifying Students' Misconceptions in Writing Balanced Equations for Dissolving Ionic Compounds in Water and Using Multiple-Choice Questions at the Symbolic and Particulate Levels to Confront These Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naah, Basil M.

2012-01-01

Students who harbor misconceptions often find chemistry difficult to understand. To improve teaching about the dissolving process, first semester introductory chemistry students were asked to complete a free-response questionnaire on writing balanced equations for dissolving ionic compounds in water. To corroborate errors and misconceptions…

The Effective Use of an Interactive Software Program to Reduce Students' Misconceptions about Batteries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, E.-M.; Greenbowe, T. J.; Andre, T.

2004-01-01

The misconceptions of students regarding electricity and electrochemistry in the context of operation of a common flashlight are discussed. An Interactive Software Program (ISP) is used for better conceptual understanding of the operation of commercial batteries in a circuit.

Revealing physical education students’ misconception in sport biomechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kartiko, D. C.

2018-04-01

The aim of this research is reveal Physical Education students’ misconception in several concepts of Sport Biomechanics. The Data of misconception collected by standard question of Diagnostic Test that given to 30 students of Physical Education, Faculty of Sport, State University of Surabaya in academic year 2017/2018. Diagnostic Test completed with CRI (Certainty of Response Index) in order to collect data of students’ certain in answered test. The data result of diagnostic test analysed through compilation graph of CRI right, CRI wrong and right fraction in every single question. Furthermore, students’ answer result of diagnostic test categorized in to 4 quadrants, these: correct concepts, lucky guess, misconceptions, and lack of knowledge. Its categorizing data to know percentage of misconceptions that arise in every concept tested. These sport biomechanics concepts tested are limited on frictional force, deference of distance and displacement, deference of velocity and acceleration, and free fall motion. The result obtained arise misconception in frictional force 52,78%; deference of distance and displacement 36,67%; deference of velocity and acceleration 56,67%; and free fall motion 53,33%. Result of t-test in diagnostic test misconception percentage showed that percentage of misconception arises in every student above 50%.

Analizing Student Biology Education Misconception And Scientific Argumentation Ability Using Diagnostic Question Clusters (Dqcs) Of Molecular Genetic Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurlaila, L.; Sriyati, S.; Riandi

2017-02-01

The purpose of this research is to describe the profile of misconceptions and scientific argumentation ability using Diagnostic Question Cluster (DQCs) of molecular genetics concept. This research use descriptive research method and biology education students as a research subject. The Instrument that used in this research are DQCs, sheets interviews, observations, and field notes. The DQCs tested by writing and oral that used to analyze misconceptions and scientific argumentation ability. Sheets interviews, observations and field notes, are used to analyze the possible factors causing misconceptions and scientific argumentation ability. The results showed that misconception of molecular genetics are: DNA (23.75%), genes (18.75%) of chromosomes (15%) and protein synthesis (5.5%). The pattern of the highest misconceptions owned Misconception-Understand Partial. The average scientific argumentation ability is 55% and still categorized warrant (W). The pattern of the scientific argumentation abilities formed is level 2 to level 2 that consists of the arguments in the form of a claim with a counter claim that accompanied by data, collateral (warrant) or support (backing) but does not contain a disclaimer (rebutal).

Exploring Seventh-Grade Students' and Pre-Service Science Teachers' Misconceptions in Astronomical Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korur, Fikret

2015-01-01

Pre-service science teachers' conceptual understanding of astronomical concepts and their misconceptions in these concepts is crucial to study since they will teach these subjects in middle schools after becoming teachers. This study aimed to explore both seventh-grade students' and the science teachers' understanding of astronomical concepts and…

What Is a Psychological Misconception? Moving toward an Empirical Answer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bensley, D. Alan; Lilienfeld, Scott O.

2015-01-01

Studies of psychological misconceptions have often used tests with methodological shortcomings, unknown psychometric properties, and ad hoc methods for identifying misconceptions, creating problems for estimating frequencies of specific misconceptions. To address these problems, we developed a new test, the Test of Psychological Knowledge and…

Exploring Algebraic Misconceptions with Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sakow, Matthew; Karaman, Ruveyda

2015-01-01

Many students struggle with algebra, from simplifying expressions to solving systems of equations. Students also have misconceptions about the meaning of variables. In response to the question "Can x + y + z ever equal x + p + z?" during a student interview, the student claimed, "Never . . . because p has to have a different value…

Development and use of a three-tier diagnostic test to assess high school students' misconceptions about the photoelectric effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taslidere, Erdal

2016-05-01

Background: In the last few decades, researchers have turned their attention to students' understanding of scientific concepts at different school levels. The results indicate that the learners have different ideas, and most of them are inaccurate in terms of those generally accepted by the scientific community. Purpose: This study was undertaken to describe the development, validation and use of a three-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test (PEMT) to reveal Turkish high school students' common misconceptions in terms of the photoelectric effect. Sample: In this study, 243 students (male=86, female=137) from six high schools made up the sample which comprised approximately 76% of the 11th grade population. Design and Methods: Based on findings from the literature, open-ended questions and interviews, the PEMT was developed and administered to 243 students. The data was analysed descriptively. Results: The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of the scores was estimated as .83. Construct, content and face validities were established by senior experts and through the use of statistical techniques. The findings denoted that the test is a valid and reliable measure of students' qualitative understanding of the photoelectric concept. The results revealed that the majority of the students demonstrated a limited understanding of the photoelectric effect and have five prevalent misconceptions. These are: (1) an increase in intensity would provide the photon with enough energy to release electrons; (2) the photoelectric effect results from the ionization of atoms through the interaction with light; (3) a light beam whose photons have smaller energies than the work function would release electrons with the help of a voltage source; (4) the number of photoelectrons depends on the energy of the photon and (5) the photon has kinetic energy and it depends on the colour of light. The last two misconceptions were discovered in the current study. Conclusion: The findings

Earth Science Misconceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philips, William C.

1991-01-01

Presented is a list of over 50 commonly held misconceptions based on a literature review found in students and adults. The list covers earth science topics such as space, the lithosphere, the biosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the cryosphere. (KR)

Mathematical misconception in calculus 1: Identification and gender difference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nassir, Asyura Abd; Abdullah, Nur Hidayah Masni; Ahmad, Salimah; Tarmuji, Nor Habibah; Idris, Aminatul Solehah

2017-08-01

A few years of experience of teaching mathematics make us notice that the same types of mistakes are done repeatedly by students. This paper presents an insight into categories of mistakes, how male and female students differ in terms of mistakes that are commonly done and the ability of the students to identify the mistakes. Sample of mistakes were taken from Calculus 1 final exam answer scripts, then it was listed and analyzed. Data analysis revealed that students' misconceptions fall into four categories. The first category is misunderstanding the meaning of brackets, followed by misconception of basic mathematics rules, misconception in notation and misconception in properties of trigonometry. A mistake identification test which consists of ten false mathematical statements was designed based on the mistake done by the previous batch of students that covered topics algebra, trigonometry, index, limit, differentiation and integration. Then, the test was given to students who enrolled in Calculus I course. Respondents of this study were randomly selected among two hundreds engineering students. Data obtained were analyzed using basic descriptive analysis and Chi Square test to capture gender differences in the mistake done for each category. Findings indicate that thirty five percent of the students have the ability to identify the mistakes and make a proper correction for at most two statements. Thirty one percent of the students are able to identify the mistakes but unable to make proper correction. Twenty five percent of the students failed to identify the mistakes in six out of ten false statements. Female students' misconception is more likely in basic mathematics rules compared to male. The findings of this study could serve as baseline information to be stressed in improving teaching and learning mathematics.

Misconceptions in the Earth Sciences: A Cross-Age Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoon, Kenneth J.

Misconceptions interfere with the formation of new insights and provide a faulty foundation. This causes difficulty in the learning of new materials. Therefore, effective teachers strive to know which misconceptions students have, and then develop a plan by which these suspected misconceptions can be corrected or averted. This paper reports on an…

Using Test Data to Find Misconceptions in Secondary Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Travis T.; Arsenault, Mike

2017-01-01

Students, as well as teachers, often learn what makes sense to them, even when it is wrong. These misconceptions are a problem. The authors sought a quick, quantitative way of identifying student misconceptions in secondary science. Using the University of Toronto's National Biology Competition test data, this article presents a method of quickly…

From No to Yes: The Impact of an Intervention on The Persistence of Algebraic Misconceptions among Secondary School Algebra Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zielinski, Susan F.

2017-01-01

Many students enter high school with persistent algebraic misconceptions that limit their success in mathematics and, by extension, limit potential educational attainment and future earnings. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a warm conceptual change based intervention on remediating algebraic misconceptions held by…

Misconceptions Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

PubMed Central

Kalinowski, Steven T.; Andrews, Tessa C.

2014-01-01

A recent essay in CBE—Life Sciences Education criticized biology education researchers’ use of the term misconceptions and recommended that, in order to be up-to-date with education research, biology education researchers should use alternative terms for students’ incorrect ideas in science. We counter that criticism by reviewing the continued use and the meaning of misconceptions in education research today, and describe two key debates that account for the controversy surrounding the term. We then identify and describe two areas of research that have real implications for tomorrow's biology education research and biology instruction: 1) hypotheses about the structure of student knowledge (coherent vs. fragmented) that gives rise to misconceptions; and 2) the “warming trend” that considers the effects of students’ motivation, beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning (their epistemic beliefs), and learning strategies (their cognitive and metacognitive skills) on their ability to change their misconceptions in science. We conclude with a description of proposed future work in biology education research related to misconceptions. PMID:26086651

The Mistakes and the Misconceptions of the Eighth Grade Students on the Subject of Angles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biber, Çagri; Tuna, Abdulkadir; Korkmaz, Samet

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the learning levels, mistakes, and misconceptions of the 8th grade students on the subject of "angles in geometry" as well as the possible reasons for these situations. Research sample consisted of 30 students attending the 8th grade of a middle school located in the central district of a…

Determination of Secondary School Students' Cognitive Structure, and Misconception in Ecological Concepts through Word Association Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yücel, Elif Özata; Özkan, Mulis

2015-01-01

In this study, we determined cognitive structures and misconceptions about basic ecological concepts by using "word association" tests on secondary school students, age between 12-14 years. Eighty-nine students participated in this study. Before WAT was generated, basic ecological concepts that take place in the secondary science…

Comparing the Impacts of Tutorial and Edutainment Software Programs on Students' Achievements, Misconceptions, and Attitudes towards Biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kara, Yılmaz; Yeşilyurt, Selami

2008-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tutorial and edutainment design of instructional software programs related to the "cell division" topic on student achievements, misconceptions and attitudes. An experimental research design including the cell division achievement test (CAT), the cell division concept test (CCT) and biology attitude scale (BAS) was applied at the beginning and at the end of the research. After the treatment, general achievement in CAT increased in favor of experimental groups. Instructional software programs also had the positive effect to the awareness of students' understandings to the general functions of mitosis and meiosis. However, the current study revealed that there were still some misconceptions in the experimental groups even after the treatment. It was also noticed that only using edutainment software program significantly changed students' attitudes towards biology.

Students' Misconceptions about Random Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kachapova, Farida; Kachapov, Ilias

2012-01-01

This article describes some misconceptions about random variables and related counter-examples, and makes suggestions about teaching initial topics on random variables in general form instead of doing it separately for discrete and continuous cases. The focus is on post-calculus probability courses. (Contains 2 figures.)

Glucose as the Sole Metabolic Fuel: Overcoming a Misconception Using Conceptual Change to Teach the Energy-Yielding Metabolism to Brazilian High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luz, Mauricio R. M. P.; Oliveira, Gabriel A.; Da Poian, Andrea T.

2013-01-01

A misconception regarding the human metabolism has been shown to be widespread among high school students. The students consider glucose as the sole metabolic fuel, disregarding that lipids and amino acids can be oxidized for ATP production by human cells. This misconception seems to be a consequence of formal teaching in grade and high schools.…

Exothermic Bond Breaking: A Persistent Misconception

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galley, William C.

2004-01-01

The misconceptions regarding the nature of ATP hydrolysis and bond breaking are discussed. The students' knowledge in this area is quantitatively measured by a survey of over 600 biochemistry and physiology students.

A Study on Sixth Grade Students' Misconceptions and Errors in Spatial Measurement: Length, Area, and Volume

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan Sisman, Gulcin; Aksu, Meral

2016-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to portray students' misconceptions and errors while solving conceptually and procedurally oriented tasks involving length, area, and volume measurement. The data were collected from 445 sixth grade students attending public primary schools in Ankara, Türkiye via a test composed of 16 constructed-response…

Secondary School Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Some Common Student Errors and Misconceptions in Sets

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolitsoe Moru, Eunice; Qhobela, Makomosela

2013-01-01

The study investigated teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of common students' errors and misconceptions in sets. Five mathematics teachers from one Lesotho secondary school were the sample of the study. Questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection. The results show that teachers were able to identify the following students'…

High School 9th Grade Students' Understanding Level and Misconceptions about Temperature and Factors Affecting It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akbas, Yavuz

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore students' understanding levels and misconceptions about temperature and factors affecting it. The concept of the study was chosen from Geography National Curriculum. In this study, a questionnaire was developed after a pilot study with an aim to ascertain the students' understanding levels of temperature and…

Reconsidering Learning Difficulties and Misconceptions in Chemistry: Emergence in Chemistry and Its Implications for Chemical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tümay, Halil

2016-01-01

Identifying students' misconceptions and learning difficulties and finding effective ways of addressing them has been one of the major concerns in chemistry education. However, the chemistry education community has paid little attention to determining discipline-specific aspects of chemistry that can lead to learning difficulties and…

Discovering and Understanding Misconceptions in Fifth grade Academic Content Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hicks, Adam; Blue, Jennifer

2008-10-01

Misconceptions are known to be prevalent among students, especially younger students. However, misconceptions can become engrained in the scientific thought process and linger throughout a person's life. This study examines the results on test questions regarding the physical and space science from the fifth grade Ohio Academic Content Standards (Ohio Department of Education, 2003). Tests have been developed to evaluate the Southwest Ohio Science Institutes (http://www.units.muohio.edu/sosi), which teach content knowledge to teachers. These tests have been given to fifth grade teachers who participated in the institutes and to their students. The same questions were also given to university students. Eventually, the results from all three groups will be compared to find the persistence of misconceptions. This presentation will focus on the results from the university students.

Understanding Atmospheric Carbon Budgets: Teaching Students Conservation of Mass

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reichert, Collin; Cervato, Cinzia; Niederhauser, Dale; Larsen, Michael D.

2015-01-01

In this paper we describe student use of a series of connected online problem-solving activities to remediate atmospheric carbon budget misconceptions held by undergraduate university students. In particular, activities were designed to address a common misconception about conservation of mass when students assume a simplistic, direct relationship…

The Earthquake Information Test: Validating an Instrument for Determining Student Misconceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Katharyn E. K.; Shuell, Thomas J.

Some pre-instructional misconceptions held by children can persist through scientific instruction and resist changes. Identifying these misconceptions would be beneficial for science instruction. In this preliminary study, scores on a 60-item true-false test of knowledge and misconceptions about earthquakes were compared with previous interview…

Misconceptions on Classical Mechanics by Freshman University Students: A Case Study in a Physics Department in Greece

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stylos, George; Evangelakis, George A.; Kotsis, Konstantinos T.

2008-01-01

This paper presents results of an empirical research study on Newton's laws classical mechanics and its perceptions on freshman students at the Physics Department, University of Ioannina, Greece. Results and outcome measures reveal misconceptions on students' perceptions in consideration of the fundamental concepts in freshman Physics education.…

Growing Pebbles and Conceptual Prisms - Understanding the Source of Student Misconceptions about Rock Formation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kusnick, Judi

2002-01-01

Analyzes narrative essays--stories of rock formation--written by pre-service elementary school teachers. Reports startling misconceptions among preservice teachers on pebbles that grow, human involvement in rock formation, and sedimentary rocks forming as puddles as dry up, even though these students had completed a college level course on Earth…

Analysis of Errors and Misconceptions in the Learning of Calculus by Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muzangwa, Jonatan; Chifamba, Peter

2012-01-01

This paper is going to analyse errors and misconceptions in an undergraduate course in Calculus. The study will be based on a group of 10 BEd. Mathematics students at Great Zimbabwe University. Data is gathered through use of two exercises on Calculus 1&2.The analysis of the results from the tests showed that a majority of the errors were due…

Advanced Undergraduate and Early Graduate Physics Students' Misconception about Solar Wind Flow: Evidence of Students' Difficulties in Distinguishing Paradigms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Nicholas A.; Lopez, Ramon E.

2009-01-01

Anecdotal evidence has suggested that advanced undergraduate students confuse the spiral structure of the interplanetary magnetic field with the flow of the solar wind. Though it is a small study, this paper documents this misconception and begins to investigate the underlying issues behind it. We present evidence that the traditional presentation…

Misconceptions indeed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumayer, D.; Scott, T. F.

2016-11-01

In a recent article Fotou and Abrahams (2016 Phys. Educ. 51 044003) described a study which investigated how students approach novel situations and whether their reasoning can be understood as theory-like misconceptions or phenomenological primitives. Two exemplary questions polling students’ concepts of gravity were presented in their article. Although we find the authors’ motivation and approach interesting we also raise concerns about one of these problems.

Validity of student’s misconceptions diagnosis on chapter Kinetic Theory of Gases using three-tier diagnostic test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jauhariyah, M. N. R.; Zulfa, I.; Harizah, Z.; Setyarsih, W.

2018-04-01

In the learning process, students still have misconceptions although the concept has been taught by the teacher. One of the causes of misconceptions comes from the students themselves. The teacher often does not know that students have misconceptions because the assessment that has been given does not review the cause of misconception that occurs in students. Students have misconception especially in Abstract concept like in chapter Kinetic Theory of Gases. Because of that, this study made three tier diagnostic instrument test to diagnose student’s misconception in chapter Kinetic Theory of Gases. Moreover, it is also done an analysis in order to know the quality of instrument that has been made. According to the trials, the percentage of average internal validity is about 84.6% which means it is in proper to use and the reliability of instrument is 0.752, meaning reliable to use. This instrument used to diagnose the students’ misconceptions on chapter Kinetic Theory of Gases.

Using Learning Analytics to Identify Medical Student Misconceptions in an Online Virtual Patient Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poitras, Eric G.; Naismith, Laura M.; Doleck, Tenzin; Lajoie, Susanne P.

2016-01-01

This study aimed to identify misconceptions in medical student knowledge by mining user interactions in the MedU online learning environment. Data from 13000 attempts at a single virtual patient case were extracted from the MedU MySQL database. A subgroup discovery method was applied to identify patterns in learner-generated annotations and…

Science Teachers' Perceptions of and Approaches towards Students' Misconceptions on Photosynthesis: A Comparison Study between US and Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seo, Kyungwoon; Park, Soonhye; Choi, Aeran

2017-01-01

A critical component of teacher effectiveness is how teachers notice students' misconceptions and adjust the instructional approach accordingly. Taking a stance that the teachers' instructional quality is crucial to students' learning, a qualitative international comparison study was performed to examine science teachers' perceptions of and their…

The Origins of Force--Misconceptions and Classroom Controversy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinberg, Melvin S.

Misconceptions associated with the origins of force and the effectiveness of a bridging strategy for developing correct conceptual models in mechanics are identified for high school physics teachers in this paper. The situation investigated was whether a table exerts an upward force on a book. Student misconceptions related to this phenomenon as…

Misconceptions in Astronomy: Before and After a Constructivist Learning Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruzhitskaya, Lanika; Speck, A.

2009-01-01

We present results of a pilot study on college students’ misconceptions in astronomy. The study was conducted on the campus of a Midwestern university among 43 non-science major students enrolled in an introductory astronomy laboratory course. The laboratory course was based on a constructivist learning environment where students learned astronomy by doing astronomy. During the course, students worked with educational simulations created by Project CLEA team and RedShift College Education Astronomy Workbook by Bill Walker as well as were involved in think-pair-share discussions based on Lecture-Tutorials (Prather et al 2008). Several laboratories were prompted by an instructor's brief presentations. On the first and last days of the course students were surveyed on what their beliefs were about causes of the seasons, the moon's apparent size in the sky and its phases, planetary orbits, structure of the solar system, the sun, distant stars, and the nature of light. The majority of the surveys’ questions were based on Neil Comins’ 50 most commonly cited misconceptions. The outcome of the study showed that while students constructed correct understanding of a number of phenomena, they also created a set of new misconceptions. For example, if on the first day of the course, nine out of 43 students knew what caused the seasons on Earth; on the last day of the course, 20 students gained the similar understanding. However, by the end of the course more students believed that smaller planets must rotate faster based on the conservation of angular momentum and Kepler's laws. Our findings suggest that misconceptions pointed out by Neil Comins over a decade ago are still relevant today; and that learning based exclusively on simulations and collaborative group discussions does not necessarily produce the best results, but may set a ground for creating new misconceptions.

Myths and Misconceptions about LGBTQ Youth: School Counselors' Role in Advocacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abreu, Roberto L.; McEachern, Adriana G.; Kenny, Maureen C.

2017-01-01

Although schools are thought to be safe environments for all students, sexual minority and gender expansive (i.e., LGBTQ) students often feel unsafe and unwelcome as a result of misconceptions about their identity. This paper explores eight commonly held myths and misconceptions about LGBTQ youth. The role of professional school counselors (PSCs)…

Development of Two-Tier Diagnostic Test Pictorial-Based for Identifying High School Students Misconceptions on the Mole Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siswaningsih, W.; Firman, H.; Zackiyah; Khoirunnisa, A.

2017-02-01

The aim of this study was to develop the two-tier pictorial-based diagnostic test for identifying student misconceptions on mole concept. The method of this study is used development and validation. The development of the test Obtained through four phases, development of any items, validation, determination key, and application test. Test was developed in the form of pictorial consisting of two tier, the first tier Consist of four possible answers and the second tier Consist of four possible reasons. Based on the results of content validity of 20 items using the CVR (Content Validity Ratio), a number of 18 items declared valid. Based on the results of the reliability test using SPSS, Obtained 17 items with Cronbach’s Alpha value of 0703, the which means that items have accepted. A total of 10 items was conducted to 35 students of senior high school students who have studied the mole concept on one of the high schools in Cimahi. Based on the results of the application test, student misconceptions were identified in each label concept in mole concept with the percentage of misconceptions on the label concept of mole (60.15%), Avogadro’s number (34.28%), relative atomic mass (62, 84%), relative molecule mass (77.08%), molar mass (68.53%), molar volume of gas (57.11%), molarity (71.32%), chemical equation (82.77%), limiting reactants (91.40%), and molecular formula (77.13%).

Case Study Analysis and the Remediation of Misconceptions about Respiratory Physiology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cliff, William H.

2006-01-01

Most students enter the physiology classroom with one or more fundamental misconceptions about respiratory physiology. This study examined the prevalence of four respiratory misconceptions and determined the role of case analysis in the remediation of one of them. A case study was used to help students learn about oxygen transport in the blood and…

The Effects of Computer-Assisted Material on Students' Cognitive Levels, Misconceptions and Attitudes Towards Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cepni, Salih; Tas, Erol; Kose, Sacit

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a Computer-Assisted Instruction Material (CAIM) related to "photosynthesis" topic on student cognitive development, misconceptions and attitudes. The study conducted in 2002-2003 academic year and was carried out in two different classes taught by the same teacher, in which…

Student Misconceptions of an Electric Circuit: What Do They Mean?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredette, Norman H.; Clement, John J.

1981-01-01

Discusses a common misconception in the area of electric circuits at the level of introductory college physics. The data, collected from clinical interviews, shed light on the cognitive sources of misconception. Also discusses some implications for laboratory approaches used in science courses. (Author/SK)

Using the method of dominant incorrect answers with the FCI test to diagnose misconceptions held by first year college students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bani-Salameh, Hisham N.

2017-01-01

We started this work with the goal of detecting misconceptions held by our students about force and motion. A total of 341 students participated in this study by taking the force concept inventory (FCI) test both before and after receiving instructions about force or motion. The data from this study were analysed using different statistical techniques with results from frequencies and the dominant incorrect answer reported in this paper. All misconceptions reported in the original paper of the designers of the FCI test (Hestenes et al 1992 Phys. Teach. 30 141-58) were examined and the results are reported. Only pre test results are reported in this paper leaving post data for future work. We used the modified version of the FCI containing 30 questions and therefore used the revised list of misconceptions. Problems with impetus and active force are among the most dominant ones found with the full list reported in this paper.

The Design and Development of Identification of Students' Misconceptions in Individualized Learning Environment (iSMILE) System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhagat, Kaushal Kumar; Subheesh, N. P.; Bhattacharya, Bani; Chang, Chun-Yen

2017-01-01

With the rapid development of technology, incorporation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) for formative assessment purpose has been increasing over the past decade. This article describes the design and development of identification of students' misconceptions in an individualized learning environment (iSMILE) system that includes…

Concept cartoons for diagnosing student’s misconceptions in the topic of buffers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kusumaningrum, I. A.; Ashadi; Indriyanti, N. Y.

2018-05-01

Student’s misconceptions have been concerned over twenty years in the chemistry education research. It influences students to learn new knowledge and gain a correct concept. The buffer solution is found as a difficult topic due to student’s misconception. However, the research related this subject are still rare. Concept cartoon has been used as one of the effective tools to diagnose misconceptions. This study aims to identify the effectiveness of concept cartoon to diagnose them. The concept cartoon consists of three concept questions. 98 students of grade 11 as respondents of this research and followed by interview for selected students. The data obtain of the study are analyzed by using a scoring key. The detected misconceptions are about what buffers do, what buffers are, and how buffers are able to do what they do. Concept cartoon is potential as a basic tool for remedial teaching.

Identification student’s misconception of heat and temperature using three-tier diagnostic test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suliyanah; Putri, H. N. P. A.; Rohmawati, L.

2018-03-01

The objective of this research is to develop a Three-Tier Diagnostic Test (TTDT) to identify the student's misconception of heat and temperature. Stages of development include: analysis, planning, design, development, evaluation and revise. The results of this study show that (1) the quality of the three-tier type diagnostic test instrument developed has been expressed well with the following details: (a) Internal validity of 88.19% belonging to the valid category. (b) External validity of empirical construct validity test using Pearson Product Moment obtained 0.43 is classified and result of empirical construct validity test obtained false positives 6.1% and false negatives 5.9% then the instrument was valid. (c) Test reliability by using Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.98 which means acceptable. (d) The 80% difficulty level test is quite difficult. (2) Student misconceptions on the temperature of heat and displacement materials based on the II test the highest (84%), the lowest (21%), and the non-misconceptions (7%). (3) The highest cause of misconception among students is associative thinking (22%) and the lowest is caused by incomplete or incomplete reasoning (11%). Three-Tier Diagnostic Test (TTDT) could identify the student's misconception of heat and temperature.

Development of the Bonding Representations Inventory to Identify Student Misconceptions about Covalent and Ionic Bonding Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luxford, Cynthia J.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2014-01-01

Teachers use multiple representations to communicate the concepts of bonding, including Lewis structures, formulas, space-filling models, and 3D manipulatives. As students learn to interpret these multiple representations, they may develop misconceptions that can create problems in further learning of chemistry. Interviews were conducted with 28…

Science Misconceptions and Funds of Knowledge: Impact on STEM Choices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millham, R. A.

2015-12-01

Alternate conceptions (misconceptions) in science can hinder understandings and impact student growth and comfort level in the science classroom. Resarch has, and still does, demonstrate that science misconceptions are still prevelant in many conceptual frameworks. Although breaking down misconceptions to rebuild scientifically sound conceptual frameworks are practices used in many science classrooms, misconceptions still persist. After identifying specific misconceptions, we asked our participating teachers to conduct specific instructional interventions in an effort to mitigate misconceptions and bring about scientific understandings with excellent results overall. However, important factors also need condsideration: funds of knowledge and the abilty to determine the differnce between understandings and beliefs held by an individual. This abstract deals with what has been determined in the research conducted by the author, and the next steps to better understandings about how to mitigate alternate conceptions.

The Effect of Group Work on Misconceptions of 9th Grade Students about Newton's Laws

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ergin, Serap

2016-01-01

In this study, the effect of group work and traditional method on 9th grade students' misconceptions about Newton Laws was investigated. The study was conducted in three classes in an Anatolian Vocational High School in Ankara/Turkey in the second term of the 2014-2015 academic year. Two of these classes were chosen as the experimental group and…

Analysis of statistical misconception in terms of statistical reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maryati, I.; Priatna, N.

2018-05-01

Reasoning skill is needed for everyone to face globalization era, because every person have to be able to manage and use information from all over the world which can be obtained easily. Statistical reasoning skill is the ability to collect, group, process, interpret, and draw conclusion of information. Developing this skill can be done through various levels of education. However, the skill is low because many people assume that statistics is just the ability to count and using formulas and so do students. Students still have negative attitude toward course which is related to research. The purpose of this research is analyzing students’ misconception in descriptive statistic course toward the statistical reasoning skill. The observation was done by analyzing the misconception test result and statistical reasoning skill test; observing the students’ misconception effect toward statistical reasoning skill. The sample of this research was 32 students of math education department who had taken descriptive statistic course. The mean value of misconception test was 49,7 and standard deviation was 10,6 whereas the mean value of statistical reasoning skill test was 51,8 and standard deviation was 8,5. If the minimal value is 65 to state the standard achievement of a course competence, students’ mean value is lower than the standard competence. The result of students’ misconception study emphasized on which sub discussion that should be considered. Based on the assessment result, it was found that students’ misconception happen on this: 1) writing mathematical sentence and symbol well, 2) understanding basic definitions, 3) determining concept that will be used in solving problem. In statistical reasoning skill, the assessment was done to measure reasoning from: 1) data, 2) representation, 3) statistic format, 4) probability, 5) sample, and 6) association.

Formative Assessment Pre-Test to Identify College Students' Prior Knowledge, Misconceptions and Learning Difficulties in Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazarowitz, Reuven; Lieb, Carl

2006-01-01

A formative assessment pretest was administered to undergraduate students at the beginning of a science course in order to find out their prior knowledge, misconceptions and learning difficulties on the topic of the human respiratory system and energy issues. Those findings could provide their instructors with the valuable information required in…

The use of astronomy questions as an instrument to detect student's misconceptions regarding physics concepts at high school level by using CRI (Certainty of Response Index) as identification methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utami, D. N.; Wulandari, H. R. T.

2016-11-01

The aim of this research is to detect misconceptions in the concept of physics at high school level by using astronomy questions as a testing instrument. Misconception is defined as a thought or an idea that is different from what has been agreed by experts who are reliable in the field, and it is believed to interfere with the acquisition of new understanding and integration of new knowledge or skills. While lack of concept or knowledge can be corrected with the next instruction and learning, students who have misconceptions have to “unlearn” their misconception before learning a correct one. Therefore, the ability to differentiate between these two things becomes crucial. CRI is one of the methods that can identify efficiently, between misconceptions and lack of knowledge that occur in the students. This research used quantitative- descriptive method with ex-post-facto research approach. An instrument used for the test is astronomy questions that require an understanding of physics concepts to solve the problem. By using astronomy questions, it is expected to raise a better understanding such that a concept can be viewed from various fields of science. Based on test results, misconceptions are found on several topics of physics. This test also revealed that student's ability to analyse a problem is still quite low.

The Effect of Conceptual Change Approach to Eliminate 9th Grade High School Students' Misconceptions about Air Pressure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akbas, Yavuz; Gencturk, Ebru

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of teaching based on conceptual change overcome misconceptions of 9th grade high school students about the subject of air pressure. The sampling of the study was formed with two classes of 9th grade students from a general high school in the city-center of Trabzon. A quasi-experimental…

An Analysis of Misconceptions in Science Textbooks: Earth science in England and Wales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Chris John Henry

2010-03-01

Surveys of the earth science content of all secondary (high school) science textbooks and related publications used in England and Wales have revealed high levels of error/misconception. The 29 science textbooks or textbook series surveyed (51 texts in all) showed poor coverage of National Curriculum earth science and contained a mean level of one earth science error/misconception per page. Science syllabuses and examinations surveyed also showed errors/misconceptions. More than 500 instances of misconception were identified through the surveys. These were analysed for frequency, indicating that those areas of the earth science curriculum most prone to misconception are sedimentary processes/rocks, earthquakes/Earth's structure, and plate tectonics. For the 15 most frequent misconceptions, examples of quotes from the textbooks are given, together with the scientific consensus view, a discussion, and an example of a misconception of similar significance in another area of science. The misconceptions identified in the surveys are compared with those described in the literature. This indicates that the misconceptions found in college students and pre-service/practising science teachers are often also found in published materials, and therefore are likely to reinforce the misconceptions in teachers and their students. The analysis may also reflect the prevalence earth science misconceptions in the UK secondary (high school) science-teaching population. The analysis and discussion provide the opportunity for writers of secondary science materials to improve their work on earth science and to provide a platform for improved teaching and learning of earth science in the future.

Assessing the Effects of Tutorial and Edutainment Software Programs on Students' Achievements, Misconceptions and Attitudes towards Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kara, Yilmaz; Yesilyurt, Selami

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tutorial and edutainment software programs related to "genetic concepts" topic on student achievements, misconceptions and attitudes. An experimental research design including the genetic concepts achievement test (GAT), the genetic concept test (GCT) and biology attitude scale…

Flares, Fears, and Forecasts: Public Misconceptions About the Sunspot Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, K.

2012-06-01

Among the disaster scenarios perpetrated by 2012 apocalypse aficionados is the destruction of humankind due to solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These scenarios reflect common misconceptions regarding the solar cycle. This paper (based on an annual meeting poster) sheds light on those misconceptions and how the AAVSO Solar Section can address them.

The Investigation of 6th Grade Student Misconceptions Originated from Didactic about the "Digestive System" Subject

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozgur, Sami; Pelitoglu, Fatma Cildir

2008-01-01

In this study, the misconceptions emerged as a result of instruction were examined from the viewpoint of the Didactic Transposition Theory. To this end, two randomly selected sample groups (n = 33 and n = 31) from the students of two nearby schools in downtown Balikesir were included in the study. It was observed that different knowledge…

Trends Concerning Four Misconceptions in Students' Intuitively-Based Probabilistic Reasoning Sourced in the Heuristic of Representativeness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kustos, Paul Nicholas

2010-01-01

Student difficulty in the study of probability arises in intuitively-based misconceptions derived from heuristics. One such heuristic, the one of note for this research study, is that of representativeness, in which an individual informally assesses the probability of an event based on the degree to which the event is similar to the sample from…

Eliminate with Created Argument Environment after Evaluated and Categorized Misconceptions in an Ontological Sense

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinik Topalsan, Aysegul; Bayram, Hale

2017-01-01

This study aimed to ascertain misconceptions of students about basic physical concepts in the "Force and Motion" unit of secondary school seventh class curriculum, to eliminate the misconceptions with created argument environment and traditional approaches after evaluated, and categorize these misconceptions in an ontological sense.…

Prevalence of Harmful Health Misconceptions in Colorado High School Seniors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephens, Gale Elouise

This research study was undertaken to determine prevalence of health misconceptions of twelfth grade students in each of three sizes of public high schools in the state of Colorado. Also, whether prevalence of misconceptions was related to factors of: sex, grade-point average, level of father's education, level of mother's education, father's…

Pre-Service Teachers' Preconceptions, Misconceptions, and Concerns about Virtual Schooling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Compton, Lily; Davis, Niki; Correia, Ana-Paula

2010-01-01

Over the last decade, online distance education has become a common mode of study in most states in the USA, where it is known as virtual schooling (VS), but many people have misconceptions about it. Pre-service teachers' personal histories as students and their preconceptions, misconceptions, and concerns influence pre-service teacher training…

Teaching evolution (and all of biology) more effectively: Strategies for engagement, critical reasoning, and confronting misconceptions.

PubMed

Nelson, Craig E

2008-08-01

The strength of the evidence supporting evolution has increased markedly since the discovery of DNA but, paradoxically, public resistance to accepting evolution seems to have become stronger. A key dilemma is that science faculty have often continued to teach evolution ineffectively, even as the evidence that traditional ways of teaching are inferior has become stronger and stronger. Three pedagogical strategies that together can make a large difference in students' understanding and acceptance of evolution are extensive use of interactive engagement, a focus on critical thinking in science (especially on comparisons and explicit criteria) and using both of these in helping the students actively compare their initial conceptions (and publicly popular misconceptions) with more fully scientific conceptions. The conclusion that students' misconceptions must be dealt with systematically can be difficult for faculty who are teaching evolution since much of the students' resistance is framed in religious terms and one might be reluctant to address religious ideas in class. Applications to teaching evolution are illustrated with examples that address criteria and critical thinking, standard geology versus flood geology, evolutionary developmental biology versus organs of extreme perfection, and the importance of using humans as a central example. It is also helpful to bridge the false dichotomy, seen by many students, between atheistic evolution versus religious creationism. These applications are developed in detail and are intended to be sufficient to allow others to use these approaches in their teaching. Students and other faculty were quite supportive of these approaches as implemented in my classes.

Comparing the Impacts of Tutorial and Edutainment Software Programs on Students' Achievements, Misconceptions, and Attitudes towards Biology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kara, Yilmaz; Yesilyurt, Selami

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of tutorial and edutainment design of instructional software programs related to the "cell division" topic on student achievements, misconceptions and attitudes. An experimental research design including the cell division achievement test (CAT), the cell division concept test (CCT) and…

Using a Force Plate to Correct Student Misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wyrembeck, Edward P.

2005-09-01

Each year during the unit on collisions I ask my physics students this conceptual question: If you want to close a door but you have too much inertia at the moment to get up and do it yourself, should you throw a ball that rebounds well, like a basketball, or a ball that rebounds poorly, like a ball of modeling dough, at the door? I also impose the condition that the two balls must have the same momenta when they strike the door. I give my students some time to discuss the problem in small groups and then make a prediction. I find that most students predict incorrectly that the dough ball will be more effective at closing the door because it is solid throughout and denser than the hollow, air-filled basketball. The students do not focus on the better-rebounding basketball and the greater change in velocity that it experiences than the modeling dough ball when they strike a solid object like a door. To correct this misconception I use a Vernier2 force plate to measure the impulse of a size 3 basketball and a ball of modeling dough of equal mass (0.3213 ± 0.0002 kg) dropped from the same height of 0.200 ± 0.002 m, to ensure equal velocities, onto the force plate. While I realize that a collision between a ball and a force plate is not exactly the same as a collision between a ball and a door, a more complex system, I believe it offers some very useful insights into the problem. I also include in this paper an extension on validating the impulse-momentum theorem.

Misconceptions Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Mary J.; Kalinowski, Steven T.; Andrews, Tessa C.

2014-01-01

A recent essay in "CBE-Life Sciences Education" criticized biology education researchers' use of the term "misconceptions" and recommended that, in order to be up-to-date with education research, biology education researchers should use alternative terms for students' incorrect ideas in science. We counter that…

Misconceptions of Turkish Pre-Service Teachers about Force and Motion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bayraktar, Sule

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to diagnose the misconceptions held by pre-service physics teachers about force and motion. The secondary aim of the study was to detect whether misconceptions vary according to gender, educational level, and culture. The study was conducted with 79 student-teachers attending to one of the largest faculties of…

Overcoming Misconceptions in Quantum Mechanics with the Time Evolution Operator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quijas, P. C. Garcia; Aguilar, L. M. Arevalo

2007-01-01

Recently, there have been many efforts to use the research techniques developed in the field of physics education research to improve the teaching and learning of quantum mechanics. In particular, part of this research is focusing on misconceptions held by students. For instance, a set of misconceptions is associated with the concept of stationary…

Identifying and Reconstructing Common Cold Misconceptions among Developing K-12 Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Marcus Lee; Bungum, Timothy

2013-01-01

Background: Common cold misconceptions may contribute to ill-informed decisions and recommendations made by K-12 educators who often encounter infected students. Understanding the structure of educators' misconceptions can be used to improve health instruction in teacher professional preparation programs. Purpose: The purposes of this project were…

Investigating Undergraduate Science Students’ Conceptions and Misconceptions of Ocean Acidification

PubMed Central

Danielson, Kathryn I.; Tanner, Kimberly D.

2015-01-01

Scientific research exploring ocean acidification has grown significantly in past decades. However, little science education research has investigated the extent to which undergraduate science students understand this topic. Of all undergraduate students, one might predict science students to be best able to understand ocean acidification. What conceptions and misconceptions of ocean acidification do these students hold? How does their awareness and knowledge compare across disciplines? Undergraduate biology, chemistry/biochemistry, and environmental studies students, and science faculty for comparison, were assessed on their awareness and understanding. Results revealed low awareness and understanding of ocean acidification among students compared with faculty. Compared with biology or chemistry/biochemistry students, more environmental studies students demonstrated awareness of ocean acidification and identified the key role of carbon dioxide. Novel misconceptions were also identified. These findings raise the question of whether undergraduate science students are prepared to navigate socioenvironmental issues such as ocean acidification. PMID:26163563

An Investigation of Lebanese G7-12 Students' Misconceptions and Difficulties in Genetics and Their Genetics Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osman, Enja; BouJaoude, Saouma; Hamdan, Hiba

2017-01-01

Lebanese educators claim that middle and secondary school students exhibit poor understanding of genetics due to misconceptions and difficulties that hinder progression in conceptual understanding of major genetics concepts and phenomena across different grade levels. They attributed these problems to Lebanon's ill-structured genetics curriculum…

Differences in Brain Activation between Novices and Experts in Science during a Task Involving a Common Misconception in Electricity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masson, Steve; Potvin, Patrice; Riopel, Martin; Foisy, Lorie-Marlène Brault

2014-01-01

Science education studies have revealed that students often have misconceptions about how nature works, but what happens to misconceptions after a conceptual change remains poorly understood. Are misconceptions rejected and replaced by scientific conceptions, or are they still present in students' minds, coexisting with newly acquired…

Overcoming Misconceptions in Neurophysiology Learning: An Approach Using Color-Coded Animations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guy, Richard

2012-01-01

Anyone who has taught neurophysiology would be aware of recurring concepts that students find difficult to understand. However, a greater problem is the development of misconceptions that may be difficult to change. For example, one common misconception is that action potentials pass directly across chemical synapses. Difficulties may be…

Using the Method of Dominant Incorrect Answers with the FCI Test to Diagnose Misconceptions Held by First Year College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bani-Salameh, Hisham N.

2017-01-01

We started this work with the goal of detecting misconceptions held by our students about force and motion. A total of 341 students participated in this study by taking the force concept inventory (FCI) test both before and after receiving instructions about force or motion. The data from this study were analysed using different statistical…

Response to Dr. Smith's Comments and Criticisms Concerning "Identification of Student Misconceptions in Genetics Problem Solving via Computer Program."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browning, Mark; Lehman, James D.

1991-01-01

Authors respond to criticisms by Smith in the same issue and defend their use of the term "gene" and "misconception." Authors indicate that they did not believe that the use of computers significantly skewed their data concerning student errors. (PR)

Diagnostic Opportunities Using Rasch Measurement in the Context of a Misconceptions-Based Physical Science Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wind, Stefanie A.; Gale, Jessica D.

2015-01-01

Multiple-choice (MC) items that are constructed such that distractors target known misconceptions for a particular domain provide useful diagnostic information about student misconceptions (Herrmann-Abell & DeBoer, 2011, 2014; Sadler, 1998). Item response theory models can be used to examine misconceptions distractor-driven multiple-choice…

The effect of education type on common misconceptions of traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

De Iorio, Monica L; Nolan, Susan A; Teague, Susan

2017-11-01

In the current study, we investigated the effects of existing education materials-either a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) factsheet or personal stories of people with TBI-on undergraduate students' misconceptions and attributions about the causes of TBI-related behavior. Undergraduate students (N = 164) were recruited through the university participant pool. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either a factsheet about TBI, personal stories of people with TBI, or a control reading. Groups were compared on the number of TBI misconceptions endorsed, scores on an attribution measure, and their willingness to interact with people who have TBIs. Both the TBI factsheet group and the personal stories group endorsed fewer misconceptions, on average, than the control group (p = .02). Additionally, those who read either the personal stories or the factsheet had significantly lower attribution scores, on average, than the control group (p = .001; p = .03). That is, those who read either of the educational materials were more likely to endorse a TBI explanation over an adolescent explanation, compared to those who read a control reading. The groups did not significantly differ on their willingness for social interaction. Results suggest that, on average, factsheets and personal stories are effective for increasing knowledge about moderate-to-severe TBI as compared to a control group. Personal stories and factsheets may also be useful, on average, for addressing tendencies to discount TBIs as explanations for behavioral change, as compared to a control group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The Development of Discovery-Inquiry Learning Model to Reduce the Science Misconceptions of Junior High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tompo, Basman; Ahmad, Arifin; Muris, Muris

2016-01-01

The main objective of this research was to develop discovery inquiry (DI) learning model to reduce the misconceptions of Science student level of secondary school that is valid, practical, and effective. This research was an R&D (research and development). The trials of discovery inquiry (DI) learning model were carried out in two different…

Teachers' Misconceptions about the Effects of Addition of More Reactants or Products on Chemical Equilibrium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheung, Derek; Ma, Hong-jia; Yang, Jie

2009-01-01

The importance of research on misconceptions about chemical equilibrium is well recognized by educators, but in the past, researchers' interest has centered on student misconceptions and has neglected teacher misconceptions. Focusing on the effects of adding more reactants or products on chemical equilibrium, this article discusses the various…

Misconceptions and biases in German students' perception of multiple energy sources: implications for science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Roh Pin

2016-04-01

Misconceptions and biases in energy perception could influence people's support for developments integral to the success of restructuring a nation's energy system. Science education, in equipping young adults with the cognitive skills and knowledge necessary to navigate in the confusing energy environment, could play a key role in paving the way for informed decision-making. This study examined German students' knowledge of the contribution of diverse energy sources to their nation's energy mix as well as their affective energy responses so as to identify implications for science education. Specifically, the study investigated whether and to what extent students hold mistaken beliefs about the role of multiple energy sources in their nation's energy mix, and assessed how misconceptions could act as self-generated reference points to underpin support/resistance of proposed developments. An in-depth analysis of spontaneous affective associations with five key energy sources also enabled the identification of underlying concerns driving people's energy responses and facilitated an examination of how affective perception, in acting as a heuristic, could lead to biases in energy judgment and decision-making. Finally, subgroup analysis differentiated by education and gender supported insights into a 'two culture' effect on energy perception and the challenge it poses to science education.

Utility of Concept Cartoons in Diagnosing and Overcoming Misconceptions Related to Photosynthesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekici, Fatma; Ekici, Erhan; Aydin, Fatih

2007-01-01

In this study, the effectiveness of concept cartoons in diagnosing and overcoming students' misconceptions related to photosynthesis subject was examined. Firstly, the literature has been thoroughly examined and misconceptions about photosynthesis subject have been listed and then grouped. Concept cartoons related to these groups have been…

A Student with Diabetes Is in My Class.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenthal-Malek, Andrea; Greenspan, Jan

1999-01-01

Guidelines for managing the child with diabetes in educational settings address the nature of diabetes, attitudes of students with diabetes, common misconceptions, effects on students in the classroom, helpful strategies, and resources. (DB)

Is It the Earth That Turns or the Sun That Goes behind the Mountains? Students' Misconceptions about the Day/Night Cycle after Reading a Science Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vosniadou, Stella; Skopeliti, Irini

2017-01-01

The present research tested the hypothesis that the reading of science text can create new misconceptions in students with incongruent prior knowledge, and that these new misconceptions will be similar to the fragmented and synthetic conceptions obtained in prior developmental research. Ninety-nine third- and fifth-grade children read and recalled…

Student Misconceptions about Newtonian Mechanics: Origins and Solutions through Changes to Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adair, Aaron Michael

In order for Physics Education Research (PER) to achieve its goals of significant learning gains with efficient methods, it is necessary to figure out what are the sorts of preexisting issues that students have prior to instruction and then to create teaching methods that are best able to overcome those problems. This makes it necessary to figure out what is the nature of student physics misconceptions---prior beliefs that are both at variance to Newtonian mechanics and also prevent a student from properly cognizing Newtonian concepts. To understand the prior beliefs of students, it is necessary to uncover their origins, which may allow instructors to take into account the sources for ideas of physics that are contrary to Newtonian mechanics understanding. That form of instruction must also induce the sorts of metacognitive processes that allow students to transition from their previous conceptions to Newtonian ones, let alone towards those of modern physics. In this paper, the notions of basic dynamics that are common among first-year college students are studied and compared with previous literature. In particular, an analysis of historical documents from antiquity up to the early modern period shows that these conceptions were rather widespread and consistent over thousands of years and in numerous cultural contexts. This is one of the only analyses in PER that considers the original languages of some of these texts, along with appropriate historical scholarship. Based on the consistent appearance of these misconceptions, a test and interview module was devised to help elucidate the feelings students have that may relate to fictitious forces. The test looked at one-dimensional motion and forces. The first part of the interview asked each student about their answers to the test questions, while the second part asked how students felt when undergoing three cases of constant acceleration in a car. We determined that students confabulated relative motion with the

Closing the "Hole in the Sky": The Use of Refutation-Oriented Instruction to Correct Students' Climate Change Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chew-Hung; Pascua, Liberty; Ess, Frances

2018-01-01

This article discusses the implementation of a pedagogical tool aimed at the refutation of secondary school (grade ten-equivalent) students' persistent climate change misconceptions. Using a lesson study approach, the materials and intervention techniques used were developed collaboratively with geography teachers. The objective is two-pronged: to…

Misconceptions in Optics: Their Persistence at University Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gil Llinas, J.; Suero Lopez, M. I.; Perez Rodriguez, A. L.; Solano Macias, F.

2003-01-01

Presents a study on misconceptions in optics with the objective of checking their persistence over time in spite of the continued academic instruction of students. Involves (n=4000) students of all levels of the Spanish educational system as well as with those at a Spanish university with degrees in medicine, chemical sciences, technical…

Revising Psychology Misconceptions by Integrating a Refutation-Style Text Framework into Poster Presentations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lassonde, Karla A.; Kolquist, Molly; Vergin, Megan

2017-01-01

Refutation-style texts have been considered a viable strategy for changing psychological misconceptions. The current study aims to integrate refutation-style texts into a classroom-based method of learning. Psychology students were administered a true/false misconception survey and then viewed several refutation-style poster presentations…

Addressing the Misconceptions of Middle School Students About Becoming a Scientist or Engineer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newsom, H. E.; Sorge, C.; Hagerty, J. J.

2000-01-01

Assessment of our educational outreach program shows that students and their parents are excited about space science, but stereotypes about science and scientists drastically effect student attitudes about science and pursuing a technical career.

Three Misconceptions About Radiation — And What We Teachers Can Do to Confront Them

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumann, Susanne

2014-09-01

During the last few years teaching physics, I have noticed that my students are becoming more and more interested in the topic of radiation. Mobile phones, modern game consoles, and WiFi—all of these devices involving some kind of radiation are part of our students' everyday lives. Students are also frequently confronted in the media with debates relating to different types of radiation: What are the effects of nuclear contamination going to be after the Fukushima accident? Can radiation from mobile phones really cause cancer? Should the use of tanning booths be forbidden for teenagers? Although students seem to be very motivated to learn about the topic of radiation, I have encountered several misconceptions about this topic that my students bring into the physics classroom. Some of these misconceptions might be caused by biased media reports, while others can be attributed to a different usage of the word radiation in everyday language (when compared to the scientific usage of this term). In this paper, I would like to present the most common misconceptions about radiation that I have encountered in my physics courses and I would like to give some ideas how to confront these ideas in teaching. A detailed description of these misconceptions discovered through empirical research can be found in one of my research articles.1

Current misconceptions in diagnosis and management of iron deficiency

PubMed Central

Muñoz, Manuel; Gómez-Ramírez, Susana; Besser, Martin; Pavía, José; Gomollón, Fernando; Liumbruno, Giancarlo M.; Bhandari, Sunil; Cladellas, Mercé; Shander, Aryeh; Auerbach, Michael

2017-01-01

The prevention and treatment of iron deficiency is a major public health goal. Challenges in the treatment of iron deficiency include finding and addressing the underlying cause and the selection of an iron replacement product which meets the needs of the patient. However, there are a number of non-evidence-based misconceptions regarding the diagnosis and management of iron deficiency, with or without anaemia, as well as inconsistency of terminology and lack of clear guidance on clinical pathways. In particular, the pathogenesis of iron deficiency is still frequently not addressed and iron not replaced, with indiscriminate red cell transfusion used as a default therapy. In our experience, this imprudent practice continues to be endorsed by non-evidence-based misconceptions. The intent of the authors is to provide a consensus that effectively challenges these misconceptions, and to highlight evidence-based alternatives for appropriate management (referred to as key points). We believe that this approach to the management of iron deficiency may be beneficial for both patients and healthcare systems. We stress that this paper solely presents the Authors’ independent opinions. No pharmaceutical company funded or influenced the conception, development or writing of the manuscript. PMID:28880842

Current misconceptions in diagnosis and management of iron deficiency.

PubMed

Muñoz, Manuel; Gómez-Ramírez, Susana; Besser, Martin; Pavía, José; Gomollón, Fernando; Liumbruno, Giancarlo M; Bhandari, Sunil; Cladellas, Mercé; Shander, Aryeh; Auerbach, Michael

2017-09-01

The prevention and treatment of iron deficiency is a major public health goal. Challenges in the treatment of iron deficiency include finding and addressing the underlying cause and the selection of an iron replacement product which meets the needs of the patient. However, there are a number of non-evidence-based misconceptions regarding the diagnosis and management of iron deficiency, with or without anaemia, as well as inconsistency of terminology and lack of clear guidance on clinical pathways. In particular, the pathogenesis of iron deficiency is still frequently not addressed and iron not replaced, with indiscriminate red cell transfusion used as a default therapy. In our experience, this imprudent practice continues to be endorsed by non-evidence-based misconceptions. The intent of the authors is to provide a consensus that effectively challenges these misconceptions, and to highlight evidence-based alternatives for appropriate management (referred to as key points). We believe that this approach to the management of iron deficiency may be beneficial for both patients and healthcare systems. We stress that this paper solely presents the Authors' independent opinions. No pharmaceutical company funded or influenced the conception, development or writing of the manuscript.

Measurement Myths and Misconceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwin, Laura D.; Goodwin, William L.

1999-01-01

Presents frequently encountered measurement misconceptions and various measurement "rules." Origins of the misconceptions and rules are described, along with the reasons why they are problematic. Alternate approaches or considerations are given. Misconceptions discussed pertain to the estimation of internal consistency reliability and item…

Using Animations in Identifying General Chemistry Students' Misconceptions and Evaluating Their Knowledge Transfer Relating to Particle Position in Physical Changes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, K. Christopher; Villarreal, Savannah

2015-01-01

This article reports on the types of views and misconceptions uncovered after assessing 155 freshman general chemistry students on the concept of particle position during the reversible physical change of melting, using the Melting Cycle Instrument, which illustrates particulate-level representations of a melting-freezing cycle. Animations…

Applying Agnotology-Based Learning in a Mooc to Counter Climate Misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, J.

2014-12-01

A key challenge facing educators and climate communicators is the wide array of misconceptions about climate science, often fostered by misinformation. A number of myths interfere with a sound understanding of the science, with key myths moderating public support for mitigation policies. An effective way to reduce the influence of misinformation is through agnotology-based learning. Agnotology is the study of ignorance while agnotology-based learning teaches students through the direct addressing of myths and misconceptions. This approach of "refutational teaching" is being applied in a MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) currently being developed by Skeptical Science and The University of Queensland, in collaboration with universities in Canada, USA and the UK. The MOOC will examine the science of climate change denial. Why is the issue so controversial given there is an overwhelming consensus on human-caused global warming? How do climate myths distort the science? What can scientists and laypeople do in response to misinformation? The MOOC will be released on the EdX platform in early 2015. I will summarise the research underpinning agnotology-based learning and present the approach taken in the MOOC to be released in early 2015

Internet as a Source of Misconception: "Radiation and Radioactivity"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acar Sesen, Burcin; Ince, Elif

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine students' usage styles of the Internet for seeking information and to investigate whether information obtained from the Internet is a source of misconceptions. For this reason, a two-stage study was conducted. At the first stage, a questionnaire was developed to get information about students' Internet usage…

Using intervention-oriented evaluation to diagnose and correct students' persistent climate change misconceptions: A Singapore case study.

PubMed

Pascua, Liberty; Chang, Chew-Hung

2015-10-01

The evaluation of classroom-based educational interventions is fraught with tensions, the most critical of which is choosing between focusing the inquiry on measuring the effects of treatment or in proximately utilizing the data to improve practice. This paper attempted to achieve both goals through the use of intervention-oriented evaluation of a professional development program intended to diagnose and correct students' misconceptions of climate change. Data was gathered, monitored and analyzed in three stages of a time-series design: the baseline, treatment and follow-up stages. The evaluation itself was the 'intervention' such that the data was allowed to 'contaminate' the treatment. This was achieved through giving the teacher unimpeded access to the collected information and to introduce midcourse corrections as she saw fit to her instruction. Results showed a significant development in students' conceptual understanding only after the teacher's decision to use direct and explicit refutation of misconceptions. Due to the accessibility of feedback, it was possible to locate specifically at which point in the process that the intervention was most effective. The efficacy of the intervention was then measured through comparing the scores across the three research stages. The inclusion of a comparison group to the design is recommended for future studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Turkish Undergraduates' Misconceptions of Evaporation, Evaporation Rate, and Vapour Pressure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canpolat, Nurtac

2006-01-01

This study focused on students' misconceptions related to evaporation, evaporation rate, and vapour pressure. Open-ended diagnostic questions were used with 107 undergraduates in the Primary Science Teacher Training Department in a state university in Turkey. In addition, 14 students from that sample were interviewed to clarify their written…

A Reply to ''Reinterpretation of Students' Ideas When Reasoning about Particle Model Illustrations. A Response to ''Using Animations in Identifying General Chemistry Students' Misconceptions and Evaluating Their Knowledge Transfer Relating to Particle Position in Physical Changes'' by Smith and Villarreal (2015)''

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, K. Christopher; Villarreal, Savannah

2015-01-01

In this reply to Elon Langbeheim's response to an article recently published in this journal, authors Smith and Villarreal identify several types of general chemistry students' misconceptions concerning the concept of particle position during physical change. They focus their response on one of the misconceptions identified as such: Given a solid…

Palaeomagnetism or Palaeomagic? Misconceptions about Rock Magnetism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Phil

2016-01-01

The study and understanding of paleomagnetism has been pivotal in the development of the theory of plate tectonics. When it is taught in schools there are a number possible misconceptions that need to be addressed. This article attempts to provide an explanation of rock magnetism as well as strategies to avoid reinforcing some commonly identified…

Assessing 10- to 11-Year-Old Children's Performance and Misconceptions in Number Sense Using a Four-Tier Diagnostic Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Der-Ching; Lin, Yung-Chi

2015-01-01

Background: Number sense is a key topic in mathematics education, and the identification of children's misconceptions about number is, therefore, important. Information about students' serious misconceptions can be quite significant for teachers, allowing them to change their teaching plans to help children overcome these misconceptions. In…

Development and Application of a Four-Tier Test to Assess Pre-Service Physics Teachers' Misconceptions about Geometrical Optics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaltakci-Gurel, Derya; Eryilmaz, Ali; McDermott, Lillian Christie

2017-01-01

Background: Correct identification of misconceptions is an important first step in order to gain an understanding of student learning. More recently, four-tier multiple choice tests have been found to be effective in assessing misconceptions. Purpose: The purposes of this study are (1) to develop and validate a four-tier misconception test to…

Relations between Intuitive Biological Thinking and Biological Misconceptions in Biology Majors and Nonmajors

PubMed Central

Coley, John D.; Tanner, Kimberly

2015-01-01

Research and theory development in cognitive psychology and science education research remain largely isolated. Biology education researchers have documented persistent scientifically inaccurate ideas, often termed misconceptions, among biology students across biological domains. In parallel, cognitive and developmental psychologists have described intuitive conceptual systems—teleological, essentialist, and anthropocentric thinking—that humans use to reason about biology. We hypothesize that seemingly unrelated biological misconceptions may have common origins in these intuitive ways of knowing, termed cognitive construals. We presented 137 undergraduate biology majors and nonmajors with six biological misconceptions. They indicated their agreement with each statement, and explained their rationale for their response. Results indicate frequent agreement with misconceptions, and frequent use of construal-based reasoning among both biology majors and nonmajors in their written explanations. Moreover, results also show associations between specific construals and the misconceptions hypothesized to arise from those construals. Strikingly, such associations were stronger among biology majors than nonmajors. These results demonstrate important linkages between intuitive ways of thinking and misconceptions in discipline-based reasoning, and raise questions about the origins, persistence, and generality of relations between intuitive reasoning and biological misconceptions. PMID:25713093

Implementation of ECIRR model based on virtual simulation media to reduce students’ misconception on kinetic theory of gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prastiwi, A. C.; Kholiq, A.; Setyarsih, W.

2018-03-01

The purposed of this study are to analyse reduction of students’ misconceptions after getting ECIRR with virtual simulation. The design of research is the pre-experimental design with One Group Pretest-Posttest Design. Subjects of this research were 36 students of class XI MIA-5 SMAN 1 Driyorejo Gresik 2015/2016 school year. Students misconceptions was determined by Three-tier Diagnostic Test. The result shows that the average percentage of misconceptions reduced on topics of ideal gas law, equation of ideal gases and kinetic theory of gases respectively are 38%, 34% and 38%.

Using a Teaching Model To Correct Known Misconceptions in Electrochemistry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huddle, Penelope Ann; White, Margaret Dawn; Rogers, Fiona

2000-01-01

Describes a concrete teaching model designed to eliminate students' misconceptions about current flow in electrochemistry. The model uses a semi-permeable membrane rather than a salt bridge to complete the circuit and demonstrate the maintenance of cell neutrality. Concludes that use of the model led to improvement in students' understanding at…

The Retention of Geologic Misconceptions: Alternative Ideas That Persist After Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wandersee, J. H.; Clary, R. M.; Anderson, S. W.; Libarkin, J.

2003-12-01

We used a 30 item multiple-choice instrument called the geoscience concept test (GCT) to study learning in introductory college-level science courses. The GCT uses common misconceptions as wrong answers, and allows us to pre- and post-test individual courses to gauge the effectiveness of instruction. The GCT was given at the beginning of the semester to 2215 college students in 42 classes at 32 different institutions in 19 different states (21 public and 6 private four-year institutions, 4 community colleges, and one tribal college). The pilot was also given to 1907 students as a semester-end post-test in 30 different classes. We were able to match pre- and post-test results for 967 students through an analysis of volunteered personal and demographic data. Although statistical analysis shows that learning occurred in all classes, closer inspection of the data show that the student population retained a number of misconceptions. Students retained several incorrect ideas relating to geologic time despite instruction. For example, 71% of post-tested students believe that the study of fossils, rock layers, or carbon is the most accurate means for calculating the age of the Earth. Nearly 25% of students believed that dinosaurs only existed on Earth for 500,000 years, and 40% believe dinosaurs came into existence about halfway through the geologic time scale. Many alternative ideas about plate tectonics and the formation of rocks also existed after instruction. Nearly half of the post-tested students (47%) believed that tectonic plates do not extend all way to the surface of the Earth, and 65% did not believe that animals could form oceanic rocks. Identification of strongly held misconceptions in a post-tested student population provides instructors with information that could impact the way they present material to their introductory classes.

Technology Rich Biology Labs: Effects of Misconceptions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuech, Robert; Zogg, Gregory; Zeeman, Stephan; Johnson, Mark

This paper describes a study conducted on the lab sections of the general biology course for non-science majors at the University of New England, and reports findings of student misconceptions about photosynthesis and the mass/carbon uptake during plant growth. The current study placed high technology analytic tools in the hands of introductory…

Genetics and Cinema: Personal Misconceptions That Constitute Obstacles to Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muela, Francisco Javier; Abril, Ana María

2014-01-01

The primary objective of this paper is to find out whether the genetic concepts conveyed by cinema could encourage students' personal misconceptions in this area. To that end, two sources of conceptions were compared: the students' personal concepts (from a consolidated bibliography and from an experimental sample) and the concepts conveyed by…

Re-Conceptualizing Research Misconceptions: Top Ten Myths Demystified

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Maamari, Faisal S.

2016-01-01

It is generally acknowledged that novice researchers may not be adequately prepared to engage in/with research and that an increasingly widening divide exists between researchers and teachers, and therefore between research and practice. To explore this gap, this paper addresses ten of the most popular misconceptions novice researchers hold in…

Addressing Student Diversity and Equity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Januszyk, Rita; Miller, Emily C.; Lee, Okhee

2016-01-01

While student demographics continue to change nationwide, science achievement gaps persist, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NCES 2012). As traditional racial and ethnic minority students have become the numeric majority (NCES 2013), teaching science for all increasingly means addressing diverse student populations.…

Are You Teaching Your Students about Stem Cells?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Concannon, James; Brown, Patrick L.; Brandt, Trisha

2009-01-01

This activity targets students' misconceptions about embryonic and adult stem cells while also addressing an important grades 9-12 science content standard. The authors designed the activity to provide students an opportunity to explore differences between embryonic and adult stem cells prior to formal explanation. The overarching goal of this…

Using Analogies to Prevent Misconceptions about Chemical Equilibrium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahin Pekmez, Esin

2010-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to find the effectiveness of using analogies to prevent misconceptions about chemical equilibrium. Nineteen analogies, which were based on dynamic aspects of chemical equilibrium and application of Le Chatelier's principle, were developed. The participations of this study consisted of 11th grade students (n: 151)…

Common Misconceptions about Cholesterol

MedlinePlus

... Venous Thromboembolism Aortic Aneurysm More Common Misconceptions about Cholesterol Updated:Jan 29,2018 How much do you ... are some common misconceptions — and the truth. High cholesterol isn’t a concern for children. High cholesterol ...

Minds-on and Hands-on Activity: Improving Instruction in Science for All Students. Presidential Address, 1995.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andre, Thomas

1997-01-01

Reviews evidence on gender inequities in science education and gender differences in "ways of knowing" and argues that making science instruction more effective can promote greater equity. Describes a conceptual change approach to science instruction that explicitly activates students' preexisting conceptions and misconceptions and helps students…

Misconceptions about optics: An effect of misleading explanations?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favale, Fabrizio; Bondani, Maria

2014-07-01

During our activities of physics dissemination with High School students especially concerning optics, we are used to distribute a questionnaire about colors and image formation by mirrors and lenses. The answers to some questions clearly show misconceptions and naïve ideas about colors, ray tracing, image formation in reflection and refraction. These misconceptions are widespread and do not depend on the gender, the level, and the age of the students: they seem to depend on some wrong ideas and explanatory models that are not changed by the curricular studies at school. In fact, the same errors are present in groups of students before and after taking optics courses at High School. On the other hand we have also found some misleading explanations of the phenomena both in textbooks and websites. Most of the time, errors occur in the explanatory drawings accompanying the text, which are based on some hybrid description of the optical processes: sometimes the description of the path of the ray light is confused with the image reconstruction by the lenses. We think that to partially avoid some errors it is important to use a teaching path centered on the actual path of the rays and not on what eyes see (the vision). Here we present the results of data collected from more than 200 students and some considerations about figures and explanations found in textbooks.

Misconception of biology education student of teacher training and education of Sriwijaya University to the concept of photosynthesis and respiration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susanti, Rahmi

2018-05-01

This study aimed to gain an overview of misconceptions on the concept of photosynthesis and respiration. The study involved 58 students from Biology Education of Sriwijaya University. Collecting data used written test of 16 questions, which are 10 questions of multiple choice and 6 of choice with reason. The results showed that:photosynthesis occurs continuously (37.9%), energy used for photosynthesis are light and heat energy (34.5%), plants take CO2to respiration (47%), plants carry on respiration in the absence of light for photosynthesis (22.4%), respiration in plants occurs only in leaf cells (76.4%), and only animals that take O2 of photosynthesis to respiration (68.9%). The conclusion: 1) on the concept of photosynthesis is still prevailing misconceptions about the concept of the place and time of the occurrence of photosynthesis in plants, the role of the sun in photosynthesis, energy is required in the form of photosynthesis, and the role of photosynthesis for the plant. 2) on the concept of respiration is still prevailing misconceptions about the place of the respiration in plants, gas necessary for respiration of plants, and the plants perform respiration time, as well as the cycle of CO2 and O2 that occurs in nature.

Creationism as a Misconception: Socio-Cognitive Conflict in the Teaching of Evolution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Colin

2012-01-01

This position paper argues that students' understanding and acceptance of evolution may be supported, rather than hindered, by classroom discussion of creationism. Parallels are drawn between creationism and other scientific misconceptions, both of the scientific community in the past and of students in the present. Science teachers frequently…

Challenging Cognitive Construals: A Dynamic Alternative to Stable Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gouvea, Julia S.; Simon, Matt R.

2018-01-01

In biology education research, it has been common to model cognition in terms of relatively stable knowledge structures (e.g., mental models, alternative frameworks, deeply held misconceptions). For example, John D. Coley and Kimberley D. Tanner recently proposed that many student difficulties in biology stem from underlying cognitive frameworks…

Nonsense, Sense and Science: Misconceptions and Illustrated Trade Books.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Caroline V.

2003-01-01

Examines the author's discovery of elementary students' science misconceptions derived from the books she chose to share as read-alouds. Identifies three intertwining elements that might have led intelligent, curious young learners to create impossible science from these read-aloud sessions. Uses these three elements to organize personal…

An inventory on rotational kinematics of a particle: unravelling misconceptions and pitfalls in reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mashood, K. K.; Singh, Vijay A.

2012-09-01

Student difficulties regarding the angular velocity (\\vec{\\omega }) and angular acceleration (\\vec{\\alpha }) of a particle have remained relatively unexplored in contrast to their linear counterparts. We present an inventory comprising multiple choice questions aimed at probing misconceptions and eliciting ill-suited reasoning patterns. The development of the inventory was based on interactions with students, teachers and experts. We report misconceptions, some of which are parallel to those found earlier in linear kinematics. Fixations with inappropriate prototypes were uncovered. Many students and even teachers mistakenly assume that all rotational motion is necessarily circular. A persistent notion that the direction of \\vec{\\omega } and \\vec{\\alpha } should be ‘along’ the motion exists. Instances of indiscriminate usage of equations were identified.

Cardiac misconceptions in healthcare workers.

PubMed

Angus, Neil; Patience, Fiona; Maclean, Elizabeth; Corrigall, Helen; Bradbury, Ian; Thompson, David R; Atherton, Iain; Leslie, Stephen J

2012-12-01

Cardiac misconceptions are common and may have a detrimental effect on patients. Such misconceptions may be introduced or reinforced by vague and inconsistent advice from healthcare staff and can adversely affect health outcomes. To assess whether level of cardiac misconceptions significantly differs between groups of healthcare staff based on occupation. The 22-item York cardiac beliefs questionnaire (YCBQ) was administered to a convenience sample of healthcare staff (n = 263) in direct contact with cardiac patients. Data was also collected on the occupation of healthcare staff and years worked. Medical staff had the lowest mean score (17.5, CI 15.6-19.4), indicating fewest misconceptions, and unqualified healthcare workers had the highest mean score (32.1, CI 28.4-35.7). Analysis by ANOVA indicated differences between staff groups to be statistically significant (F = 17.66, p < 0.001). Length of time worked was found to be significantly associated with cardiac misconception score (Pearson's r = - 0.243, p < 0.001). Further analysis demonstrated that significant differences between mean group scores remained when years worked was defined as a covariate, F = 15.68, p < 0.001). There is significant variability in cardiac misconceptions in different groups of healthcare staff. Education to correct cardiac misconceptions should be particularly targeted at unqualified healthcare staff. The importance of maintaining appropriate ratios of qualified to unqualified healthcare staff in the care of cardiac patients is supported by this study.

Misconceptions of positivism and five unnecessary science theoretic mistakes they bring in their train.

PubMed

Persson, Johannes

2010-05-01

Positivism is sometimes rejected for the wrong reasons. Influential textbooks on nursing research and in other disciplines tend to reinforce the misconceptions underlying these rejections. This is problematic, since it provides students of these disciplines with a poor basis for reflecting on epistemological and methodological perspectives. It is particularly common for positivist views on reality and causation to be obscured. The first part of this discussion paper identifies and explains the misconceptions about positivism as they appear in two influential textbooks. The second part pinpoints five mistakes these misconceptions easily result in when the researcher adopts an epistemological and methodological standpoint. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using Pre-Assessment and In-Class Questions to Change Student Understanding of Molecular Movements †

PubMed Central

Shi, J.; Knight, Jennifer K.; Chun, Hyonho; Guild, Nancy A.; Martin, Jennifer M.

2017-01-01

Understanding how different types of molecules move through cell membranes is a fundamental part of cell biology. To identify and address student misconceptions surrounding molecular movement through cell membranes, we surveyed student understanding on this topic using pre-class questions, in-class clicker questions, and subsequent exam questions in a large introductory biology course. Common misconceptions identified in student responses to the pre-class assessment questions were used to generate distractors for clicker questions. Two-tier diagnostic clicker questions were used to probe incoming common student misconceptions (first tier) and their reasoning (second tier). Two subsequent lectures with assessment clicker questions were used to help students construct a new framework to understand molecular movement through cell membranes. Comparison of pre-assessment and post-assessment (exam) performance showed dramatic improvement in students’ understanding of molecular movement: student answers to exam questions were 74.6% correct with correct reasoning while only 1.3% of the student answers were correct with correct reasoning on the pre-class assessment. Our results show that students’ conceptual understanding of molecular movement through cell membranes progressively increases through discussions of a series of clicker questions and suggest that this clicker-based teaching strategy was highly effective in correcting common student misconceptions on this topic. PMID:28512521

Graphing Misconceptions and Possible Remedies Using Microcomputer-Based Labs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barclay, William L.

Graphing is a common and powerful symbol system for representing concrete data. Yet research has shown that students often have graphical misconceptions about how graphs are related to the concrete event. Currently, the Technical Education Research Center (TERC) is developing microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL) science units that use probes to…

Impact of an integrated science and reading intervention (INSCIREAD) on bilingual students' misconceptions, reading comprehension, and transferability of strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Patricia

without disabilities in the treatment and the control groups on post-intervention scores. The analysis of the data from the number of misconceptions of students without disabilities showed that the frequency of 4 of the 11 misconceptions changed significantly from pre to post elicitation stages. The analyses of the qualitative measures of the think alouds and interviews generally supported the above findings.

A Study on Identifying the Misconceptions of Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers about Basic Astronomy Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kanli, Uygar

2014-01-01

Nowadays, the importance given to astronomy teaching in science and physics education has been gradually increasing. At the same time, teachers play an important role in remediating the misconceptions about astronomy concepts held by students. The present study aims to determine the misconceptions of pre-service physics teachers (n = 117),…

Spore: Spawning Evolutionary Misconceptions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bean, Thomas E.; Sinatra, Gale M.; Schrader, P. G.

2010-10-01

The use of computer simulations as educational tools may afford the means to develop understanding of evolution as a natural, emergent, and decentralized process. However, special consideration of developmental constraints on learning may be necessary when using these technologies. Specifically, the essentialist (biological forms possess an immutable essence), teleological (assignment of purpose to living things and/or parts of living things that may not be purposeful), and intentionality (assumption that events are caused by an intelligent agent) biases may be reinforced through the use of computer simulations, rather than addressed with instruction. We examine the video game Spore for its depiction of evolutionary content and its potential to reinforce these cognitive biases. In particular, we discuss three pedagogical strategies to mitigate weaknesses of Spore and other computer simulations: directly targeting misconceptions through refutational approaches, targeting specific principles of scientific inquiry, and directly addressing issues related to models as cognitive tools.

Examining the impact of the Guided Constructivist teaching method on students' misconceptions about concepts of Newtonian physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Hyatt Abdelhaleem

The effect of Guided Constructivism (Interactivity-Based Learning Environment) and Traditional Expository instructional methods on students' misconceptions about concepts of Newtonian Physics was investigated. Four groups of 79 of University of Central Florida students enrolled in Physics 2048 participated in the study. A quasi-experimental design of nonrandomized, nonequivalent control and experimental groups was employed. The experimental group was exposed to the Guided Constructivist teaching method, while the control group was taught using the Traditional Expository teaching approach. The data collection instruments included the Force Concept Inventory Test (FCI), the Mechanics Baseline Test (MBT), and the Maryland Physics Expectation Survey (MPEX). The Guided Constructivist group had significantly higher means than the Traditional Expository group on the criterion variables of: (1) conceptions of Newtonian Physics, (2) achievement in Newtonian Physics, and (3) beliefs about the content of Physics knowledge, beliefs about the role of Mathematics in learning Physics, and overall beliefs about learning/teaching/appropriate roles of learners and teachers/nature of Physics. Further, significant relationships were found between (1) achievement, conceptual structures, beliefs about the content of Physics knowledge, and beliefs about the role of Mathematics in learning Physics; (2) changes in misconceptions about the physical phenomena, and changes in beliefs about the content of Physics knowledge. No statistically significant difference was found between the two teaching methods on achievement of males and females. These findings suggest that differences in conceptual learning due to the nature of the teaching method used exist. Furthermore, greater conceptual learning is fostered when teachers use interactivity-based teaching strategies to train students to link everyday experience in the real physical world to formal school concepts. The moderate effect size and

Addressing astronomy misconceptions and achieving national science standards utilizing aspects of multiple intelligences theory in the classroom and the planetarium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarrazine, Angela Renee

The purpose of this study was to incorporate multiple intelligences techniques in both a classroom and planetarium setting to create a significant increase in student learning about the moon and lunar phases. Utilizing a free-response questionnaire and a 25 item multiple choice pre-test/post-test design, this study identified middle school students' misconceptions and measured increases in student learning about the moon and lunar phases. The study spanned two semesters and contained six treatment groups which consisted of both single and multiple interventions. One group only attended the planetarium program. Two groups attended one of two classes a week prior to the planetarium program, and two groups attended one of two classes a week after the planetarium program. The most rigorous treatment group attended a class both a week before and after the planetarium program. Utilizing Rasch analysis techniques and parametric statistical tests, all six groups exhibited statistically significant gains in knowledge at the 0.05 level. There were no significant differences between students who attended only a planetarium program versus a single classroom program. Also, subjects who attended either a pre-planetarium class or a post- planetarium class did not show a statistically significant gain over the planetarium only situation. Equivalent effects on student learning were exhibited by the pre-planetarium class groups and post-planetarium class groups. Therefore, it was determined that the placement of the second intervention does not have a significant impact on student learning. However, a decrease in learning was observed with the addition of a third intervention. Further instruction and testing appeared to hinder student learning. This is perhaps an effect of subject fatigue.

Using Analogy to Overcome Misconceptions about Conservation of Matter.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stavy, Ruth

1991-01-01

This study (n=192) examined the use of analogical instruction to overcome misconceptions about conservation of matter. Students who understood the concept conservation of matter when iodine was evaporated were able to transfer their understanding to the evaporation of acetone. This indicates that teaching by analogy can be an effective tool in…

Investigating Undergraduate Students' Use of Intuitive Reasoning and Evolutionary Knowledge in Explanations of Antibiotic Resistance.

PubMed

Richard, Melissa; Coley, John D; Tanner, Kimberly D

2017-01-01

Natural selection is a central concept throughout biology; however, it is a process frequently misunderstood. Bacterial resistance to antibiotic medications provides a contextual example of the relevance of evolutionary theory and is also commonly misunderstood. While research has shed light on student misconceptions of natural selection, minimal study has focused on misconceptions of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, research has focused on the degree to which misconceptions may be based in the complexity of biological information or in pedagogical choices, rather than in deep-seated cognitive patterns. Cognitive psychology research has established that humans develop early intuitive assumptions to make sense of the world. In this study, we used a written assessment tool to investigate undergraduate students' misconceptions of antibiotic resistance, use of intuitive reasoning, and application of evolutionary knowledge to antibiotic resistance. We found a majority of students produced and agreed with misconceptions, and intuitive reasoning was present in nearly all students' written explanations. Acceptance of a misconception was significantly associated with production of a hypothesized form of intuitive thinking (all p ≤ 0.05). Intuitive reasoning may represent a subtle but innately appealing linguistic shorthand, and instructor awareness of intuitive reasoning's relation to student misunderstandings has potential for addressing persistent misconceptions. © 2017 M. Richard et al. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2017 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Creationism as a Misconception: Socio-cognitive conflict in the teaching of evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, Colin

2012-09-01

This position paper argues that students' understanding and acceptance of evolution may be supported, rather than hindered, by classroom discussion of creationism. Parallels are drawn between creationism and other scientific misconceptions, both of the scientific community in the past and of students in the present. Science teachers frequently handle their students' misconceptions as they arise by offering appropriate socio-cognitive conflict, which highlights reasons to disbelieve one idea and to believe another. It is argued that this way of working, rather than outlawing discussion, is more scientific and more honest. Scientific truth does not win the day by attempting to deny its opponents a voice but by engaging them with evidence. Teachers can be confident that evolution has nothing to fear from a free and frank discussion in which claims can be rebutted with evidence. Such an approach is accessible to children of all ages and is ultimately more likely to drive out pre-scientific superstitions. It also models the scientific process more authentically and develops students' ability to think critically.

Relations between intuitive biological thinking and biological misconceptions in biology majors and nonmajors.

PubMed

Coley, John D; Tanner, Kimberly

2015-03-02

Research and theory development in cognitive psychology and science education research remain largely isolated. Biology education researchers have documented persistent scientifically inaccurate ideas, often termed misconceptions, among biology students across biological domains. In parallel, cognitive and developmental psychologists have described intuitive conceptual systems--teleological, essentialist, and anthropocentric thinking--that humans use to reason about biology. We hypothesize that seemingly unrelated biological misconceptions may have common origins in these intuitive ways of knowing, termed cognitive construals. We presented 137 undergraduate biology majors and nonmajors with six biological misconceptions. They indicated their agreement with each statement, and explained their rationale for their response. Results indicate frequent agreement with misconceptions, and frequent use of construal-based reasoning among both biology majors and nonmajors in their written explanations. Moreover, results also show associations between specific construals and the misconceptions hypothesized to arise from those construals. Strikingly, such associations were stronger among biology majors than nonmajors. These results demonstrate important linkages between intuitive ways of thinking and misconceptions in discipline-based reasoning, and raise questions about the origins, persistence, and generality of relations between intuitive reasoning and biological misconceptions. © 2015 J. D. Coley and K. Tanner. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2015 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

ADHD knowledge, misconceptions, and treatment acceptability.

PubMed

Sciutto, Mark J

2015-02-01

Despite the availability of several effective treatments, many children with ADHD do not receive adequate services. A variety of factors may influence help-seeking behavior among families of children with ADHD. This study explores two factors that may influence help-seeking decisions: knowledge and misconceptions of ADHD and treatment acceptability. A total of 196 participants completed measures of ADHD knowledge and use of information sources prior to rating the acceptability of two interventions: stimulant medication and sugar elimination diets. Higher levels of ADHD misconceptions were associated with lower acceptance of medication and higher acceptance of dietary interventions. However, analysis of individual misconceptions suggests that specific misconceptions are differentially related to perceptions of individual treatments. It may be important for clinicians to assess and deliberately target specific misconceptions as part of treatment for ADHD. © 2013 SAGE Publications.

Addressing Student Debt in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, David; Johnston, Tim; Lytle, Rick

2016-01-01

Student debt is a national concern. The authors address debt in the classroom to enhance students' understanding of the consequences of debt and the need for caution when financing their education. However, student feedback indicates this understanding has a delayed effect on borrowing behavior and underscores the importance of making difficult…

Is it the Earth that turns or the Sun that goes behind the mountains? Students' misconceptions about the day/night cycle after reading a science text

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vosniadou, Stella; Skopeliti, Irini

2017-10-01

The present research tested the hypothesis that the reading of science text can create new misconceptions in students with incongruent prior knowledge, and that these new misconceptions will be similar to the fragmented and synthetic conceptions obtained in prior developmental research. Ninety-nine third- and fifth-grade children read and recalled one of two texts that provided scientific or phenomenal explanations of the day/night cycle. All the participants gave explanations of the phenomenon in question prior to reading one of the texts and after they read it. The results showed that the participants who provided explanations of the day/night cycle at pretest incongruent with the scientific explanation recalled less information and generated more invalid inferences. An analysis of the participants' posttest explanations indicated that these readers formed new misconceptions similar to the fragmented and synthetic conceptions obtained in developmental research. The implications of the above for text comprehension and science education research are discussed.

An Analogy-Based Computer Tutor for Remediating Physics Misconceptions. Draft.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Tom; And Others

This paper evaluates the strengths and limitations of a computer tutor designed to help students understand physics concepts. The tutor uses a teaching strategy called "bridging analogies" that previous research has demonstrated to be successful in one-to-one tutoring. The strategy is designed to remedy misconceptions by appealing to existing…

Evaluating Scientific Misconceptions and Scientific Literacy in a General Science Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Courtier, A. M.; Scott, T. J.

2009-12-01

The data used in this study were collected as part of the course assignments for General Education Science (GSci) 101: “Physics, Chemistry, and the Human Experience” at James Madison University. The course covers the basic principles of physics, chemistry, and astronomy. The primary goals of this study were to analyze student responses to general scientific questions, to identify scientific misconceptions, and to evaluate scientific literacy by comparing responses collected from different groups of students and from questions given during the course versus at the end of the course. While this project is focused on general scientific concepts, the misconceptions and patterns identified are particularly relevant for improving pedagogy in the geosciences as this field relies on multidisciplinary knowledge of fundamental physics, chemistry, and astronomy. We discuss differences in the results between the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and astronomy and their implications for general geology education and literacy, emphasizing the following questions: (a) What do students typically get wrong? (b) Did the overall scientific literacy of the students increase throughout the semester? Are the concepts discussed in answers provided at the end of class more accurate than those provided during class? (c) How do the before- and after- class responses change with respect to language and terminology? Did the students use more scientific terminology? Did the students use scientific terminology correctly?

The effect of student-centered and teacher-centered instruction with and without conceptual advocacy on biology students' misconceptions, achievement, attitudes toward science, and cognitive retention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallop, Roger Graham

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of student-centered and teacher-centered instructional strategies with and without conceptual advocacy (CA) on ninth-grade biology students' misconceptions (MIS), biology achievement (ACH), attitudes toward science (ATT), and cognitive retention of scientific method and measurement, spontaneous generation, and characteristics of living things. Students were purposively selected using intact classes and assigned to one of four treatment groups (i.e., student-centered instruction without CA, student-centered instruction with CA, teacher-centered instruction with CA, and teacher-centered instruction without CA). A modified quasi-experimental design was used in which students were not matched in the conventional sense but instead, groups were shown to be equivalent on the dependent measure via a pretest. A 5-day treatment implementation period addressed science conceptions under investigation. The treatment period was based on the number of class periods teachers at the target school actually spend teaching the biological concepts under investigation using traditional instruction. At the end of the treatment period, students were posttested using the Concepts in Biology instrument and Science Questionnaire. Eight weeks after the posttest, these instruments were administered again as a delayed posttest to determine cognitive retention of the correct biological conceptions and attitudes toward science. MANCOVA and follow-up univariate ANCOVA results indicated that student-centered instruction without CA (i.e., Group 1) did not have a significant effect on students' MIS, ACH, and ATT (F = .029, p = .8658; F = .002, p =.9688, F = .292, p = .5897, respectively). On the other hand, student-centered instruction with CA (i.e., Group 2) had a significant effect on students' MIS and ACH (F =10.33, p = .0016 and F = 10.17, p = .0017, respectively), but did not on ATT (F = .433, p = .5117). Teacher-centered instruction with

The Students' Take on the Epsilon-Delta Definition of a Limit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Eileen

2004-01-01

This paper describes a sequence of lessons from two Calculus I classes for teaching the epsilon-delta definition of a limit. In these lessons, the author elicited students' misconceptions and perceptions of this definition through a reading/writing lesson and then used these student ideas to design a lesson aimed at addressing these misconceptions…

Can an Interactive Learning Path on a Tablet PC Counter Misconceptions on the Formation of Clouds and Wind?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steegen, An; Hasendonckx, Femke; De Cock, Mieke

2018-01-01

It is well-known that misconceptions exist on a range of topics. The origin of these misconceptions can be very different, but some of them can be understood by students struggling with the application of physics concepts in real life situations or in the context of another school subject, e.g. geography. In this paper, different strategies to…

Flip-Flops in Students' Conceptions of State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, G. L.; Zilles, C.; Loui, M. C.

2012-01-01

The authors conducted a qualitative interview-based study to reveal students' misconceptions about state in sequential circuits. This paper documents 16 misconceptions of state, how students' conceptions of state shift and change, and students' methodological weaknesses. These misconceptions can be used to inform and direct instruction. This study…

Common Earth Science Misconceptions in Science Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Chris

2012-01-01

A survey of the Earth science content of science textbooks found a wide range of misconceptions. These are discussed in this article with reference to the published literature on Earth science misconceptions. Most misconceptions occurred in the "sedimentary rocks and processes" and "Earth's structure and plate tectonics"…

A Test of Contemporary Misconceptions in Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Rick M.; Brown, Dana L.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to construct and evaluate a contemporary misconception test based on popular myths in psychology. Misconceptions in psychology are commonplace, strongly held, and can be problematic for teaching accurate information. This study examined several predictors of misconceptions in eleven psychological topic areas. We also…

Addressing Student Difficulties with Buoyancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, D. J.; Cohen, Sam; Moyer, Adam

2009-11-01

This study is part of an ongoing effort to develop a diagnostic test assessing student understanding of fluids. In particular, this paper addresses a question involving density and buoyancy, which was used in the study of reference [1]. The "five blocks" question, which asks students to predict the final location of blocks released from rest when submerged and explain their reasoning, has been administered to hundreds of students in three different introductory courses at Grove City College for the past four years. We used the common student responses to craft a multiple-select version of the five blocks problem in 2008. This paper will present the effects that changing workshop activities have had on student performance on the five block question.

Beyond Knowledge and Awareness: Addressing Misconceptions in Ghana’s Preparation towards an Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease

PubMed Central

Adongo, Philip Baba; Tabong, Philip Teg-Nefaah; Asampong, Emmanuel; Ansong, Joana; Robalo, Magda; Adanu, Richard M.

2016-01-01

Background Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is not new to the world. However, the West African EVD epidemic which started in 2014 evolved into the largest, most severe and most complex outbreak in the history of the disease. The three most-affected countries faced enormous challenges in stopping the transmission and providing care for all patients. Although Ghana had not recorded any confirmed Ebola case, social factors have been reported to hinder efforts to control the outbreak in the three most affected countries. This qualitative study was designed to explore community knowledge and attitudes about Ebola and its transmission. Methods This study was carried out in five of the ten regions in Ghana. Twenty-five focus group discussions (N = 235) and 40 in-depth interviews were conducted across the five regions with community members, stakeholders and opinion leaders. The interviews were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. Framework analysis was adopted in the analysis of the data using Nvivo 10. Results The results showed a high level of awareness and knowledge about Ebola. The study further showed that knowledge on how to identify suspected cases of Ebola was also high among respondents. However, there was a firm belief that Ebola was a spiritual condition and could also be transmitted through air, mosquito bites and houseflies. These misconceptions resulted in perceptions of stigma and discrimination towards people who may get Ebola or work with Ebola patients. Conclusion We conclude that although knowledge and awareness about Ebola is high among Ghanaians who participated in the study, there are still misconceptions about the disease. The study recommends that health education on Ebola disease should move beyond creating awareness to targeting the identified misconceptions to improve future containment efforts. PMID:26889683

Relations between Intuitive Biological Thinking and Biological Misconceptions in Biology Majors and Nonmajors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coley, John D.; Tanner, Kimberly

2015-01-01

Research and theory development in cognitive psychology and science education research remain largely isolated. Biology education researchers have documented persistent scientifically inaccurate ideas, often termed "misconceptions," among biology students across biological domains. In parallel, cognitive and developmental psychologists…

Student’s mental model, misconceptions, troublesome knowledge, and threshold concept on thermochemistry with DToM-POE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiji, W.; Mulyani, S.

2018-05-01

The purpose of this study is to obtain a profile of students' mental models, misconceptions, troublesome knowledge, and threshold concept on thermochemistry. The subjects in this study were 35 students. The method used in this research was descriptive method with instruments Diagnostic Test of Mental Model - Prediction, Observation, and Explanation (DToM-POE). The results showed that the students' ability to predict, observe, and explain ΔH of neutralization reaction of NaOH with HCl was still lacking. Most students tended to memorize chemical concepts related to symbolic level and they did not understand the meaning of the symbols used. Furthermore, most students were unable to connect the results of observations at the macroscopic level with the symbolic level to determine ΔH of neutralization reaction of NaOH with HCl. Then, most students tended to give an explanation by a net ionic equation or a chemical reaction equation at the symbolic level when explaining ΔH of neutralization reaction at the submicroscopic level. In addition, there are seven misconceptions, three troublesome knowledges, and three threshold concepts held by students on thermochemistry.

Using Astronomical Photographs to Investigate Misconceptions about Galaxies and Spectra: Question Development for Clicker Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hyunju; Schneider, Stephen E.

2015-01-01

Many topics in introductory astronomy at the college or high-school level rely implicitly on using astronomical photographs and visual data in class. However, students bring many preconceptions to their understanding of these materials that ultimately lead to misconceptions, and the research about students' interpretation of astronomical images…

Using Astronomical Photographs to Investigate Misconceptions about Galaxies and Spectra: Question Development for Clicker Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hyunju; Schneider, Stephen E.

2015-01-01

Many topics in introductory astronomy at the college or high-school level rely implicitly on using astronomical photographs and visual data in class. However, students bring many preconceptions to their understanding of these materials that ultimately lead to misconceptions, and research about students' interpretation of astronomical images has…

The Initial Knowledge State of High School Astronomy Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadler, Philip Michael

1992-01-01

This study of 1,414 high school earth science and astronomy students characterizes the prevalence of their astronomical misconceptions. The multiple-choice instrument was prepared by scouring the literature on scientific misconceptions for evidence of preconceptions and from the author's interviews with students. Views that were incorrect, but espoused by a large fraction of students, were included as distractors. Results have been analyzed using classical test theory. A linear multiple regression model has helped to show the relative contributions of demographic and school factors to the number of misconceptions held by students. The instrument was found to be a reliable and valid test of students' misconceptions. The mean student score was 34 percent. Fifty-one student misconceptions were revealed by this test, nineteen of which were preferred by students to the correct answer. Several misconceptions appeared more frequently among the higher-performing students. Significant differences in student performance were found in several subgroups based upon schooling and demographic factors. Twenty -five percent out of a total of 30 percent of the variance in total test score could be accounted for by gender, race, and math level courses taken. Grade level and previous enrollment in an earth science course were not found to be predictive of total score. Mother's education proved to be of small import; level of father's education was not significant. This test is a useful addition to instruments that measure student misconceptions. It could find application in tests of effective intervention for conceptual learning. Significantly shortened versions of this instrument that account for 75 and 90 percent of the variance in the forty-seven-item instrument are recommended. Such tests of misconceptions may be somewhat disheartening to teachers and their students. A test made up of only misconception questions will probably have average total scores less than 40 percent. If

Genesis & the Human Ribcage: An Opportunity to Correct a Misconception & Introduce an Evolution Lesson into the Anatomy Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Senter, Phil

2013-01-01

Many anatomy students begin the course with a misconception that human males and females do not have the same number of ribs. At the root of that misconception is Genesis 2:21-22, in which God removes a rib from Adam to make Eve. Removal of a body part is a surgical procedure, and one does not pass on the results of surgery to one's offspring. The…

Using misconceptions research in the design of optics instructional materials and teacher professional development programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompea, Stephen M.; Dokter, Erin F.; Walker, Constance E.; Sparks, Robert T.

2007-06-01

To create the Hands-On Optics program and its associated instructional materials, we needed to understand a number of basic optics misconceptions held by children (and adults) and how to address them through a proper educational approach. The activities have been built with an understanding of the naïve concepts many people have about light, color, and optical phenomena in general. Our own experience is that the concepts that children and adults have of light are often not that different from each other. This paper explores the most common misconceptions about light and color, according to educational research, and describes how they can be addressed in optics education programs. This understanding of misconceptions was useful as well in the professional development component of the program where educators were trained on the Hands-On Optics modules. The professional development work for the optics industry volunteers who worked with the educators was also based on research on how an optics professional can work more effectively in multi-cultural settings-an area with great applicability to industry volunteers working in the very different culture of science centers or after-school programs.

Organic Chemistry Educators' Perspectives on Fundamental Concepts and Misconceptions: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duis, Jennifer M.

2011-01-01

An exploratory study was conducted with 23 organic chemistry educators to discover what general chemistry concepts they typically review, the concepts they believe are fundamental to introductory organic chemistry, the topics students find most difficult in the subject, and the misconceptions they observe in undergraduate organic chemistry…

Analysis misconception of integers in microteaching activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setyawati, R. D.; Indiati, I.

2018-05-01

This study view to analyse student misconceptions on integers in microteaching activities. This research used qualitative research design. An integers test contained questions from eight main areas of integers. The Integers material test includes (a) converting the image into fractions, (b) examples of positive numbers including rational numbers, (c) operations in fractions, (d) sorting fractions from the largest to the smallest, and vice versa; e) equate denominator, (f) concept of ratio mark, (g) definition of fraction, and (h) difference between fractions and parts. The results indicated an integers concepts: (1) the students have not been able to define concepts well based on the classification of facts in organized part; (2) The correlational concept: students have not been able to combine interrelated events in the form of general principles; and (3) theoretical concepts: students have not been able to use concepts that facilitate in learning the facts or events in an organized system.

Student Perceptions of Peer Credibility Based on Email Addresses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livermore, Jeffrey A.; Scafe, Marla G.; Wiechowski, Linda S.; Maier, David J.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate students' perceptions of their peer's credibility based on email addresses. The survey was conducted at a community college in Michigan where all students were registered and actively taking at least one course. The survey results show that a student's selection of an email address does influence other…

Faculty Perceptions of Student Credibility Based on Email Addresses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livermore, Jeffrey A.; Wiechowski, Linda S.; Scafe, Marla G.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate faculty perceptions of student credibility based on email addresses. The survey was conducted at an upper division business school in Michigan where all students have completed at least two years of college courses. The survey results show that a student's selection of an email address does influence the…

Antievolutionary Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenfeld, Robert P.

1977-01-01

This article is essentially a rebuttal to Norman Macbeth's arguments against Darwinism. The author argues that one must identify the real weaknesses of evolutionary theory and not use the misconceptions put forth by Macbeth to make valid judgments. (MA)

Miners' Misconceptions of Flow Distribution Within Circuits as a Factor Influencing Underground Mining Accidents.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passaro, Perry David

Misconceptions can be thought of as naive approaches to problem solving that are perceptually appealing but incorrect and inconsistent with scientific evidence (Piaget, 1929). One type of misconception involves flow distributions within circuits. This concept is important because miners' conceptual errors about flow distribution changes within complex circuits may be in part responsible for fatal mine disasters. Based on the theory that misconceptions of flow distribution changes within circuits were responsible for underground mine disasters involving mine ventilation circuits, a series of studies was undertaken with mining engineering students, professional mining engineers, as well as mine foremen, mine supervisors, mine rescue members, mine maintenance personnel, mining researchers and working miners to identify these conceptual errors and errors in mine ventilation procedures. Results indicate that misconceptions of flow distribution changes within circuits exist in over 70 percent of the subjects sampled. It is assumed that these misconceptions of flow distribution changes within circuits result in errors of judgment when miners are faced with inferring and changing ventilation arrangements when two or more mine sections are connected. Furthermore, it is assumed that these misconceptions are pervasive in the mining industry and may be responsible for at least two mine ventilation disasters. The findings of this study are consistent with Piaget's (1929) model of figurative and operative knowledge. This model states that misconceptions are in part due to a lack of knowledge of dynamic transformations and how to apply content information. Recommendations for future research include the development of an interactive expert system for training miners with ventilation arrangements. Such a system would meet the educational recommendations made by Piaget (1973b) by involving a hands-on approach that allows discovery, interaction, the opportunity to make mistakes and

Turkish Students' Force Meanings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menekse, Muhsin; Clark, Douglas B.; Ozdemir, Gokhan; D'angelo, Cynthia; Scheligh, Sharon

2009-01-01

What are Turkish pre, elementary, middle, and high school students' force ideas? And, how do Turkish students' non-normative force ideas differ or be similar to the well-known force misconceptions reported in the literature? Students have false and persistent beliefs about the physical world and they struggle with challenging misconceptions based…

Glucose as the Sole Metabolic Fuel: A Study on the Possible Influence of Teachers' Knowledge on the Establishment of a Misconception among Brazilian High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

da Luz, Mauricio Roberto Motta Pinto

2008-01-01

In the present work, I investigated the origin of the misconception that glucose is the sole metabolic fuel previously described among Brazilian high school students. The results of a multiple-choice test composed of 24 questions about a broad range of biology subjects were analyzed. The test was part of a contest and was answered by a sample…

Assessing secondary science students' knowledge of molecule movement, concentration gradients, and equilibrium through multiple contexts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raven, Sara

2015-09-01

Background: Studies have shown that students' knowledge of osmosis and diffusion and the concepts associated with these processes is often inaccurate. This is important to address, as these concepts not only provide the foundation for more advanced topics in biology and chemistry, but are also threaded throughout both state and national science standards. Purpose: In this study, designed to determine the completeness and accuracy of three specific students' knowledge of molecule movement, concentration gradients, and equilibrium, I sought to address the following question: Using multiple evaluative methods, how can students' knowledge of molecule movement, concentration gradients, and equilibrium be characterized? Sample: This study focuses on data gathered from three students - Emma, Henry, and Riley - all of whom were gifted/honors ninth-grade biology students at a suburban high school in the southeast United States. Design and Methods: Using various qualitative data analysis techniques, I analyzed multiple sources of data from the three students, including multiple-choice test results, written free-response answers, think-aloud interview responses, and student drawings. Results: Results of the analysis showed that students maintained misconceptions about molecule movement, concentration gradients, and equilibrium. The conceptual knowledge students demonstrated differed depending on the assessment method, with the most distinct differences appearing on the multiple-choice versus the free-response questions, and in verbal versus written formats. Conclusions: Multiple levels of assessment may be required to obtain an accurate picture of content knowledge, as free-response and illustrative tasks made it difficult for students to conceal any misconceptions. Using a variety of assessment methods within a section of the curriculum can arguably help to provide a deeper understanding of student knowledge and learning, as well as illuminate misconceptions that may have

The AP Chemistry Course Audit: A Fertile Ground for Identifying and Addressing Misconceptions about the Course and Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwenz, Richard W.; Miller, Sheldon

2014-01-01

The advanced placement course audit was implemented to standardize the college-level curricular and resource requirements for AP courses. While the process has had this effect, it has brought with it misconceptions about how much the College Board intends to control what happens within the classroom, what information is required to be included in…

HPV Misconceptions Among College Students: The Role of Health Literacy.

PubMed

Albright, Amy E; Allen, Rebecca S

2018-06-19

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is currently the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, with potentially serious health consequences, including cervical cancer. Young adults are particularly at risk of infection, but many remain unvaccinated. Low health literacy may contribute to poor knowledge of HPV and lack of vaccine uptake, and women living in the Southeastern United States are particularly at risk for lower vaccination rates and cervical cancer screening adherence. Three-hundred-sixty undergraduates at a Southeastern U.S. University completed measures of health literacy, sexual attitudes, and HPV knowledge in 2016. Less than half of both male and female participants had completed an HPV vaccine series, and there were no differences in health literacy scores between participants who had completed a vaccine series and those who had not. Forty subjects were familiar with HPV vaccines but not the virus itself. More than half of these individuals had received at least one dose of an HPV vaccine, highlighting a lack of knowledge regarding the purpose of this vaccine. While health literacy was not related to vaccination status, it was associated with greater knowledge of both HPV and available vaccines. Participants who were familiar with HPV had higher health literacy than participants who were not. College students hold serious misconceptions about HPV that may be redressed through public health education programs to increase health literacy and knowledge. Such public health interventions would potentially increase HPV vaccine uptake, leading to decreased cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates.

How Do Students Misunderstand Number Representations?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Geoffrey L.; Zilles, Craig; Loui, Michael C.

2011-01-01

We used both student interviews and diagnostic testing to reveal students' misconceptions about number representations in computing systems. This article reveals that students who have passed an undergraduate level computer organization course still possess surprising misconceptions about positional notations, two's complement representation, and…

Tackling misconceptions in geometrical optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceuppens, S.; Deprez, J.; Dehaene, W.; De Cock, M.

2018-07-01

To improve the teaching and learning materials for a curriculum it is important to incorporate the findings from educational research. In light of this, we present creative exercises and experiments to elicit, confront and resolve misconceptions in geometrical optics. Since ray diagrams can be both the cause and the solution for many misconceptions we focus strongly on improving understanding of this tool to solve and understand optical phenomena. Through a combination of a conceptual understanding programme (CUP) and provocative exercises with ray diagrams we aim to elicit conceptual or cognitive conflict and exploit this to tackle misconceptions and increase students’ conceptual understanding through inquiry. We describe exercises for image formation by a plane mirror, image formation by a convex lens and indirect and direct observation of a real image formed by a convex lens as examples of our approach.

Medical Student Perception of Plastic Surgery and the Impact of Mainstream Media

PubMed Central

Fraser, S. J.; Al Youha, S.; Rasmussen, P. J.

2017-01-01

Background: Plastic surgery as a discipline is poorly understood by many, including primary care physicians, nurses, medical students, and the public. These misconceptions affect the specialty in a number of ways, including referral patterns and recruitment of medical students into residency programs. The reason for these commonly held misconceptions has not yet been addressed in the plastic surgery literature. As such, we assessed medical students’ knowledge and perceptions of plastic surgery as a discipline and explored factors influencing these opinions. Methods: To assess medical students’ knowledge and perceptions of plastic surgery, we conducted an online survey. A total of 231 medical students responded. Interviews were then conducted with 2 focus groups, in which we explored the survey results and reasons behind these misconceptions. Results: As with previous studies, medical students showed a gap in knowledge with respect to plastic surgery. Although they were generally aware that plastic surgeons perform cosmetic procedures and treat burns, they were largely unaware that plastic surgeons perform hand and craniofacial surgeries. Focus groups revealed that television plays a large role in shaping their ideas of plastic surgery. Conclusion: Medical students have a skewed perception of the discipline of plastic surgery, and this is largely influenced by television. Interventions aimed at educating medical students on the matter are recommended, including a greater presence in the preclerkship medical school curriculum. PMID:29026812

Myths, Misconceptions, and Misunderstandings: A Different Spin on Coriolis--Applying Frame of Reference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiSpezio, Michael A.

2011-01-01

This article addresses misconceptions surrounding the Coriolis force and describes how it should be presented as a function within inertial and noninertial frames of reference. Not only does this demonstrate the nature of science as it strives to best interpret the natural world (and presents alternative explanations), but it offers a rich…

An Inventory on Rotational Kinematics of a Particle: Unravelling Misconceptions and Pitfalls in Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mashood, K. K.; Singh, Vijay A.

2012-01-01

Student difficulties regarding the angular velocity ([image omitted]) and angular acceleration ([image omitted]) of a particle have remained relatively unexplored in contrast to their linear counterparts. We present an inventory comprising multiple choice questions aimed at probing misconceptions and eliciting ill-suited reasoning patterns. The…

Student Perceptions of Faculty Credibility Based on Email Addresses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livermore, Jeffrey A.; Scafe, Marla G.; Wiechowski, Linda S.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate students' perceptions of faculty credibility based on email addresses. The survey was conducted at an upper division business school in Michigan where all students have completed at least two years of college courses. The survey results show that a faculty member's selection of an email address does…

Building technology services that address student needs.

PubMed

Le Ber, Jeanne M; Lombardo, Nancy T; Wimmer, Erin

2015-01-01

A 16-question technology use survey was conducted to assess incoming health sciences students' knowledge of and interest in current technologies, and to identify student device and tool preferences. Survey questions were developed by colleagues at a peer institution and then edited to match this library's student population. Two years of student responses have been compiled, compared, and reviewed as a means for informing library decisions related to technology and resource purchases. Instruction and event programming have been revised to meet student preferences. Based on the number of students using Apple products, librarians are addressing the need to become more proficient with this platform.

"She came out of mum's tummy the wrong way". (Mis)conceptions among siblings of children with rare disorders.

PubMed

Vatne, Torun M; Helmen, Ingerid Østborg; Bahr, David; Kanavin, Øivind; Nyhus, Livø

2015-04-01

Misconceptions or uncertainty about the rare disorder of a sibling may cause adjustment problems among children. New knowledge about their misconceptions may enable genetic counselors to provide targeted information and increase siblings' knowledge. This study aims to describe misconceptions and uncertainties of siblings of children with rare disorders. Content analysis was applied to videotapes of 11 support group sessions with 56 children aged 6 to 17. First, children's statements about the disorder (turns) were categorized into the categories "identity," "cause," "cure," "timeline," and "consequences" and then coded as medically "correct," "misunderstood," or "uncertain." Next, turns categorized as "misunderstood" or "uncertain" were analyzed to explore prominent trends. Associations between sibling age, type of disorder, and frequency of misconceptions or uncertainties were analyzed statistically. Approximately 16 % of the children's turns were found to involve misconceptions or uncertainty about the disorder, most commonly about the identity or cause of the disorder. Misconceptions seemed to originate from information available in everyday family life, generalization of lay beliefs, or through difficulties understanding abstract medical concepts. Children expressed uncertainty about the reasons for everyday experiences (e.g. the abnormal behavior they observed). A lack of available information was described as causing uncertainty. Misconceptions and uncertainties were unrelated to child age or type of disorder. The information needs of siblings should always be addressed during genetic counseling, and advice and support offered to parents when needed. Information provided to siblings should be based on an exploration of their daily experiences and thoughts about the rare disorder.

Textbook Errors & Misconceptions in Biology: Cell Metabolism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Storey, Richard D.

1991-01-01

The idea that errors and misconceptions in biology textbooks are often slow to be discovered and corrected is discussed. Selected errors, misconceptions, and topics of confusion about cell metabolism are described. Fermentation, respiration, Krebs cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, uniformity of catabolism, and metabolic pathways as models are…

A Compilation and Review of over 500 Geoscience Misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francek, Mark

2013-01-01

This paper organizes and analyses over 500 geoscience misconceptions relating to earthquakes, earth structure, geologic resources, glaciers, historical geology, karst (limestone terrains), plate tectonics, rivers, rocks and minerals, soils, volcanoes, and weathering and erosion. Journal and reliable web resources were reviewed to discover (1) the frequency of misconceptions by subject matter, group (primary, middle-school, high-school, middle-/high-school, college, pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, and undefined) and source (journal versus web); and (2) the pattern of misconceptions across age groups and (3) directions for future research. A total of 502 misconceptions were discovered, with over 40% targeting a middle- and high-school audience. Plate tectonics comprised 19% of all misconceptions, with another 14% and 13% associated with weathering/erosion and historical geology, respectively. Over 80% of all the misconceptions were derived from peer-reviewed journals or web sources, the rest originated from reliable sources on the World Wide Web. The supernatural origin for many of the geoscience phenomena listed here is abandoned by middle school, but in other cases, some misconceptions seem robust through adulthood. Examples of such misconceptions include the origin/pattern of earthquakes, thickness of the earth's crust, oil's origin, movement mechanisms for glaciers, co-existence of humans and dinosaurs, water movement within karst terrains, the nature of plate boundaries, the power of water as an agent of geomorphic change, what constitutes a mineral and a rock, thickness of the soil layer, the distribution of volcanoes, and the difference between weathering and erosion.

Teaching Electric Circuits: Teachers' Perceptions and Learners' Misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moodley, Kimera; Gaigher, Estelle

2017-06-01

An exploratory case study involving six grade 9 science teachers was undertaken to probe how teachers' understanding of learners' misconceptions relate to their perceptions about teaching simple circuits. The participants' understanding of documented misconceptions in electricity were explored by means of a questionnaire, while their perceptions about teaching electric circuits were also explored in the questionnaire, followed by a semi-structured interview. Results were analysed using content analysis and interpreted using pedagogical content knowledge as a theoretical lens. The results indicated that understanding learners' misconceptions did not always correlate with conceptual perceptions about teaching electric circuits. While fair understanding of misconceptions was demonstrated by teachers who studied Physics at undergraduate level, only those who also held qualifications in Education showed conceptual perceptions about teaching electricity. Teachers who did not study Science Education revealed technical perceptions, focused on facts, demonstrations and calculations. From these results, a developmental model for pedagogical content knowledge was proposed. It was recommended that teacher education programs should involve misconceptions and also facilitate the development of conceptual perceptions about teaching.

Astronomical Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrier, Regina M.

2010-01-01

Do you think that the Moon does not rotate? Do you think that the phases of the Moon are created by the Earth's shadow? Do you think that the seasons are a result of the Earth's distance from the Sun? If you answered "yes" to any of these, then you are one of many who possess misconceptions about astronomy.

Students’ analogical reasoning in novel situations: theory-like misconceptions or p-prims?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fotou, Nikolaos; Abrahams, Ian

2016-07-01

Over the past 50 years there has been much research in the area of students’ misconceptions. Whilst this research has been useful in helping to inform the design of instructional approaches and curriculum development it has not provided much insight into how students reason when presented with a novel situation and, in particular, the knowledge they draw upon in an attempt to make predictions about that novel situation. This article reports on a study of Greek students, aged from 10 to 17 years old, who were asked to make predictions in novel situations and to then provide, without being told whether their predictions were correct or incorrect, explanations about their predictions. Indeed, their explanations in such novel situations have the potential to reveal how their ideas, as articulated as predictions, are formed as well as the sources they draw upon to make those predictions. We also consider in this article the extent to which student ideas can be seen either as theory-like misconceptions or, alternatively, as situated acts of construction involving the activation of fragmented pieces of knowledge referred to as phenomenological primitives (p-prims). Our findings suggest that in most cases students’ reasoning in novel situations can be better understood in terms of their use of p-prims and that teaching might be made more effective if teachers were more aware of the p-prims that students were likely to be using when presented with new situations in physics.

Development of a Three-Tier Test as a Valid Diagnostic Tool for Identification of Misconceptions Related to Carbohydrates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milenkovic, Dusica D.; Hrin, Tamara N.; Segedinac, Mirjana D.; Horvat, Sasa

2016-01-01

This study describes the development and application of a three-tier test as a valid and reliable tool in diagnosing students' misconceptions regarding some basic concepts about carbohydrates. The test was administrated to students of the Pharmacy Department at the University of Bijeljina (Serb Republic). The results denoted construct and content…

Myths and misconceptions about tuberculosis transmission in Ghana

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Myths and misconceptions about TB can serve as a barrier to efforts at reducing stigmatisation of people infected and affected by the disease. Understanding such drivers of myths and misconceptions is important for improving information, education and communication (IEC) efforts of national control and preventive interventions. This study therefore assesses the influence of interaction of spatial, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics on myths and misconceptions. Methods Data was drawn from male (N = 4,546) and female (N = 4,916) files of the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. A myth and misconception variable was created from five-related constructs with internal consistency score of r = 0. 8802 for males (inter-item correlation: 0.5951) and for females, r = 0. 0.9312 (inter-item correlation: 0.7303). The Pearson Chi-square was used to test the bivariate relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. Logistic regression was subsequently used to explore the factors determining myths and misconceptions of TB transmission. Results Majority of Ghanaians (males: 66.75%; females: 66.13%) did not hold myths and misconceptions about TB transmission. Females resident in the Upper East (aOR = 0.31, CI = 0.17-0.55) and Upper West (aOR = 0.41, CI = 0.24-0.69) and males resident in the Northern (aOR = 0.23, CI = 0.13-0.39) and the Greater Accra (aOR = 0.25, CI = 0.16-0.39) regions were independently associated with no misconceptions about TB transmission. Significant differences were also found in education, ethnicity and age. Conclusion That spatial and other socioeconomic difference exists in myths and misconceptions suggest the need for spatial, socioeconomic and demographic segmentations in IEC on TB. This holds potentials for reaching out to those who are in critical need of information and education on the transmission processes of TB. PMID:24028419

Phase 3 Oncology Clinical Trials in South Africa: Experimentation or Therapeutic Misconception?

PubMed

Malan, Tina; Moodley, Keymanthri

2016-02-01

Although clinical research in oncology is vital to improve current understanding of cancer and to validate new treatment options, voluntary informed consent is a critical component. Oncology research participants are a particularly vulnerable population; hence, therapeutic misconception often leads to ethical and legal challenges. We conducted a qualitative study administering semi-structured questionnaires on 29 adult, Phase 3, oncology clinical trial participants at three different private oncology clinical trial sites in South Africa. A descriptive content analysis was performed to identify perceptions of these participants regarding Phase 3 clinical trials. We found that most participants provided consent to be included in the trial for self-benefit. More than half of the participants had a poor understanding of Phase 3 clinical trials, and almost half the participants believed the clinical trial did not pose any significant risk to them. The word "hope" was used frequently by participants, displaying clear optimism with regard to the clinical trial and its outcome. This indicated that therapeutic misconception does occur in the South African oncology research setting and has the potential to lead to underestimation of the risks of a Phase 3 clinical trial. Emphasizing the experimental nature of a clinical trial during the consent process is critical to address therapeutic misconception in oncology research. © The Author(s) 2016.

Zeroing in on Number and Operations, Grades 7-8: Key Ideas and Common Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Anne; Dacey, Linda

2010-01-01

"The Zeroing in on Number and Operations" series, which aligns with the Common Core State Standards and the NCTM Standards and Focal Points, features easy-to-use tools for teaching key concepts in number and operations and for addressing common misconceptions. Sharing the insights they've gained in decades of mathematics teaching and research,…

Zeroing in on Number and Operations, Grades 3-4: Key Ideas and Common Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dacey, Linda; Collins, Anne

2010-01-01

"The Zeroing in on Number and Operations" series, which aligns with the Common Core State Standards and the NCTM Standards and Focal Points, features easy-to-use tools for teaching key concepts in number and operations and for addressing common misconceptions. Sharing the insights they've gained in decades of mathematics teaching and research,…

Zeroing in on Number and Operations, Grades 5-6: Key Ideas and Common Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, Anne; Dacey, Linda

2010-01-01

"The Zeroing in on Number and Operations" series, which aligns with the Common Core State Standards and the NCTM Sandards and Focal Points, features easy-to-use tools for teaching key concepts in number and operations and for addressing common misconceptions. Sharing the insights they've gained through decades of mathematics teaching and research,…

Questions about Answers: Probing Teachers' Awareness and Planned Remediation of Learners' Misconceptions about Electric Circuits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaigher, Estelle

2014-01-01

This article reports an exploratory multi-case study on how science teachers understand and envisage addressing learners' misconceptions about electric circuits. Four teachers from schools in and around a large South African city participated in the study. An open-ended questionnaire was designed in a novel way, questioning teachers about wrong…

State of the Union Address Student Guests

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-01-25

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Associate Director for Science Carl Wieman, left, talks with West Philadelphia High School student Brandon Ford, left, and Montana Central Catholic High School student Mikayla Nelson at the New Executive Office Building, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011 in Washington. The students are all young achievers in science and technology and will be amongst other guests seated in the First Lady’s Box in the U.S. Capitol during the President’s State of the Union Address. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Re-Examining the Similarities between Teacher and Student Conceptions about Physical Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgoon, Jacob N.; Heddle, Mandy L.; Duran, Emilio

2010-01-01

There is a large body of research that has explored students' misconceptions about science phenomena. Less research, however, has been devoted to identifying teachers' misconceptions, but the results of the few existing studies demonstrate that teachers and students possess similar misconceptions. This study explored the physical science…

Exploring Insulation with Ice Hands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Neil; Taylor, Subhashni; Littledyke, Michael

2017-01-01

Students often hold misconceptions about insulation, largely because they put on clothes to keep themselves warm--at least in winter in the cooler regions of Australia. The following activity is designed to identify students' misconceptions about insulation and provide an engaging, evidence-based activity to help address these misconceptions using…

Misconceptions about high-fructose corn syrup: is it uniquely responsible for obesity, reactive dicarbonyl compounds, and advanced glycation endproducts?

PubMed

White, John S

2009-06-01

Misconceptions about high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) abound in the scientific literature, the advice of health professionals to their patients, media reporting, product advertising, and the irrational behavior of consumers. Foremost among these is the misconception that HFCS has a unique and substantive responsibility for the current obesity crisis. Inaccurate information from ostensibly reliable sources and selective presentation of research data gathered under extreme experimental conditions, representing neither the human diet nor HFCS, have misled the uninformed and created an atmosphere of distrust and avoidance for what, by all rights, should be considered a safe and innocuous sweetener. In the first part of this article, common misconceptions about the composition, functionality, metabolism, and use of HFCS and its purported link to obesity are identified and corrected. In the second part, an emerging misconception, that HFCS in carbonated soft drinks contributes materially to physiological levels of reactive dicarbonyl compounds and advanced glycation endproducts, is addressed in detail, and evidence is presented that HFCS does not pose a unique dietary risk in healthy individuals or diabetics.

Prototypical Concepts and Misconceptions of Plate Tectonic Boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sibley, D. F.; Patino, L. C.

2003-12-01

Students of geology encounter many prototypical/exemplar concepts* that include representative, but not necessarily defining, features and characteristics. This study of students' prototypical representations of plate tectonic boundaries indicates that their representations are rich sources of information about their misconceptions about plate tectonics. After lectures in plate tectonics and mountain building, 353 students in a general education geology class were asked to draw a continent-continent convergent boundary. For this study, a correct answer is defined as having the major features in correct proportions as depicted in the plate boundary diagrams on the USGS web. Fifty-two percent of the drawings were either incorrect or incomplete such that they could not be interpreted. Only 48% were readily interpretable, and of these 22% drew the boundary correctly, showing a thickening of crust where two continents collide. Thirty-three percent drew the boundary showing concave slabs of continental crust as one might imagine two pieces of firm rubber pushed together on a rigid surface and 45% depicted mountains as one might imagine inverted ice cream cones on a rigid plank. Twenty-one senior class geology majors and graduate students were given the same assignment. Forty-eight percent rendered a correct drawing, whereas 38% drew the same ice cream cone on a plank type picture that 45% of the general education students drew. In a second class of 12 geology majors, only 1 student drew a cross section of a continent-ocean boundary similar to standard representation. Four of 12 drew mountains on the top of continental crust over a subduction zone but did not draw a compensating mass within the crust or lithosphere. Prototypical drawings provide more information about students' concepts than do most multiple-choice questions. For example, sixty-two percent of theses students who drew mountains similar to foam rubber pads pushed together on a desk or ice cream cones on a

The Effects and Side-Effects of Statistics Education: Psychology Students' (Mis-)Conceptions of Probability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morsanyi, Kinga; Primi, Caterina; Chiesi, Francesca; Handley, Simon

2009-01-01

In three studies we looked at two typical misconceptions of probability: the representativeness heuristic, and the equiprobability bias. The literature on statistics education predicts that some typical errors and biases (e.g., the equiprobability bias) increase with education, whereas others decrease. This is in contrast with reasoning theorists'…

Common omissions and misconceptions of wave propagation in turbulence: discussion.

PubMed

Charnotskii, Mikhail

2012-05-01

This review paper addresses typical mistakes and omissions that involve theoretical research and modeling of optical propagation through atmospheric turbulence. We discuss the disregard of some general properties of narrow-angle propagation in refractive random media, the careless use of simplified models of turbulence, and omissions in the calculations of the second moment of the propagating wave. We also review some misconceptions regarding short-exposure imaging, propagation of polarized waves, and calculations of the scintillation index of the beam waves. © 2012 Optical Society of America

Misconceptions Are “So Yesterday!”

PubMed Central

Maskiewicz, April Cordero; Lineback, Jennifer Evarts

2013-01-01

At the close of the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research conference in July 2012, one of the organizers made the comment: “Misconceptions are so yesterday.” Within the community of learning sciences, misconceptions are yesterday's news, because the term has been aligned with eradication and/or replacement of conceptions, and our knowledge about how people learn has progressed past this idea. This essay provides an overview of the discussion within the learning sciences community surrounding the term “misconceptions” and how the education community's thinking has evolved with respect to students’ conceptions. Using examples of students’ incorrect ideas about evolution and ecology, we show that students’ naïve ideas can provide the resources from which to build scientific understanding. We conclude by advocating that biology education researchers use one or more appropriate alternatives in place of the term misconception whenever possible. PMID:24006383

HIV misconceptions associated with condom use among black South Africans: an exploratory study

PubMed Central

Bogart, Laura M; Skinner, Donald; Weinhardt, Lance S; Glasman, Laura; Sitzler, Cheryl; Toefy, Yoesrie; Kalichman, Seth C

2011-01-01

In South Africa, approximately 20% of 15–49-year-olds are infected with HIV. Among black South Africans, high levels of HIV/AIDS misconceptions (e.g. HIV is manufactured by whites to reduce the black African population; AIDS is caused by supernatural forces or witchcraft) may be barriers to HIV prevention. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 150 young, black adults (aged 18–26; 56% males) visiting a public clinic for sexually transmitted infections, to investigate whether HIV/AIDS misconceptions were related to low condom use in main partner relationships. We assessed agreement with HIV/AIDS misconceptions relating to the supernatural (e.g. witchcraft as a cause of HIV) and to genocide (e.g. the withholding of a cure). In multivariate models, agreement that ‘Witchcraft plays a role in HIV transmission’ was significantly related to less positive attitudes about condoms, less belief in condom effectiveness for HIV prevention, and lower intentions to use condoms among men. The belief that ‘Vitamins and fresh fruits and vegetables can cure AIDS’ was associated with lower intentions among men to use condoms. Women who endorsed the belief linking HIV to witchcraft had a higher likelihood of unprotected sex with a main partner, whereas women who endorsed the belief that a cure for AIDS was being withheld had a lower likelihood of having had unprotected sex. Knowledge about distinct types of HIV/AIDS misconceptions and their correlates can help in the design of culturally appropriate HIV-prevention messages that address such beliefs. PMID:21804784

Using the Conceptual Change Instruction To Improve Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alparslan, Cem; Tekkaya, Ceren; Geban, Omer

2003-01-01

Investigates the effect of conceptual change instruction on grade 11 students' understanding of respiration. The Respiration Concept Test was developed and used to test students' misconceptions. Results indicate that the conceptual change instruction that explicitly addressed students' misconceptions produced significantly greater achievement in…

Current misconception 3: that subgroup-specific trial mortality results often provide a good basis for individualising patient care

PubMed Central

Peto, R

2011-01-01

Misconceptions and ill-founded theories can arise in all areas of science. However, the apparent accessibility of many epidemiology findings and popular interest in the subject can lead to additional misunderstandings. The article below is the third in an occasional series of short editorials highlighting some current misinterpretations of epidemiological findings. Invited authors will be given wide scope in judging the prevalence of the misconception under discussion. We hope that this series will prove instructive to cancer researchers in other disciplines as well as to students of epidemiology. Adrian L Harris and Leo Kinlen PMID:21448174

Resolution of Misconceptions of Latency and Adolescent Sicklers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christy-Levine, Diane

Misconceptions regarding sickle cell disease are qualitatively different among latency age patients as compared to adolescents. The evolution and resolution of these misconceptions determine the effectiveness of self-help programs for sickle cell patients. The Mount Sinai Hospital Sickle Cell Counseling Service is a coordinated center for sickle…

More Misconceptions to Avoid When Teaching about Plants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hershey, David R.

2005-01-01

As follow-up to a previous article "Avoid Misconceptions When Teaching about Plants," the author identifies fifty additional misconceptions. Undergeneralizations are added to the list of oversimplifications, obsolete concepts, terms, misidentifications, and flawed research. A glossary at the end of the article compares words used in botany with…

Investigating Students' Understanding of the Dissolving Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naah, Basil M.; Sanger, Michael J.

2013-01-01

In a previous study, the authors identified several student misconceptions regarding the process of dissolving ionic compounds in water. The present study used multiple-choice questions whose distractors were derived from these misconceptions to assess students' understanding of the dissolving process at the symbolic and particulate levels. The…

The Effect of Computer-Assisted Teaching on Remedying Misconceptions: The Case of the Subject "Probability"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gurbuz, Ramazan; Birgin, Osman

2012-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of computer-assisted teaching (CAT) on remedying misconceptions students often have regarding some probability concepts in mathematics. Toward this aim, computer-assisted teaching materials were developed and used in the process of teaching. Within the true-experimental research method, a pre- and…

Clarifying the Misconception about the Principle of Floatation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yadav, Manoj K.

2014-01-01

This paper aims to clarify the misconception about the violation of the principle of floatation. Improper understanding of the definition of "displaced fluid" by a floating body leads to the misconception. With the help of simple experiments, this article shows that there is no violation of the principle of floatation.

Childhood Obesity: Common Misconceptions

MedlinePlus

... Issues Listen Español Text Size Email Print Share Childhood Obesity: Common Misconceptions Page Content Article Body Everyone, it ... for less than 1% of the cases of childhood obesity. Yes, hypothyroidism (a deficit in thyroid secretion) and ...

Addressing Sexual Violence as Student Affairs Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landreman, Lisa M.; Williamsen, Kaaren M.

2018-01-01

In this chapter, we outline the challenges campuses face in addressing sexual violence and Title IX compliance. We argue that there are critical roles for student affairs professionals in Title IX work in developing effective campus sexual violence prevention and response strategies.

Comments and Criticism: Comment on "Identification of Student Misconceptions in Genetics Problem Solving via Computer Program."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Mike U.

1991-01-01

Criticizes an article by Browning and Lehman (1988) for (1) using "gene" instead of allele, (2) misusing the word "misconception," and (3) the possible influences of the computer environment on the results of the study. (PR)

Unconscious emotional reasoning and the therapeutic misconception.

PubMed

Charuvastra, A; Marder, S R

2008-03-01

The "therapeutic misconception" describes a process whereby research volunteers misinterpret the intentions of researchers and the nature of clinical research. This misinterpretation leads research volunteers to falsely attribute a therapeutic potential to clinical research, and compromises informed decision making, therefore compromising the ethical integrity of a clinical experiment. We review recent evidence from the neurobiology of social cognition to provide a novel framework for thinking about the therapeutic misconception. We argue that the neurobiology of social cognition should be considered in any ethical analysis of how people make decisions about participating in clinical trials. The neurobiology of social cognition also suggests how the complicated dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship may unavoidably interfere with the process of obtaining informed consent. Following this argument we suggest new ways to prevent or at least mitigate the therapeutic misconception.

Effect of Cabri-Assisted Instruction on Secondary School Students' Misconceptions about Graphs of Quadratic Functions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koklu, Oguz; Topcu, Abdullah

2012-01-01

Pre-existing misconceptions are serious impediments to learning in mathematics. Means for detecting and correcting them have received much attention in the literature of educational research. Dynamic geometry software has been tried at different grade levels. This quasi-experimental study investigates the effect of Cabri-assisted instruction on…

Misconceptions Regarding the Brain: The Neuromyths of Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dündar, Sefa; Gündüz, Nazan

2016-01-01

Understanding preservice teachers' misconceptions regarding the brain and neuroscience (neuromyths) can provide information that helps teachers to apply neuroscience knowledge in an educational context. The objective of this study was to investigate these misconceptions. Following preliminary research, a questionnaire comprising 59 challenging…

Measuring students' attitudes toward college education's role in addressing social issues.

PubMed

Weber, James E; Weber, Paula S; Craven, Barney L

2008-06-01

As service-learning projects have spread throughout academia, efforts to assess the service-learning experience have assumed a greater importance. The BERSI scale (Business Education's Role in addressing Social Issues) was developed as a measure of business students' attitudes toward social issues being addressed as part of a business education. As such, it was intended to be useful in assessing attitudinal outcomes of service learning. In order for the BERSI to be useful for nonbusiness students, the scale would need to be reconceptualized and revalidated. This study modified the BERSI items with a focus on college students in general rather than business students, making the resulting scale, College Education's Role in addressing Social Issues (CERSI), potentially helpful to service-learning researchers in a broader setting. The CERSI scale was then validated using standard techniques and normative data were reported.

Diagnostic of students' misconceptions using the Biological Concepts Instrument (BCI): A method for conducting an educational needs assessment

PubMed Central

Champagne Queloz, Annie; Klymkowsky, Michael W.; Stern, Elsbeth; Hafen, Ernst; Köhler, Katja

2017-01-01

Concept inventories, constructed based on an analysis of students’ thinking and their explanations of scientific situations, serve as diagnostics for identifying misconceptions and logical inconsistencies and provide data that can help direct curricular reforms. In the current project, we distributed the Biological Concepts Instrument (BCI) to 17-18-year-old students attending the highest track of the Swiss school system (Gymnasium). Students’ performances on many questions related to evolution, genetics, molecular properties and functions were diverse. Important common misunderstandings were identified in the areas of evolutionary processes, molecular properties and an appreciation of stochastic processes in biological systems. Our observations provide further evidence that the BCI is efficient in identifying specific areas where targeted instruction is required. Based on these observations we have initiated changes at several levels to reconsider how biological systems are presented to university biology studies with the goal of improving student’s foundational understanding. PMID:28493960

Misconceptions and Biases in German Students' Perception of Multiple Energy Sources: Implications for Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Roh Pin

2016-01-01

Misconceptions and biases in energy perception could influence people's support for developments integral to the success of restructuring a nation's energy system. Science education, in equipping young adults with the cognitive skills and knowledge necessary to navigate in the confusing energy environment, could play a key role in paving the way…

"Back-Stage" Dissent: Student Twitter Use Addressing Instructor Ideology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linvill, Darren L.; Boatwright, Brandon C.; Grant, Will J.

2018-01-01

In this content analysis, we explored how students address instructor ideology in the university classroom through the social media platform Twitter. We employed Boolean search operators through Salesforce Marketing Cloud Radian6 software to gather tweets and identified English language tweets by how students referenced their instructor's…

Refocusing International Astronomy Education Research Using a Cognitive Focus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, Timothy F.; Slater, Stephanie J.

2015-08-01

For over 40 years, the international astronomy education community has given its attention to cataloging the substantial body of "misconceptions" in individual's thinking about astronomy, and to addressing the consequences of those misconceptions in the science classroom. Despite the tremendous amount of effort given to researching and disseminating information related to misconceptions, and the development of a theory of conceptual change to mitigate misconceptions, progress continues to be less than satisfying. An analysis of the literature and our own research has motivated the CAPER Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research to advance a new model that allowing us to operate on students' astronomical learning difficulties in a more fruitful manner. Previously, much of the field's work binned erroneous student thinking into a single construct, and from that basis, curriculum developers and instructors addressed student misconceptions with a single instructional strategy. In contrast this model suggests that "misconceptions" are a mixture of at least four learning barriers: incorrect factual information, inappropriately applied mental algorithms (e.g., phenomenological primitives), insufficient cognitive structures (e.g., spatial reasoning), and affective/emotional difficulties. Each of these types of barriers should be addressed with an appropriately designed instructional strategy. Initial applications of this model to learning problems in astronomy and the space sciences have been fruitful, suggesting that an effort towards categorizing persistent learning difficulties in astronomy beyond the level of "misconceptions" may allow our community to craft tailored and more effective learning experiences for our students and the general public.

Gender-based attitudes, HIV misconceptions and feelings towards marginalized groups are associated with stigmatization in Mumbai, India.

PubMed

Bharat, Shalini; Ramakrishna, Jayashree; Heylen, Elsa; Ekstrand, Maria L

2014-11-01

Summary This study examined the association of gender-based attitudes, HIV misconceptions and community feelings for marginalized groups with stigmatizing responses towards people with HIV/AIDS in Mumbai, India. Participants included 546 men and women sampled in hospital settings during 2007-2008. Structured measures were used to assess avoidance intentions and denial of rights of people with HIV/AIDS. Mean age of participants was 32 years; 42% had less than 10 years of education. Higher HIV transmission misconceptions (β=0.47; p<0.001), more traditional gender attitudes (β=0.11; p<0.01) and more negative feelings towards HIV-positive people (β=0.23; p<0.001) were related to higher avoidance intentions. Endorsement of denial of rights was also significantly associated with higher transmission misconceptions (β=0.20; p<0.001), more traditional gender attitudes (β=0.33; p<0.001) and greater negative feelings towards HIV-positive people (β=0.12; p<0.05), as well as with a lower education level (β=-0.10; p<0.05). The feelings respondents had towards people with HIV/AIDS were more strongly correlated with their feelings towards those with other diseases (tuberculosis, leprosy) than with feelings they had towards those associated with 'immoral' behaviour (e.g. sex workers). Eliminating HIV transmission misconceptions and addressing traditional gender attitudes are critical for reducing HIV stigma in Indian society.

Detecting and Reducing Science Teacher Candidate’s (STC) Misconception About Motion and Force By Using Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and problem Based Learning (PBL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oktarisa, Y.; Utami, I. S.; Denny, Y. R.

2017-02-01

This study has been done to 34 science teacher candidates of Teachers’ Training and Education Faculty of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University at their first year of study during 2015-2016 school years. This research focused on student’s misconception about motion and force and how Problem Based Learning (PBL) reducing it. Diagnostic test of misconception about motion and force has been detected by using Force Concept Inventory (FCI). FCI had been used in pretest and posttest, and to find the reducing of students’ misconception N-Gain pretest and posttest of each student had been calculated. Quasi experiment one group pretest and posttest had been used as the research method, and Problem Based Learning (PBL) used as the treatment of manipulation. After two weeks learning motion and force with PBL approach, N-gain which obtained prove that misconception about motion and force had been reducing.

Constructing and Implementing a Four Tier Test about Static Electricity to Diagnose Pre-service Elementary School Teacher’ Misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hermita, N.; Suhandi, A.; Syaodih, E.; Samsudin, A.; Isjoni; Johan, H.; Rosa, F.; Setyaningsih, R.; Sapriadil; Safitri, D.

2017-09-01

We have already constructed and implemented the diagnostic test formed in the four tier test to diagnose pre-service elementary teachers’ misconceptions about static electricity. The method which is utilized in this study is 3D-1I (Define, Design, Develop and Implementation) conducted to the pre-service elementary school teachers. The number of respondents involved in the study is 78 students of PGSD FKIP Universitas Riau. The data was collected by administering diagnostic test items in the form of four tier test. The result indicates that there are several misconceptions related to static electricity concept, these include: 1) Electrostatic objects cannot attract neutral objects, 2) A neutral object is an object that does not contain an electrical charge, and 3) the magnitude of the tensile force between two charged objects depends on the size of the charge. Moreover, the research’s results establish that the diagnostic test is able to analyse number of misconceptions and classify level of understanding pre-service elementary school teachers that is scientific knowledge, misconception, lack knowledge, and error. In conclusion, the diagnostic test item in the form of four tier test has already been constructed and implemented to diagnose students’ conceptions on static electricity.

A Three-Tier Diagnostic Test to Assess Pre-Service Teachers' Misconceptions about Global Warming, Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Layer Depletion, and Acid Rain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozge Arslan, Harika; Cigdemoglu, Ceyhan; Moseley, Christine

2012-07-01

This study describes the development and validation of a three-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test, the atmosphere-related environmental problems diagnostic test (AREPDiT), to reveal common misconceptions of global warming (GW), greenhouse effect (GE), ozone layer depletion (OLD), and acid rain (AR). The development of a two-tier diagnostic test procedure as described by Treagust constitutes the framework for this study. To differentiate a lack of knowledge from a misconception, a certainty response index is added as a third tier to each item. Based on propositional knowledge statements, related literature, and the identified misconceptions gathered initially from 157 pre-service teachers, the AREPDiT was constructed and administered to 256 pre-service teachers. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of the pre-service teachers' scores was estimated to be 0.74. Content and face validations were established by senior experts. A moderate positive correlation between the participants' both-tiers scores and their certainty scores indicated evidence for construct validity. Therefore, the AREPDiT is a reliable and valid instrument not only to identify pre-service teachers' misconceptions about GW, GE, OLD, and AR but also to differentiate these misconceptions from lack of knowledge. The results also reveal that a majority of the respondents demonstrated limited understandings about atmosphere-related environmental problems and held six common misconceptions. Future studies could test the AREPDiT as a tool for assessing the misconceptions held by pre-service teachers from different programs as well as in-service teachers and high school students.

The Effectiveness of Peer Tutoring in Remedying Misconceptions of Operating System Concepts: A Design-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çakiroglu, Ünal; Öngöz, Sakine

2017-01-01

This study attempted to examine students' experiences on collaborative work with peer tutoring in projects. The study also focused impact of peer tutoring on remedying misconceptions. The study was conducted in the context of an operating system course in which 30 pre-service ICT teachers are the participants. Data were gathered from pre-tests,…

Common Origins of Diverse Misconceptions: Cognitive Principles and the Development of Biology Thinking

PubMed Central

Coley, John D.; Tanner, Kimberly D.

2012-01-01

Many ideas in the biological sciences seem especially difficult to understand, learn, and teach successfully. Our goal in this feature is to explore how these difficulties may stem not from the complexity or opacity of the concepts themselves, but from the fact that they may clash with informal, intuitive, and deeply held ways of understanding the world that have been studied for decades by psychologists. We give a brief overview of the field of developmental cognitive psychology. Then, in each of the following sections, we present a number of common challenges faced by students in the biological sciences. These may be in the form of misconceptions, biases, or simply concepts that are difficult to learn and teach, and they occur at all levels of biological analysis (molecular, cellular, organismal, population, and ecosystem). We then introduce the notion of a cognitive construal and discuss specific examples of how these cognitive principles may explain what makes some misconceptions so alluring and some biological concepts so challenging for undergraduates. We will argue that seemingly unrelated misconceptions may have common origins in a single underlying cognitive construal. These ideas emerge from our own ongoing cross-disciplinary conversation, and we think that expanding this conversation to include other biological scientists and educators, as well as other cognitive scientists, could have significant utility in improving biology teaching and learning. PMID:22949417

Common origins of diverse misconceptions: cognitive principles and the development of biology thinking.

PubMed

Coley, John D; Tanner, Kimberly D

2012-01-01

Many ideas in the biological sciences seem especially difficult to understand, learn, and teach successfully. Our goal in this feature is to explore how these difficulties may stem not from the complexity or opacity of the concepts themselves, but from the fact that they may clash with informal, intuitive, and deeply held ways of understanding the world that have been studied for decades by psychologists. We give a brief overview of the field of developmental cognitive psychology. Then, in each of the following sections, we present a number of common challenges faced by students in the biological sciences. These may be in the form of misconceptions, biases, or simply concepts that are difficult to learn and teach, and they occur at all levels of biological analysis (molecular, cellular, organismal, population, and ecosystem). We then introduce the notion of a cognitive construal and discuss specific examples of how these cognitive principles may explain what makes some misconceptions so alluring and some biological concepts so challenging for undergraduates. We will argue that seemingly unrelated misconceptions may have common origins in a single underlying cognitive construal. These ideas emerge from our own ongoing cross-disciplinary conversation, and we think that expanding this conversation to include other biological scientists and educators, as well as other cognitive scientists, could have significant utility in improving biology teaching and learning.

Transition through Teamwork: Professionals Address Student Access

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bube, Sue Ann; Carrothers, Carol; Johnson, Cinda

2016-01-01

Prior to 2013, there was no collaboration around the transition services for deaf and hard of hearing students in Washington State. Washington had numerous agencies providing excellent support, but those agencies were not working together. It was not until January 29, 2013, when pepnet 2 hosted the Building State Capacity to Address Critical…

Design Practices and Misconceptions: Helping Beginners in Engineering Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crismond, David

2013-01-01

This article describes beginner habits and misconceptions related to design practices. Once teachers are aware of these habits and misconceptions, they can more easily recognize them and work to remedy them through instruction. Presented herein are eight practice habits. Each item begins with the practice, describes a related design habit or…

Factors associated with misconceptions about HIV transmission among ever-married women in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Mondal, Md Nazrul Islam; Hoque, Nazrul; Chowdhury, Md Rocky Khan; Hossain, Md Sabbir

2015-01-01

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic continues to be associated with misconceptions and misinformed opinions, which increase the risk of HIV transmission. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the determinant factors among different socioeconomic and demographic factors affecting misconceptions about HIV transmission among ever-married women in Bangladesh. Data and necessary information of 9,272 ever-married women were extracted from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011. Three types of misconceptions were considered. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were used as the statistical tools to determine the factors affecting misconceptions about HIV transmission. The results revealed that misconceptions are more prevalent among women who are older, less educated, have husbands who are less educated, live in rural areas, have poor economic conditions, and have less access to mass media. The respondent's age, education, husband's education, place of residence, wealth index, and exposure to mass media are significantly associated with the misconceptions. Finally, logistic regression analysis identified age, education, place of residence, wealth index, and exposure to mass media as significant predictors. Because socioeconomic factors are the key determinants of misconceptions about HIV transmission, intervention programs should be aimed at HIV prevention via education and awareness programs to reduce misconceptions as important parts of the prevention strategy.

Describing and Analyzing Learning in Action: An Empirical Study of the Importance of Misconceptions in Learning Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamza, Karim M.; Wickman, Per-Olof

2008-01-01

Although misconceptions in science have been established in interview studies, their role during the learning process is poorly examined. In this paper, we use results from a classroom study to analyze to what extent nonscientific ideas in electrochemistry that students report in interviews enter into their learning in a more authentic setting. We…

The Heat Is On! Using Particle Models to Change Students' Conceptions of Heat and Temperature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hitt, Austin Manning; Townsend, J. Scott

2015-01-01

Elementary, middle-level, and high school science teachers commonly find their students have misconceptions about heat and temperature. Unfortunately, student misconceptions are difficult to modify or change and can prevent students from learning the accurate scientific explanation. In order to improve our students' understanding of heat and…

The efficacy of print and video in correcting cognitive misconceptions in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finney, Mary Jo

One hundred fifty-three fifth grade students found to have misconceptions about seasonal change were randomly assigned to either a video-print or print-video group. In Study One, each group read or viewed content about seasonal change and a free recall, multiple choice and application task were administered during the following week. Two weeks later, Study Two replicated the procedures with the groups receiving content in the alternate media. Hypotheses predicting video would be more effective than print in correcting misconceptions were rejected since there was either no significance on the measures or performance was higher after reading. Exposure to both media favored the video-print order. Low and high ability readers performed better after print treatment with no significant difference between media among average ability readers. More concepts than content vocabulary were present in written responses by both video and print groups. Post-hoc analysis revealed no gender differences, no significant difference in length of free recall between Study One and Study Two and significant differences between reading abilities on all measures.

Student Perceptions of Using Games to Address Science Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keller, Cara M.

The purpose of this qualitative evaluative case study was to gain insight into how students perceived the efficacy of using games to address their science literacy concerns. Scientists in the United States are concerned with the lack of science literacy. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires proficiency in reading, mathematics, language arts, and science by the completion of the 2013--2014 school year. The high school participating in this study received substandard test scores on both the 2009 state graduation test and the science portion of the ACT test. The research question included understanding how students perceive the use of games in addressing their science literacy needs. The data from the student journals, field notes, and transcribed class discussions were analyzed using a 6 step method that included coding the data into main themes. The triangulated data were used to both gain insight into student perspective and inform game development. Constructivist theories formed the conceptual framework of the study. The findings of the study suggested that games may prove a valuable tool in science literacy attainment. The study indicated that games were perceived by the students to be effective tools in meeting their learning needs. Implications for positive social change included providing students, educators, and administrators with game resources that can be used to meet the science learning needs of struggling students, thereby improving science scores on high stakes tests.

Assessing Middle School and College Students' Conceptions About Wind, Fog, and Tornadoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polito, E.; Monteverdi, J. P.; Garcia, O.; Tanner, K. D.

2008-12-01

protocol utilized in Phase III. A subset of the population was interviewed, allowing us to probe deeper into students' conceptions about weather. This three-phase approach allowed us to identify and explore misconceptions concerning wind, fog, and tornadoes. Preliminary results from phase I and II probing student conceptions of wind show that over 54% of 6th grade students do not see any connection between the sun and wind, offering instead that the moon, clouds, and the ocean are key contributors to wind development. 13% of students observe that because there is wind at night, and conclude from this that the sun could not play a role in creating wind. By identifying students' misconceptions about wind, fog, and tornadoes, scientists and educators can create more effective learning experiences that address student misconceptions, promote conceptual change, and move students toward a more scientific viewpoint.

Misconceptions about Human Rights and Women's Rights in Islam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Syed, Khalida Tanvir

2008-01-01

This paper aims to clarify three current misconceptions about the Islamic faith and issues of human rights and women's rights in the West. The first misconception is that Muslims are terrorists because they believe in Jihad. It is factually the case that Islamic teachings stress the value of peace and prosperity for all human beings. The second…

GENDER-BASED ATTITUDES, HIV MISCONCEPTIONS AND FEELINGS TOWARDS MARGINALIZED GROUPS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH STIGMATIZATION IN MUMBAI, INDIA

PubMed Central

BHARAT, SHALINI; RAMAKRISHNA, JAYASHREE; HEYLEN, ELSA; EKSTRAND, MARIA L.

2017-01-01

Summary This study examined the association of gender-based attitudes, HIV misconceptions and community feelings for marginalized groups with stigmatizing responses towards people with HIV/AIDS in Mumbai, India. Participants included 546 men and women sampled in hospital settings during 2007–2008. Structured measures were used to assess avoidance intentions and denial of rights of people with HIV/AIDS. Mean age of participants was 32 years; 42% had less than 10 years of education. Higher HIV transmission misconceptions (β = 0.47; p < 0.001), more traditional gender attitudes (β = 0.11; p < 0.01) and more negative feelings towards HIV-positive people (β = 0.23; p < 0.001) were related to higher avoidance intentions. Endorsement of denial of rights was also significantly associated with higher transmission misconceptions (β = 0.20; p < 0.001), more traditional gender attitudes (β = 0.33; p < 0.001) and greater negative feelings towards HIV-positive people (β = 0.12; p < 0.05), as well as with a lower education level (β = −0.10; p < 0.05). The feelings respondents had towards people with HIV/AIDS were more strongly correlated with their feelings towards those with other diseases (tuberculosis, leprosy) than with feelings they had towards those associated with ‘immoral’ behaviour (e.g. sex workers). Eliminating HIV transmission misconceptions and addressing traditional gender attitudes are critical for reducing HIV stigma in Indian society. PMID:24524379

Identifying the mathematics middle year students use as they address a community issue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshman, Margaret

2017-03-01

Middle year students often do not see the mathematics in the real world whereas the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics aims for students to be "confident and creative users and communicators of mathematics" (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA] 2012). Using authentic and real mathematics tasks can address this situation. This paper is an account of how, working within a Knowledge Producing Schools' framework, a group of middle year students addressed a real community issue, the problem of the lack of a teenage safe space using mathematics and technology. Data were collected for this case study via journal observations and reflections, semi-structured interviews, samples of the students' work and videos of students working. The data were analysed by identifying the mathematics the students used determining the function and location of the space and focused on problem negotiation, formulation and solving through the statistical investigation cycle. The paper will identify the mathematics and statistics these students used as they addressed a real problem in their local community.

The relationship between illness perceptions and cardiac misconceptions after Myocardial Infarction.

PubMed

Figueiras, Maria João; Maroco, João; Caeiro, Raúl; Monteiro, Rita; Trigo, Miguel

2015-01-01

Research about cardiac misconceptions has focused on identifying the most common erroneous beliefs and understanding their impact on patients' outcomes. However, less is known about the underlying structure of cardiac misconceptions and how they relate to other belief dimensions. The aims of the present study were: (a) to characterize illness perceptions and cardiac misconceptions in a sample of Myocardial Infarction (MI) patients; (b) to analyse the structure of an experimental Portuguese version of the York Cardiac Beliefs Questionnaire (YCBQ); and (c) to examine whether illness perceptions are likely to influence cardiac misconceptions. This cross-sectional study included 127 first-MI patients from both sexes, aged up to 70 years old. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were performed with AMOS. The main results showed that a two-dimension (stress avoidance and exercise avoidance) version of the YCBQ offered the best fit to the data. A significant impact of psychological attributions was observed on cardiac misconceptions, as well as a moderate impact of emotional response explaining 26% of the variance. Although exploratory, this study gives a significant contribution to research in this field, as clarification on the different concepts and the way they relate is needed. Our findings suggest that further investigation into the concepts of cardiac knowledge and cardiac misconceptions may have an important role in understanding health behaviours in the context of heart disease.

Creating Lecture Tutorials for the Introductory Geoscience Classroom with Data Found on the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) Website

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kortz, K. M.; Jager, J. M.

2006-05-01

Lecture Tutorials (LTs) are short, interactive materials used during lectures that guide student learning and challenge students to think about their own misconceptions. They are designed to be used by instructors as a simple way to increase the amount of interactive learning in their classroom. We developed several geoscience LTs, using data sets found on the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) website when possible, in order to address the problems of student misconceptions and lack of appreciation of science. After a short lecture, the students were given 3 to 4 multiple choice questions about the material covered. They then worked in groups on an LT, participated in a class discussion and answered a second similar question set to test for additional learning. Based on the results of one author's students, the materials were revised and retested with the other's students. Student interviews were conducted to determine the role data sets played in changing student attitudes toward science. LTs in this study were written with two different purposes. One set focused on data interpretation and scientific methods using real-world data sets found on DLESE. We found little to no increase in pre-LT and post-LT performance on the question sets when these LTs were used. The other set of LTs specifically tackled misconceptions about a single geologic topic. Students showed a significant increase in pre-LT and post-LT learning based on the questions sets when these LTs were used. LTs that successfully decreased student misconceptions did not require the use of real-world data sets. We identified several factors influencing student performance on the pre- and post-LT questions, in addition to whether or not the LT focused on including data sets or tackling misconceptions. The distracters in the questions need to include the student misconceptions to verify the students have changed their understanding. This demonstrates a need for a large database of well

The development of a web-based assessment system to identify students’ misconception automatically on linear kinematics with a four-tier instrument test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pujayanto, Pujayanto; Budiharti, Rini; Adhitama, Egy; Nuraini, Niken Rizky Amalia; Vernanda Putri, Hanung

2018-07-01

This research proposes the development of a web-based assessment system to identify students’ misconception. The system, named WAS (web-based assessment system), can identify students’ misconception profile on linear kinematics automatically after the student has finished the test. The test instrument was developed and validated. Items were constructed and arranged from the result of a focus group discussion (FGD), related to previous research. Fifty eight students (female  =  37, male  =  21) were used as samples. They were from different classes with 18 students from the gifted class and another 40 students from the normal class. WAS was designed specifically to support the teacher as an efficient replacement for a paper-based test system. In addition, WAS offers flexible timing functionally, stand-alone subject module, robustness and scalability. The entire WAS program and interface was developed with open source-based technologies such as the XAMP server, MySQL database, Javascript and PHP. It provides results immediately and provides diagrammatic questions as well as scientific symbols. It is feasible to apply this system to many students at once. Thus, it could be integrated in many schools as part of physics courses.

Detection of Misconceptions about Colour and an Experimentally Tested Proposal to Combat Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez-Borreguero, Guadalupe; Perez-Rodriguez, Angel Luis; Suero-Lopez, Maria Isabel; Pardo-Fernandez, Pedro Jose

2013-01-01

We study the misconceptions about colour that most people hold, determining the general phenomenological laws that govern them. Concept mapping was used to combat the misconceptions which were found in the application of a test specifically designed to determine these misconceptions, while avoiding the possible misleading inductions that could…

Potato Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrier, Sarah J.; Thomas, Annie

2010-01-01

"Watch out, the stove will burn you," "Ooh, ice cream headache!" Students construct their conceptions about heat and temperature through their own intuitions about daily life experiences. As a result, misconceptions can be born from these constructed concepts. The activity described here addresses student misconceptions about thermal insulation…

Singapore Students' Misconceptions of Climate Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chew-Hung; Pascua, Liberty

2016-01-01

Climate change is an important theme in the investigation of human-environment interactions in geographic education. This study explored the nature of students' understanding of concepts and processes related to climate change. Through semi-structured interviews, data was collected from 27 Secondary 3 (Grade 9) students from Singapore. The data…

Little Known, Much Needed: Addressing the Cocurricular Needs of LGBTQ Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivory, Brian T.

2012-01-01

Due to the invisible nature of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) undergraduate population, it is difficult for student affairs professionals at community colleges to identify and address the needs of sexual minority students on campus. Given the lack of literature regarding LGBTQ students at community colleges, student…

A cross-age study of student understanding of the concept of diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westbrook, Susan L.; Marek, Edmund A.

This study examined 7th-grade life science students, 10th-grade biology students, and college zoology students for understanding of the concept of diffusion. Responses from 100 students from each grade level were randomly selected for data analysis. Each student responded to a test packet consisting of a biographical questionnaire, two Piagetian-like developmental tasks, and a Concept Evaluation Statement (CES). The CESs were used to measure the students' understandings of the concept of diffusion. None of the 300 students across the three grade levels exhibited complete understanding of the diffusion concept. There was no appreciable difference among the grade levels in sound or partial understanding, misconceptions, or no understanding. An analysis of the misconceptions exhibited by the college sample showed that many of the misconceptions could be traced to a misapplication of scientific terminology.

Patterns of thinking about phylogenetic trees: A study of student learning and the potential of tree thinking to improve comprehension of biological concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naegle, Erin

. Chapter 2 explores the construction, validity, and reliability of a tree thinking concept inventory. Concept inventories are research based instruments that diagnose faulty reasoning among students. Such inventories are tools for improving teaching and learning of concepts. Test scores indicate that tree thinking misconceptions are held by novice and intermediate biology students. Finally, Chapter 3 presents a tree thinking rubric. The rubric aids teachers in selecting and improving introductory tree thinking learning exercises that address students' tree thinking misconceptions.

Achieving Success with More Students: Addressing the Problem of Students At Risk, K-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania State Dept. of Education, Harrisburg.

This resource book was developed to provide information that state and local leaders can use to stimulate discussion of the problem of students at risk and support the planning of initiatives that address the problem. An overview defines students at risk, summarizes the content of the book, and lists recent reports and publications on the problem…

Reverse Asteroids: Searching for an Effective Tool to Combat Asteroid Belt Misconceptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Summers, F.; Eisenhamer, B.

2014-12-01

The public 'knows' that asteroid belts are densely packed and dangerous for spaceships to cross. Visuals from "Star Wars" to, unfortunately, the recent "Cosmos" TV series have firmly established this astronomical misconception. However, even scientifically correct graphics, such as the Minor Planet Center's plot of the inner solar system, reinforces that view. Each pixel in the image is more than a million kilometers in width, making an accurate representation of the object density impossible.To address this widespread misconception, we are investigating an educational exercise built around a computer interactive that we call "Reverse Asteroids". In the arcade classic video game, the asteroids came to the player's spaceship. For our reverse implementation, we consider an inquiry-based activity in which the spaceship must go hunting for the asteroids, using a database of real objects in our solar system. Both 3D data visualization and basic statistical analysis play crucial roles in bringing out the true space density within the asteroid belt, and perhaps a reconciliation between imagination and reality. We also emphasize that a partnership of scientists and educators is fundamental to the success of such projects.

Pharmacy student perceptions of adverse event reporting.

PubMed

Kalari, Sirisha; Dormarunno, Matthew; Zvenigorodsky, Oleg; Mohan, Aparna

2011-09-10

To assess US pharmacy students' knowledge and perceptions of adverse event reporting. To gauge pharmacy students' impressions of adverse event reporting, a 10-question survey instrument was administered that addressed student perceptions of the reporting procedures of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as student understanding of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its relationship to adverse event reporting. Two hundred twenty-eight pharmacy students responded to the survey. The majority of respondents believed that the FDA is more likely than a pharmaceutical company to take action regarding an adverse event. There were misconceptions relating to the way adverse event reports are handled and the influence of HIPAA regulations on reporting. Communication between the FDA and pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding adverse event reports is not well understood by pharmacy students. Education about adverse event reporting should evolve so that by the time pharmacy students become practitioners, they are well acquainted with the relevance and importance of adverse event reporting.

Popular misconceptions: agricultural biotechnology.

PubMed

McHughen, Alan; Wager, Robert

2010-12-31

Agricultural biotechnology, especially genetic engineering or genetic modification (GM), is a topic of considerable controversy worldwide. The public debate is fraught with polarized views and opinions, some are held with religious zeal. Unfortunately, it is also marked with much ignorance and misinformation. Here we explore some popular misconceptions encountered in the public debate. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing the life science knowledge of students and teachers represented by the K-8 national science standards.

PubMed

Sadler, Philip M; Coyle, Harold; Smith, Nancy Cook; Miller, Jaimie; Mintzes, Joel; Tanner, Kimberly; Murray, John

2013-01-01

We report on the development of an item test bank and associated instruments based on the National Research Council (NRC) K-8 life sciences content standards. Utilizing hundreds of studies in the science education research literature on student misconceptions, we constructed 476 unique multiple-choice items that measure the degree to which test takers hold either a misconception or an accepted scientific view. Tested nationally with 30,594 students, following their study of life science, and their 353 teachers, these items reveal a range of interesting results, particularly student difficulties in mastering the NRC standards. Teachers also answered test items and demonstrated a high level of subject matter knowledge reflecting the standards of the grade level at which they teach, but exhibiting few misconceptions of their own. In addition, teachers predicted the difficulty of each item for their students and which of the wrong answers would be the most popular. Teachers were found to generally overestimate their own students' performance and to have a high level of awareness of the particular misconceptions that their students hold on the K-4 standards, but a low level of awareness of misconceptions related to the 5-8 standards.

Students' Concept of Force: The Importance of Understanding Newton's Third Law.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, David E.

This paper analyzes the misconceptions high school students have about force and suggests that the misunderstanding of Newton's third law is the key to these misconceptions. Clinical interview and diagnostic test data (N=104) indicates that many students have a naive view of force as an acquired or innate property of single objects rather than…

Addressing Common Student Errors with Classroom Voting in Multivariable Calculus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cline, Kelly; Parker, Mark; Zullo, Holly; Stewart, Ann

2012-01-01

One technique for identifying and addressing common student errors is the method of classroom voting, in which the instructor presents a multiple-choice question to the class, and after a few minutes for consideration and small group discussion, each student votes on the correct answer, often using a hand-held electronic clicker. If a large number…

Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention on Reducing Misconceptions Among Ethnic Minorities With Complicated Mild to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

Pappadis, Monique R.; Sander, Angelle M.; Łukaszewska, Beata; Struchen, Margaret A.; Leung, Patrick; Smith, Dennis W.

2018-01-01

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention designed to reduce traumatic brain injury (TBI)–related misconceptions among blacks and Latinos with complicated mild to severe TBI. Design Randomized controlled trial with masked 1-month follow-up. Setting Community. Participants Persons (N = 52) with complicated mild to severe TBI (mean best day 1 Glasgow Coma Scale score, 11.27±3.89) were randomly recruited from 141 eligible participants (mean age, 37.71±13.88y; age range, 19–66y; mean months postinjury, 24.69±11.50); 25 participants (48.1%) of participants were black and 27 (51.9%) were Hispanic/Latino. Of the Hispanic/Latino participants, 18 (66.7%) were non-U.S. born and 12 (44.4%) spoke Spanish as their primary language. Twenty-seven individuals were randomized to the educational intervention group and 25 were randomized to the wait-list control group. Interventions Single-session educational intervention with written materials provided in English or Spanish. Main Outcome Measures Forty-item Common Misconceptions about Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire administered at baseline and 1-month follow-up. Results After controlling for ethnic and language differences, a significant between-group main effect (P = .010) and a significant time-group interaction for the Common Misconceptions about Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire were noted (Wilks Λ = .89; F1,46 = 6.00; P = .02). The intervention group showed a decrease in TBI misconception percentages, whereas the wait-list control group maintained similar percentages. At 1-month follow-up, the wait-list control group reported more misconceptions than did the intervention group (P = .019). Conclusions An educational intervention developed to address the recovery process, common symptoms, and ways to handle the symptoms provides promise as a tool to decrease TBI misconceptions among persons from ethnically and educationally diverse backgrounds. The effects of therapist characteristics

Myths and misconceptions about abortion among marginalized underserved community.

PubMed

Thapa, K; Karki, Y; Bista, K P

2009-01-01

Unsafe abortion remains a huge problem in Nepal even after legalization of abortion. Various myths and misconceptions persist which prompt women towards unsafe abortive practices. A qualitative study was conducted among different groups of women using focus group discussions and in depth interviews. Perception and understanding of the participants on abortion, methods and place of abortion were evaluated. A number of misconceptions were prevalent like drinking vegetable and herbal juices, and applying hot pot over the abdomen could abort pregnancy. However, many participants also believed that health care providers should be consulted for abortion. Although majority of the women knew that they should seek medical aid for abortion, they were still possessed with various misconceptions. Merely legalizing abortion services is not enough to reduce the burden of unsafe abortion. Focus has to be given on creating awareness and proper advocacy in this issue.

Preservice Science Teachers' Attitudes towards Chemistry and Misconceptions about Chemical Kinetics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çam, Aylin; Topçu, Mustafa Sami; Sülün, Yusuf

2015-01-01

The present study investigates preservice science teachers' attitudes towards chemistry; their misconceptions about chemical kinetics; and relationships between pre-service science teachers' attitudes toward chemistry and misconceptions about chemical kinetics were examined. The sample of this study consisted of 81 freshman pre-service science…

Misconceptions about the Golden Ratio.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markowsky, George

1992-01-01

Typically, the mathematical properties concerning the golden ratio are stated correctly, but much of what is presented with respect to the golden ratio in art, architecture, literature, and aesthetics is false or seriously misleading. Discussed here are some of the most commonly repeated misconceptions promulgated, particularly within mathematics…

The Ultimate Factor of Safety for Aircraft and Spacecraft Its History, Applications and Misconceptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zipay, John J.; Modlin, C. Thomas, Jr.; Larsen, Curtis E.

2016-01-01

The ultimate factor of safety (FOSULT) concept used in aircraft and spacecraft has evolved over many decades. Currently an FOSULT 1.5 is the FAR-mandated value for aircraft while an FOSULT of 1.4 has been used in various spacecraft. This paper was motivated by the desire to concisely explain the origins, proper interpretation and application of the ultimate factor of safety concept, since the authors have seen throughout their careers many misconceptions and incorrect applications of this concept. The history of the ultimate factor of safety concept is briefly summarized, the proper application of the factor of safety in aircraft design, structural analysis and operations is covered in detail, examples of limit load exceedance in aircraft and spacecraft are discussed, the evolution of the 1.4 FOSULT for spacecraft is described and some misconceptions regarding the ultimate factor of safety concept are addressed. It is hoped that this paper can be a summary resource for engineers to understand the origin, purpose and proper application of the ultimate factor of safety.

Insights into Students' Conceptual Understanding Using Textual Analysis: A Case Study in Signal Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goncher, Andrea M.; Jayalath, Dhammika; Boles, Wageeh

2016-01-01

Concept inventory tests are one method to evaluate conceptual understanding and identify possible misconceptions. The multiple-choice question format, offering a choice between a correct selection and common misconceptions, can provide an assessment of students' conceptual understanding in various dimensions. Misconceptions of some engineering…

University Students and AIDS: Some Findings from Three Surveys--1989, 1990 and 1992.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Ineke; And Others

1994-01-01

Presents three surveys conducted at the University of Puerto Rico concerning college students' AIDS knowledge and their sexual and preventive behaviors. Findings show students had knowledge of how HIV is transmitted, but they also harbored misconceptions about ways the disease can spread. These misconceptions coupled with the machismo attitude…

Addressing secondary students' naïve ideas about freshwater springs in order to develop an instructional tool to promote conceptual reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinfried, S.; Tempelmann, S.; Aeschbacher, U.

2012-02-01

"Water knowledge" has now become a socio-political and future-orientated necessity. Erroneous notions or preconceptions of hydrology can have a deleterious effect on our understanding of the scientific facts and their interrelations that are of relevance to sustainable water management. This explorative pilot study shows that erroneous and naïve ideas about the origin of freshwater springs are common at the lower secondary level. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to investigate the nature of misconceptions about freshwater springs among 13-year-old students, and (2) to develop an efficient instructional tool that promotes conceptual reconstruction in the learners' minds. To assess students' naïve ideas we conducted interviews, examined student work, and asked students to fill in a questionnaire. The identified naïve ideas were used to construct an instructional tool based on the findings of learning psychology aiming at promoting deep learning, thus facilitating a lasting conceptual reconstruction of the concept of freshwater springs.

Using Simple Manipulatives to Improve Student Comprehension of a Complex Biological Process: Protein Synthesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzman, Karen; Bartlett, John

2012-01-01

Biological systems and living processes involve a complex interplay of biochemicals and macromolecular structures that can be challenging for undergraduate students to comprehend and, thus, misconceptions abound. Protein synthesis, or translation, is an example of a biological process for which students often hold many misconceptions. This article…

An integrated approach to addressing addiction and depression in college students.

PubMed

Eisen, Arri; Kushner, Howard; McLeod, Mark; Queen, Edward; Gordon, Jonathan; Ford, John L

2009-01-01

The authors present an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to address the problem of increasing student mental health issues on college campuses. The model uses addiction and depression as lenses into the problem and links residence life and academic and community internship experiences. The project has a positive impact on student attitudes and actions and strengthens and broadens the campus network required to ensure optimal student mental health.

Assessing the Life Science Knowledge of Students and Teachers Represented by the K–8 National Science Standards

PubMed Central

Sadler, Philip M.; Coyle, Harold; Smith, Nancy Cook; Miller, Jaimie; Mintzes, Joel; Tanner, Kimberly; Murray, John

2013-01-01

We report on the development of an item test bank and associated instruments based on the National Research Council (NRC) K–8 life sciences content standards. Utilizing hundreds of studies in the science education research literature on student misconceptions, we constructed 476 unique multiple-choice items that measure the degree to which test takers hold either a misconception or an accepted scientific view. Tested nationally with 30,594 students, following their study of life science, and their 353 teachers, these items reveal a range of interesting results, particularly student difficulties in mastering the NRC standards. Teachers also answered test items and demonstrated a high level of subject matter knowledge reflecting the standards of the grade level at which they teach, but exhibiting few misconceptions of their own. In addition, teachers predicted the difficulty of each item for their students and which of the wrong answers would be the most popular. Teachers were found to generally overestimate their own students’ performance and to have a high level of awareness of the particular misconceptions that their students hold on the K–4 standards, but a low level of awareness of misconceptions related to the 5–8 standards. PMID:24006402

Tackling Misconceptions in Geometrical Optics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceuppens, S.; Deprez, J.; Dehaene, W.; De Cock, M.

2018-01-01

To improve the teaching and learning materials for a curriculum it is important to incorporate the findings from educational research. In light of this, we present creative exercises and experiments to elicit, confront and resolve misconceptions in geometrical optics. Since ray diagrams can be both the cause and the solution for many…

School Nurses' Perceived Prevalence and Competence to Address Student Mental Health Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephan, Sharon H.; Connors, Elizabeth H.

2013-01-01

Due to under-identification of student mental health problems and limited specialty mental health providers in schools, school nurses are often faced with identifying and addressing student mental health needs. This exploratory study assessed prevalence and types of student mental health problems encountered by school nurses, as well as their…

Briefly...Unplanned Pregnancy among College Students and Strategies to Address It

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2015

2015-01-01

As colleges strive to improve student success and completion, helping students delay pregnancy and parenting (or having additional children) means one less factor that can interfere with their college education. However, pregnancy planning and prevention is not something most colleges address, especially at the community college level. There are…

Community Forays: Addressing Students' Functional Skills in Inclusive Settings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burcroff, Teri L.; Radogna, Daniel M.; Wright, Erika H.

2003-01-01

This article describes how one inclusive middle school addressed needs of students with significant disabilities for functional community-referenced skills including clothing purchases, buying groceries, eating out, crossing the street, doing laundry, and using a microwave. Program development, program organization, and involvement of peers…

Misconceptions and Miscommunication among Women with Pelvic Organ Prolapse

PubMed Central

Wieslander, Cecilia K.; Alas, Alexandriah; Dunivan, Gena C.; Sevilla, Claudia; Cichowski, Sara; Maliski, Sally; Eilber, Karyn; Rogers, Rebecca G.; Anger, Jennifer T.

2015-01-01

Introduction and hypothesis To better understand women’s experience with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) symptoms and to describe factors that prevent disease understanding among Spanish- and English speaking women. Methods Women with POP were recruited from female urology and urogynecology clinics in Los Angeles, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Eight focus groups were conducted, four in Spanish and four in English. Topics addressed patients’ emotional responses when noticing their prolapse, how they sought support, what verbal and written information was given, and their overall feelings of the process. Additionally, patients were asked about their experience with their treating physician. All interview transcripts were analyzed using Grounded Theory qualitative methods. Results Qualitative analysis yielded two preliminary themes: First, women had misconceptions about what POP was as well as its causes and treatments. Secondly, there was a great deal of miscommunication between patient and physician which led to decreased understanding about the diagnosis and treatment options. This included the fact that women were often overwhelmed with information which they did not understand. The concept emerged that there is a strong need for better methods to achieve disease and treatment understanding for women with POP. Conclusions Our data emphasize that women with POP have considerable misconceptions about their disease. In addition, there is miscommunication during the patient-physician interaction that leads to further confusion among Spanish and English speaking women. Spending more time explaining the diagnosis of POP, rather than focusing solely on treatment options, may reduce miscommunication and increase patient understanding. PMID:25516231

Invisible, Marginalized, and Stigmatized: Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Atheist Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Kathleen M.; Mueller, John A.

2009-01-01

In this chapter, the authors introduce the topic of atheist students to the field of student affairs. The authors provide definitions of relevant terms related to the perspectives and principles of atheists. Then, they briefly address the demographics of atheism and focus on atheist student experiences on college campuses. The authors conclude…

The Concept of Magnitude and What It Tells Us About How Struggling Students Learn Fractions.

PubMed

Woodward, John

This commentary summarizes emerging research into fractions instruction for students who are at risk for failure. Each of the three articles emphasizes a measure conception of fractions. Teaching fractions as measurement helps students learn the magnitude of rational numbers. However, measurement is only part of the way that students should conceptualize fractions. Instruction also needs to emphasize fractions as division. The article also draws attention to the teaching qualifications of those who typically instruct at-risk students in Tier 2 and 3 settings. More often than not, these individuals lack the pedagogical content knowledge needed to adapt instruction and address student misconceptions. This is a critical issue going forward as the field attempts to balance procedural understanding with key underlying fractional ideas such a measurement and division.

Prospective Teachers' Misconceptions about the Atomic Structure in the Context of Electrification by Friction and an Activity in Order to Remedy Them

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarikaya, Mustafa

2007-01-01

Science educators have generally agreed that understanding the atom concept is the basis of science education. However, the numerous research studies have shown that many students at all educational levels have difficulties understanding this concept. This study was developed under three headings. The first was to identify misconceptions that…

Identifying and addressing student difficulties with the ideal gas law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kautz, Christian Hans

This dissertation reports on an in-depth investigation of student understanding of the ideal gas law. The research and curriculum development were mostly conducted in the context of algebra- and calculus-based introductory physics courses and a sophomore-level thermal physics course. Research methods included individual demonstration interviews and written questions. Student difficulties with the quantities: pressure, volume, temperature, and the number of moles were identified. Data suggest that students' incorrect and incomplete microscopic models about gases contribute to the difficulties they have in answering questions posed in macroscopic terms. In addition, evidence for general reasoning difficulties is presented. These research results have guided the development of curriculum to address the student difficulties that have been identified.

Pedagogical Content Knowledge: Teacher’s Knowledge of Students in Learning Mathematics on Limit of Function Subject

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma'rufi; Ketut Budayasa, I.; Juniati, Dwi

2018-01-01

This research aims at describing the profile of high school teacher’s Pedagogical Content Knowledge in learning mathematics from the perspective of teaching experience. Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) covers teacher’s knowledge of subject matter, knowledge of pedagogy, and knowledge of students. The subject of this research was two high school mathematics teachers who have different teaching experience. The data were obtained through interview and observation then analyzed qualitatively. The focus of this research is the novice teacher’s PCK deals with knowledge of students. Knowledge of Student is defined as teacher’s knowledge about the students’ conception and misconception on limit of function material and teacher’s ability to cope with students’ difficulty, mistake, and misconception. The result of this research shows that novice teacher’s ability in analyzing the cause of students’ difficulty, mistake, and misconception was limited. Novice teacher tended to overcome the students’ difficulty, mistake, and misconception by re-explaining the procedure of question completion which is not understood by the students.

TASER® conducted electrical weapons: misconceptions in the scientific/medical and other literature.

PubMed

Jauchem, James R

2015-03-01

TASER(®) conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) have become an important law-enforcement tool. Controversial questions are often raised during discussion of some incidents in which the devices have been used. The main purpose of this paper is to point out some misconceptions about CEWs that have been published in the scientific/medical and other literature. This is a narrative review, using a multidisciplinary approach of analyzing reports from scientific/medical and other literature sources. In previous reports, durations of incapacitating effects and possible associations of CEWs with deaths-in-custody have often been overstated or exaggerated. Comparisons of CEW effects with "electrocution" are misleading. Clarification of these misconceptions may be important during policymaker decisions, practitioner operations, expert witness testimonies, and court proceedings. Despite misconceptions in the literature, CEWs can still be a valuable tool for law enforcement activities. Scientists, medical professionals, legal advisors, and investigators of police tactics should be aware of these misconceptions.

Undergraduate Students' Conceptions of Natural and Anthropogenic Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trenbath, K. L.

2011-12-01

constructed definition removes human-causes from association with the word "climate change", which may influence their climate change understanding. Of the two higher achieving students, one emphasized anthropogenic climate change at the beginning of the semester, but later focused on natural climate change during his interviews. The other high achieving student included tangential environmental topics in her descriptions of climate change throughout the entire semester, thus conflating climate change's definition. These alternative definitions of climate change indicate that the learners constructed hybrid conceptions in order to incorporate class content with their prior ideas. These hybrid conceptions indicate that the students' understandings lie somewhere between misconceptions and conceptual change. Since the students demonstrated these hybrid conceptions at the end of class, perhaps more time is needed for the students to process the information. These case studies identify the gaps the professor should address for conceptual change to fully occur.

Playing with Science: An Investigation of Young Children's Science Conceptions and Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smolleck, Lori; Hershberger, Vanessa

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the conceptions and misconceptions of young children (ages 3-8) related to science concepts, skills, and phenomena. These conceptions and misconceptions were investigated within the framework of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards for Pre-Kindergarten and the Pennsylvania Standards for…

WWC Review of the Report "Conceptualizing Astronomical Scale: Virtual Simulations on Handheld Tablet Computers Reverse Misconceptions." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2014

2014-01-01

The 2014 study, "Conceptualizing Astronomical Scale: Virtual Simulations on Handheld Tablet Computers Reverse Misconceptions," examined the effects of using the true-to-scale (TTS) display mode versus the orrery display mode in the iPad's Solar Walk software application on students' knowledge of the Earth's place in the solar system. The…

Identifying and Addressing Student Difficulties with the Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klassen, Stephen

2009-05-01

The Millikan oil drop experiment has been characterized as one of the ‘most beautiful’ physics experiments of all time and, certainly, as one of the most frustrating of all the exercises in the undergraduate physics laboratory. A literature review reveals that work done on addressing student difficulties in performing the oil drop experiment has, to date, not achieved a significant measure of success. The historical background of the oil drop experiment is well established in the literature from the perspective of historians of science, but not so from the perspective of teachers and students of science. A summary of historical details surrounding the original experiment suitable for use in revising the instructional approach is presented. Both Millikan and his graduate student, Fletcher, are featured with the view to emphasizing details that humanize the protagonists and that are likely to raise student interest. The issue of the necessary reliance on presuppositions in doing speculative research is raised, both from the historical account and from the insights of university physics students who heard the historical account and performed the experiment. Difficulties current students have in performing the experiment are discussed from the perspective of Hodson (Stud Sci Educ 22:85-142, 1993) framework and the students’ own observations. Last, further historical materials are outlined that may be used to encourage student insight into the fundamental nature of electricity. It is proposed that these aspects are essential as a basis for identifying and addressing student difficulties with the Millikan oil drop experiment.

Students' Understandings and Misconceptions of Algebraic Inequalities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowntree, Rebecca V.

2009-01-01

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM] requires students in grades nine through 12 to be able to explain inequalities using mathematical relational symbols and be able to understand the meaning of inequalities and their solutions (NCTM, 2000). Studies have shown that not only middle and high school students have difficulties with…

How Do Organic Chemistry Students Understand and Apply Hydrogen Bonding?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderleiter, J.; Smart, R.; Anderson, J.; Elian, O.

2001-08-01

Students completing a year-long organic chemistry sequence were interviewed to assess how they understood, explained, and applied knowledge of hydrogen bonding to the physical behavior of molecules. Students were asked to define hydrogen bonding and explain situations in which hydrogen bonding could occur. They were asked to predict and explain how hydrogen bonding influences boiling point, the solubility of molecules, and NMR and IR spectra. Results suggest that although students may be able to give appropriate definitions of hydrogen bonding and may recognize when this phenomenon can occur, significant numbers cannot apply their knowledge of hydrogen bonding to physical properties of molecules or to the interpretation of spectral data. Some possess misconceptions concerning boiling points and the ability of molecules to induce hydrogen bonding. Instructional strategies must be adjusted to address these issues.

Tracking Decimal Misconceptions: Strategic Instructional Choices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Linda B.

2016-01-01

Understanding the decimal system is challenging, requiring coordination of place-value concepts with features of whole-number and fraction knowledge (Moloney and Stacey 1997). Moreover, the learner must discern if and how previously learned concepts and procedures apply. The process is complex, and misconceptions will naturally arise. In a…

Engagement studios: students and communities working to address the determinants of health.

PubMed

Bainbridge, Lesley; Grossman, Susan; Dharamsi, Shafik; Porter, Jill; Wood, Victoria

2014-01-01

This article presents an innovative model for interprofessional community-oriented learning. The Engagement Studios model involves a partnership between community organizations and students as equal partners in conversations and activities aimed at addressing issues of common concern as they relate to the social determinants of health. Interprofessional teams of students from health and non-health disciplines work with community partners to identify priority community issues and explore potential solutions. The student teams work with a particular community organization, combining their unique disciplinary perspectives to develop a project proposal, which addresses the community issues that have been jointly identified. Approved proposals receive a small budget to implement the project. In this paper we present the Engagement Studios model and share lessons learned from a pilot of this educational initiative.

A Descriptive Study of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Misconceptions about Sinking-Floating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiray, Seyit Ahmet; Aktan, Filiz; Kaynar, Hamza; Kilinc, Sena; Gorkemli, Tugce

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, it attempts to determine the pre-service science teachers' misconceptions about floating and sinking. Secondly, it aims to reveal the level of pre-service science teachers' misconceptions, scientific knowledge, lack of knowledge, and lack of confidence related to floating and sinking. To conduct the…

Using simple manipulatives to improve student comprehension of a complex biological process: protein synthesis.

PubMed

Guzman, Karen; Bartlett, John

2012-01-01

Biological systems and living processes involve a complex interplay of biochemicals and macromolecular structures that can be challenging for undergraduate students to comprehend and, thus, misconceptions abound. Protein synthesis, or translation, is an example of a biological process for which students often hold many misconceptions. This article describes an exercise that was developed to illustrate the process of translation using simple objects to represent complex molecules. Animations, 3D physical models, computer simulations, laboratory experiments and classroom lectures are also used to reinforce the students' understanding of translation, but by focusing on the simple manipulatives in this exercise, students are better able to visualize concepts that can elude them when using the other methods. The translation exercise is described along with suggestions for background material, questions used to evaluate student comprehension and tips for using the manipulatives to identify common misconceptions. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Teaching Tree-Thinking to Undergraduate Biology Students.

PubMed

Meisel, Richard P

2010-07-27

Evolution is the unifying principle of all biology, and understanding how evolutionary relationships are represented is critical for a complete understanding of evolution. Phylogenetic trees are the most conventional tool for displaying evolutionary relationships, and "tree-thinking" has been coined as a term to describe the ability to conceptualize evolutionary relationships. Students often lack tree-thinking skills, and developing those skills should be a priority of biology curricula. Many common student misconceptions have been described, and a successful instructor needs a suite of tools for correcting those misconceptions. I review the literature on teaching tree-thinking to undergraduate students and suggest how this material can be presented within an inquiry-based framework.

Teaching Tree-Thinking to Undergraduate Biology Students

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Evolution is the unifying principle of all biology, and understanding how evolutionary relationships are represented is critical for a complete understanding of evolution. Phylogenetic trees are the most conventional tool for displaying evolutionary relationships, and “tree-thinking” has been coined as a term to describe the ability to conceptualize evolutionary relationships. Students often lack tree-thinking skills, and developing those skills should be a priority of biology curricula. Many common student misconceptions have been described, and a successful instructor needs a suite of tools for correcting those misconceptions. I review the literature on teaching tree-thinking to undergraduate students and suggest how this material can be presented within an inquiry-based framework. PMID:21572571

Efficacy of changing physics misconceptions held by ninth grade students at varying developmental levels through teacher addition of a prediction phase to the learning cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oglesby, Michael L.

This study examines the efficacy in correcting student misconceptions about science concepts by using the pedagogical method of asking students to make a prediction in science laboratory lessons for students within pre-formal, transitional, or formal stages of cognitive development. The subjects were students (n = 235) enrolled in ninth grade physical science classes (n=15) in one high school of an urban profile school district. The four freshmen physical science teachers who were part of the study routinely taught the concepts in the study as a part of the normal curriculum during the time of the school year in which the research was conducted. Classrooms representing approximately half of the students were presented with a prediction phase at the start of each of ten learning cycle lesson. The other classrooms were not presented with a prediction phase. Students were pre and post tested using a 40 question instrument based on the Force Concept Inventory augmented with questions on the concepts taught during the period of the study. Students were also tested using the Test of Scientific Reasoning to determine their cognitive developmental level. Results showed 182 of the students to be cognitively pre-formal, 50 to be transitional, and only 3 to be cognitively formal. There were significantly higher gains (p < .05) for the formal group over the transitional group and for the transitional group over the Pre-formal group. However, there were not significantly higher gains (p > .05) for the total students having a prediction phase compared to those not having a prediction phase. Neither were there significant gains (p > .05) within the pre-formal group or within the transitional group. There were too few students within the formal group for meaningful results.

Effect of Process-Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning on Non-majors Biology Students' Understanding of Biological Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wozniak, Breann M.

nature of classification. The POGIL students were the only group to surpass these challenges after the teaching intervention. This study shows that POGIL is an effective technique at eliciting students' misconceptions, and addressing these misconceptions, leading to an increase in student understanding of biological classification.

Developing and validating a chemical bonding instrument for Korean high school students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Nak Han

The major purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument designed to collect and investigate on Korean high school students' understanding about concepts regarding chemical bonding. The Chemical Bonding Diagnostic Test (CBDT) was developed by the procedure by previously relevant researches (Treagust, 1985; Peterson, 1986; Tan, 1994). The final instrument consisted of 15 two-tier items. The reliability coefficient (Cronbach alpha) for the whole test was 0.74. Also, the range of values for the discrimination index was from 0.38 to 0.90 and the overall average difficulty index was 0.38. The test was administered to 716 science declared students in Korean high school. The 37 common misconceptions on chemical bonding were identified through analysis of the items from the CBDT. The grade 11 students had slightly more misconceptions than the grade 12 students for ionic bonding, covalent bonding, and hydrogen bonding while the grade 12 students had more misconceptions about octet rule and hydrogen bonding than the grade 11 students. From the analysis of ANCOVA, there was no significant difference in grades, and between grade levels and gender on the mean score of CBDT. However, there was a significant difference in gender and a significant interaction between grade levels and chemistry preference. In conclusion, Korean high school students had the most common misconception about the electron configuration on ionic bonding and the water density on hydrogen bonding. Korean students' understanding about the chemical bonding was dependent on the interaction between grade levels and the chemistry preference. Consequently, grade 12 chemistry-preferred students had the highest mean scores among student groups concerned by this study.

Problems in research integrity arising from misconceptions about the ownership of research.

PubMed

Fields, K L; Price, A R

1993-09-01

Many allegations of scientific misconduct result from activities that are perceived by the complainants as the "theft" of ideas, experimental results, or other intellectual property. The authors' thesis is that many of these allegations originate in misconceptions about the ownership of publicly supported scientific research. Some universities and medical schools may have their own codes for authorship, and journals and professional societies have codes or guidelines. In the NIH intramural programs, research data are considered to be the property of the institutes, not the individual researchers. In contrast, the training and experience of most scientists lead them to consider research data as being theirs. The paper discusses the origins of this attitude toward data and the ways that the structures of university laboratories and training programs lead to confusion and misunderstandings of researchers' "rights" to data. Also, emotional and personality factors often complicate these issues and lead to confrontations. Other misconceptions widely held among researchers: the false concepts of "my grant" and the "co-principal" investigator, ideas about who is and is not qualified to be an author, and ideas about sharing data. The authors emphasize the importance of scientifically literate legal advisers and the necessity for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors to understand their institutions' and grantors' guidelines and their obligations as scientists. At the heart of these obligations at all levels of research is honesty.

Students' and teachers' misapplication of le chatelier's principle: Implications for the teaching of chemical equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quílez-Pardo, Juan; Solaz-Portolés, Joan Josep

The aim of this article was to study the reasons, strategies, and procedures that both students and teachers use to solve some chemical equilibrium questions and problems. Inappropriate conceptions on teaching and a lack of knowledge regarding the limited usefulness of Le Chatelier's principle, with its vague and ambiguous formulation and textbook presentation, may be some of the sources of misconceptions about the prediction of the effect of changing conditions on chemical equilibrium. To diagnose misconceptions and their possible sources, a written test was developed and administered to 170 1st-year university chemistry students. A chemical equilibrium problem, relating to the students' test, was solved by 40 chemistry teachers. First, we ascertained that teacher's conceptions might influence the problem-solving strategies of the learner. Based on this first aspect, our discussion also concerns students' and teachers' misconceptions related to the Le Chatelier's principle. Misconceptions emerged through: (a) misapplication and misunderstanding of Le Chatelier's principle; (b) use of rote-learning recall and algorithmic procedures; (c) incorrect control of the variables involved; (d) limited use of the chemical equilibrium law; (e) a lack of mastery of chemical equilibrium principles and difficulty in transferring such principles to new situations. To avoid chemical equilibrium misconceptions, a specific pattern of conceptual and methodological change may be considered.Received: 16 November 1993; Revised: 21 September 1994;

Drawing on Students' Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schussler, Elisabeth; Winslow, Jeff

2007-01-01

Effective instruction requires continual assessment of student understanding to identify and redirect misconceptions. This is particularly important when dealing with topics that seem straightforward to the teacher but may go beyond the personal experience of many students, such as the life cycle of flowering plants. Life cycles are a core topic…

Strategies Reported Used by Instructors to Address Student Alternate Conceptions in Chemical Equilibrium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piquette, Jeff S.; Heikkinen, Henry W.

2005-01-01

This study explores general-chemistry instructors' awareness of and ability to identify and address common student learning obstacles in chemical equilibrium. Reported instructor strategies directed at remediating student alternate conceptions were investigated and compared with successful, literature-based conceptual change methods. Fifty-two…

Student assistance program: a new approach for student success in addressing behavioral health and life events.

PubMed

Veeser, Peggy Ingram; Blakemore, Carol Warren

2006-01-01

College health centers, whether large or small, often find it challenging to provide counseling and supportive services for all students (including remotely located students) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Student assistance programs (SAPs) are services provided to students through a contractual arrangement to the university or college as a part of student services. The goal is to address psychosocial concerns that may interfere with academic performance within the realm of short-term counseling. These services range from traditional behavioral health concerns about stress and depressive reactions to how to find child care with foreign-speaking services. In this article, the authors describe a method to provide such short-term counseling to a 2,200-student health-science campus. They present data from 1 year of service as well as the benefits and limitations.

College Students' Misconceptions about Evolutionary Trees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meir, Eli; Perry, Judy; Herron, Jon C.; Kingsolver, Joel

2007-01-01

Evolution is at the center of the biological sciences and is therefore a required topic for virtually every college biology student. Over the past year, the authors have been building a new simulation software package called EvoBeaker to teach college-level evolutionary biology through simulated experiments. They have built both micro and…

Sources of Stereotypes and Misconceptions of Aging: A Comparative Study of Cohort Differences.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kluge, Nancy A.; And Others

Traditional stereotypes and attitudes about the elderly are of interest to both researchers and health care providers. Misconceptions about the elderly and the sources of these misconceptions were examined in undergraduates (N=150) and in elderly subjects (N=50). Subjects completed the Miller-Dodder revision of Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz One…

Sustainable rare diseases business and drug access: no time for misconceptions.

PubMed

Rollet, Pierrick; Lemoine, Adrien; Dunoyer, Marc

2013-07-23

Legislative incentives enacted in Europe through the Regulation (EC) No. 141/2000 to incentivize orphan drug development have over the last 12 years constituted a powerful impetus toward R&D directed at the rare diseases population. However, despite therapeutic promises contained in these projects and significant economic impact linked to burgeoning R&D expenditures, the affordability and value of OMPs has become a topic of health policy debate in Europe fueled by the perception that OMPs have high acquisition costs, and by misconceptions around pricing dynamics and rare-diseases business models. In order to maintain sustainable patient access to new and innovative therapies, it is essential to address these misconceptions, and to ensure the successful continuation of a dynamic OMPs R&D within rare-diseases public health policy. Misconceptions abound regarding the pricing of rare diseases drugs and reflect a poor appreciation of the R&D model and the affordability and value of OMPs. Simulation of potential financial returns of small medium sized rare diseases companies focusing on high priced drugs show that their economic returns are likely to be close to their cost of capital. Research in rare diseases is a challenging endeavour characterised by high fixed costs in which companies accrue substantial costs for several years before potentially generating returns from the fruits of their investments. Although heavily dependent upon R&D capabilities of each individual company or R&D organization, continuous flow of R&D financial investment should allow industry to increasingly include efficiencies in research and development in cost considerations to its customers. Industry should also pro-actively work on facilitating development of a specific value based pricing approach to help understanding what constitute value in rare diseases. Policy makers must reward innovation based upon unmet need and patient outcome. Broader understanding by clinicians, the public, and

Sustainable rare diseases business and drug access: no time for misconceptions

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Legislative incentives enacted in Europe through the Regulation (EC) No. 141/2000 to incentivize orphan drug development have over the last 12 years constituted a powerful impetus toward R&D directed at the rare diseases population. However, despite therapeutic promises contained in these projects and significant economic impact linked to burgeoning R&D expenditures, the affordability and value of OMPs has become a topic of health policy debate in Europe fueled by the perception that OMPs have high acquisition costs, and by misconceptions around pricing dynamics and rare-diseases business models. In order to maintain sustainable patient access to new and innovative therapies, it is essential to address these misconceptions, and to ensure the successful continuation of a dynamic OMPs R&D within rare-diseases public health policy. Misconceptions abound regarding the pricing of rare diseases drugs and reflect a poor appreciation of the R&D model and the affordability and value of OMPs. Simulation of potential financial returns of small medium sized rare diseases companies focusing on high priced drugs show that their economic returns are likely to be close to their cost of capital. Research in rare diseases is a challenging endeavour characterised by high fixed costs in which companies accrue substantial costs for several years before potentially generating returns from the fruits of their investments. Although heavily dependent upon R&D capabilities of each individual company or R&D organization, continuous flow of R&D financial investment should allow industry to increasingly include efficiencies in research and development in cost considerations to its customers. Industry should also pro-actively work on facilitating development of a specific value based pricing approach to help understanding what constitute value in rare diseases. Policy makers must reward innovation based upon unmet need and patient outcome. Broader understanding by clinicians, the public, and

Comic Relief: Graduate Students Address Multiple Meanings for Technology Integration with Digital Comic Creation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sockman, Beth Rajan; Sutton, Rhonda; Herrmann, Michele

2016-01-01

This study determined the usefulness of digital comic creation with 77 graduate students in a teacher technology course. Students completed an assigned reading and created digital comics that addressed technology integration concerns in the schools and society. Using practical action research, 77 student-created comics were analyzed. The findings…

Clarification of Selected Misconceptions in Physical Geography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Burton D.; And Others

1992-01-01

Discusses some misconceptions relating to location and to the earth's hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere. Provides correction and explanation of various phenomena. Includes ocean names and sizes, sea level, coriolis effect, greenhouse effect, lightning, magma, and mass wasting. Suggests that myths can be dispelled by exposure combined with…

Mental Models Research to Inform Community Outreach for a Campus Recycling Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Lauren; Arvai, Joseph; Thorp, Laurie

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a better understanding of the state of knowledge of students and faculty on the Michigan State University (MSU) campus; identify relevant gaps in knowledge and misconceptions about recycling; and provide recommendations regarding how these gaps and misconceptions may be addressed through education…

[Science and ethics, therapeutic misconception and mirage].

PubMed

Raymond, J; Long, H

2008-12-01

Medical practice changes constantly. Ethical imperatives are however incorrigible. How can we reconcile ethics, practice and progress? Some bioethicians argue that research and care should be disentangled to minimize the 'therapeutic misconception', a clinical propensity to believe that patients are the object of medical care, while in fact they are the subjects of a scientific experiment. On the contrary, we believe that clinical research should be an integral part of the good practice. A divorce between research and clinical practice leads to an incorrigible medicine, liable to the therapeutic mirage, that is the false belief that everything modern medicine can offer has been proved beneficial. But both therapeutic misconception and mirage are possible because of a misunderstanding of either research or clinical practice. In this essay we review ethical principles behind clinical trial methodology and attempt to reconcile ethics, science and clinical practice. Not only should clinical research be integrated to the good practice of medicine, it should also be part of training in our specialty.

An Ethnomethodological Perspective on How Middle School Students Addressed a Water Quality Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belland, Brian R.; Gu, Jiangyue; Kim, Nam Ju; Turner, David J.

2016-01-01

Science educators increasingly call for students to address authentic scientific problems in science class. One form of authentic science problem--socioscientific issue--requires that students engage in complex reasoning by considering both scientific and social implications of problems. Computer-based scaffolding can support this process by…

Student Teacher Understanding of the Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Layer Depletion, and Acid Rain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dove, Jane

1996-01-01

Describes the results of a survey designed to ascertain details of student teachers' knowledge and misconceptions about the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and ozone layer depletion. Results indicate familiarity with the issues but little understanding of the concepts involved and many commonly held misconceptions. (JRH)

Are Teacher and Principal Candidates Prepared to Address Student Cyberbullying?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Styron, Ronald A., Jr.; Bonner, Jessica L.; Styron, Jennifer L.; Bridgeforth, James; Martin, Cecelia

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the preparation of teacher and principal candidates to address problems created in K-12 settings as a result of cyberbullying. Participants included teacher and principal preparation students. Findings indicated that respondents were familiar with the most common forms of cyberbullying and its impact on…

Common Misconceptions About Service-Oriented Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-01

addition, the architect(s) must make decisions on how services are implemented. Service implementations may involve developing new software , wrapping a...legacy software system, incor- porating services provided by third par- ties, or a combination of these options. Information about the quality attrib...temperature. However, there 28 CROSSTALK The Journal of Defense Software Engineering November 2007 Common Misconceptions About Service -Oriented

STUDENTS IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM.

PubMed

Lim, A G; Chong, V H; Salleh, S M; Poh, S H

2017-03-01

Sexually transmitted infections (STI) remain an important public health issue globally, particularly among the young population. Despite being preventable and curable, STI continue to spread. Lack of access to treatment is an important factor in many developing and underdeveloped nations. Lack of awareness and knowledge is another important factor. This study assessed the awareness, knowledge, and misconceptions among secondary school students on STI. Overall, awareness was poor but better among male students and those in the Pure Science academic streaming. Similarly, the knowledge level of STI was also poor: low level (63.0%), moderate level (34.4%), and high level (2.6%). Male students (p=0.014) and Pure Science academic streaming students (p<0.001) scored better. There were misconceptions, but poor knowledge was predominant. Common sources of information were teachers, health professionals, Internet, parents and TV programs. Based on our study, more needs to be done to improve the awareness and knowledge level of STI, and detailed inclusion into the educational curriculum may be a consideration.

Student Attitudes, Student Anxieties, and How to Address Them; A handbook for science teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kastrup, Helge

2016-02-01

This book is based on a commitment to teaching science to everybody. What may work for training professional scientists does not work for general science education. Students bring to the classrooms preconceived attitudes, as well as the emotional baggage called 'science anxiety'. Students may regard science as cold, unfriendly, and even inherently hostile and biased against women. This book has been designed to deal with each of these issues and results from research in both Denmark and the USA. The first chapter discusses student attitudes towards science and the second discusses science anxiety. The connection between the two is discussed before the introduction of constructivism as a pedagogy that can aid science learning if it also addresses attitudes and anxieties. Much of the book elucidates what the authors have learned as science teachers and science education researchers. They studied various groups including university students majoring in the sciences, mathematics, humanities, social sciences, business, nursing, and education; high-school students; teachers' seminary students; science teachers at all levels from middle school through college; and science administrators. The insights of these groups constitute the most important feature of the book, and by sharing them, the authors hope to help their fellow science teachers to understand student attitudes about science, to recognize the connections between these and science anxiety, and to see how a pedagogy that takes these into account can improve science learning.

Examining the Conceptual Understandings of Geoscience Concepts of Students with Visual Impairments: Implications of 3-D Printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koehler, Karen E.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the use of 3-D printed models as an instructional tool in a middle school science classroom for students with visual impairments and compare their use to traditional tactile graphics for aiding conceptual understanding of geoscience concepts. Specifically, this study examined if the students' conceptual understanding of plate tectonics was different when 3-D printed objects were used versus traditional tactile graphics and explored the misconceptions held by students with visual impairments related to plate tectonics and associated geoscience concepts. Interview data was collected one week prior to instruction and one week after instruction and throughout the 3-week instructional period and additional ata sources included student journals, other student documents and audio taped instructional sessions. All students in the middle school classroom received instruction on plate tectonics using the same inquiry-based curriculum but during different time periods of the day. One group of students, the 3D group, had access to 3-D printed models illustrating specific geoscience concepts and the group of students, the TG group, had access to tactile graphics illustrating the same geoscience concepts. The videotaped pre and post interviews were transcribed, analyzed and coded for conceptual understanding using constant comparative analysis and to uncover student misconceptions. All student responses to the interview questions were categorized in terms of conceptual understanding. Analysis of student journals and classroom talk served to uncover student mental models and misconceptions about plate tectonics and associated geoscience concepts to measure conceptual understanding. A slight majority of the conceptual understanding before instruction was categorized as no understanding or alternative understanding and after instruction the larger majority of conceptual understanding was categorized as scientific or scientific

The Shi’a Crescent: A Misconception of Shi’a Alliance

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

wear the hijab , set up illegal sharia courts, and imposed their own brutal penalties.”47 The country’s demography was tolerant toward a sectarian... A MISCONCEPTION OF SHI’A ALLIANCE by Rowaida Alamiri December 2014 Thesis Advisor: Anne Marie Baylouny Second Reader Mohammed Hafez...Master ’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS THE SHI’ A CRESCENT: A MISCONCEPTION OF SHI’ A ALLIANCE 6. AUTHOR(S) Rowaida Alamiri 7

Persistence of Latino Students in Community Colleges: An Empowerment Model Addressing Acculturative Stress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Judy C.

2012-01-01

College student persistence has been a concern of researchers and practitioners since the early 1960s. Traditional models have addressed the need for students to be integrated into the academic and social domains of the college campus. Recently, critical theorists and researchers have been questioning the relevance of the traditional models for…

How Are 2-Year US Colleges Addressing Student Alcohol Use and Related Problems?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenk, Kathleen M.; Nelson, Toben F.; Erickson, Darin J.; Toomey, Traci L.

2015-01-01

A considerable amount of attention and research has been dedicated to addressing alcohol use and related problems among students at 4-year colleges; however, less attention has been given to alcohol-related issues among students at 2-year technical/community colleges. This article describes research that expands on a study by Chiauzzi and…

Early Childhood Teachers' Misconceptions about Mathematics Education for Young Children in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Joon Sun; Ginsburg, Herbert P.

2009-01-01

In this article we discuss nine common misconceptions about learning and teaching mathematics for young children that are widespread among prospective and practicing early childhood teachers in the United States. These misconceptions include: 1. Young children are not ready for mathematics education; 2. Mathematics is for some bright kids with…

Secondary Students' Interpretations of Photosynthesis and Plant Nutrition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozay, Esra; Oztas, Haydar

2003-01-01

Studies misconceptions held by grade 9 students (14-15-years old) in Turkey about photosynthesis and plant nutrition. Uses a questionnaire to test students' conceptions and reports conflicting and often incorrect ideas about photosynthesis, respiration, and energy flow in plants. Suggests that there are difficulties in changing students' prior…

Investigating Undergraduate Students’ Use of Intuitive Reasoning and Evolutionary Knowledge in Explanations of Antibiotic Resistance

PubMed Central

Richard, Melissa; Coley, John D.; Tanner, Kimberly D.

2017-01-01

Natural selection is a central concept throughout biology; however, it is a process frequently misunderstood. Bacterial resistance to antibiotic medications provides a contextual example of the relevance of evolutionary theory and is also commonly misunderstood. While research has shed light on student misconceptions of natural selection, minimal study has focused on misconceptions of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, research has focused on the degree to which misconceptions may be based in the complexity of biological information or in pedagogical choices, rather than in deep-seated cognitive patterns. Cognitive psychology research has established that humans develop early intuitive assumptions to make sense of the world. In this study, we used a written assessment tool to investigate undergraduate students’ misconceptions of antibiotic resistance, use of intuitive reasoning, and application of evolutionary knowledge to antibiotic resistance. We found a majority of students produced and agreed with misconceptions, and intuitive reasoning was present in nearly all students’ written explanations. Acceptance of a misconception was significantly associated with production of a hypothesized form of intuitive thinking (all p ≤ 0.05). Intuitive reasoning may represent a subtle but innately appealing linguistic shorthand, and instructor awareness of intuitive reasoning’s relation to student misunderstandings has potential for addressing persistent misconceptions. PMID:28821540