Various features of scientific discourse have been characterized in the science education literature, and challenges students face in appropriating these features have been explored. Using the framework of conceptual metaphor, this paper sought to identify explicit and implicit metaphors in pedagogical texts dealing with the concept of entropy and the second law of thermodynamics, an abstract and challenging domain for learners. Three university-level textbooks were analyzed from a conceptual metaphor perspective, and a range of explicit and implicit metaphors were identified. Explicit metaphors identified include entropy as disorder, thermodynamics processes as movements along a path, and energetic exchange as financial transactions among others. Implicit metaphors include application and elaboration of the generic Location Event Structure metaphor, application of the Object Event Structure metaphor, and others. The similarities and differences between explicit and implicit metaphors found in the textbooks are also described. Two key pedagogical implications are discussed: that the selection of explicit instructional metaphors can be guided by consistency with implicit metaphors; and that the range of implicit metaphors found in pedagogical texts implies that a multiple instructional metaphor strategy is warranted. The depth of the phenomenon of conceptual metaphor and its implications for future research are also discussed
A challenge in the teaching of entropy is that the word has several different senses, which may provide an obstacle for communication. This study identifies five distinct senses of the word entropy, using the Principled Polysemy approach from the field of linguistics. A semantic network is developed of how the senses are related, using text excerpts from dictionaries, text books and text corpora. Educational challenges such as the existence of several formal senses of entropy and the intermediary position of entropy as disorder along the formal/non-formal scale are presented using a two-Dimensional Semiotic/semantic Analysing Schema (2-D SAS).
Nineteen informants (n = 19) were asked to study and comment two computer animations of the Otto combustion engine. One animation was non-interactive and realistic in the sense of depicting a physical engine. The other animation was more idealised, interactive and synchronised with a dynamic PV-graph. The informants represented practical and theoretical traditions of knowledge: science students and teachers at upper secondary school level; vocational students and teachers in vehicle mechanics at upper secondary school level, and; MSc and PhD students in vehicle system engineering. The aim was to explore how they interpreted the animations against the background of their different traditions of knowledge and their experience of physical engines and models of engines. A key finding was that the PhD students saw the interactive animation as a familiar and useful model of engines, whereas the vehicle mechanics teachers saw it as a poor representation of reality. A general conclusion was that there is a variety of competent ways to interpret a model, depending on the tradition of knowledge.
Research within a constructivist approach often relies on interview data, which are used to reveal beliefs held by the interviewee or to expose conceptions or conceptual structures that are supposed to reside within the interviewee. From a sociocultural perspective, severe criticism has been leveled against the neglect of the problems of inferring conceptions held by a participant from what is uttered in an interview. Utterances should be looked upon as cultural tools used to realize discursive practices, rather than as propositions mirroring mental entities. It is argued that the clinical interview, often used by constructivists, disregards the impact of a situation and discursive norms with regard to what is uttered in a conversation. Here, it is argued that by taking into account an interviewee's conceptions of the situation, as well as of the subject matter being talked about, some sort of a bridge between the methodological standpoints of constructivism and sociocultural theory can be formed. It is proposed that utterances should be regarded as actions, and thus the problem of ascribing meanings to behavior is in focus, that is, how a series of behaviors can be regarded as an intentional action. It is argued that by means of such an approach, it is possible to make inferences about conceptions and conceptual structures much in the same way as is done in research on conceptual change. However, this means that utterances cannot just be "read off." The interviewee's aims, conceptions of the subject matter talked about, as well as the interviewee's conceptions of the situation to hand must be taken into account. A reinterpretation of data reported by Andrea diSessa and Bruce Sherin is used as an illustration. Copyright © 2007, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
A growing body of research has examined the experiential grounding of scientific thought and the role of experiential intuitive knowledge in science learning. Meanwhile, research in cognitive linguistics has identified many conceptual metaphors (CMs), metaphorical mappings between abstract concepts and experiential source domains, implicit in everyday and scientific language. However, the contributions of CMs to scientific understanding and reasoning are still not clear. This study explores the roles that CMs play in scientific problem-solving through a detailed analysis of two physical chemistry PhD students solving problems on entropy. We report evidence in support of three claims: a range of CMs are used in problem-solving enabling flexible, experiential construals of abstract scientific concepts; CMs are coordinated with one another and other resources supporting the alignment of qualitative and quantitative reasoning; use of CMs grounds abstract reasoning in a “narrative” discourse incorporating conceptions of paths, agents, and movement. We conclude that CMs should be added to the set of intuitive resources others have suggested contribute to expertise in science. This proposal is consistent with two assumptions: that cognition is embodiment and that internal cognitive structures and processes interact with semiotic systems. The implications of the findings for learning and instruction are discussed.
The words disorder, information, freedom and spreading are used as metaphors and analogies in science teaching to capture the scientific qualitative sense of entropy. In addition, the identification of entropy with the everyday conception of heat has been proposed. While physical sciences are regarded as exact disciplines, in which terms have precise definitions, the words being used in the qualitative interpretation of entropy have many senses. This may provide an obstacle to achieving a scientific understanding of entropy. In this study, the metaphors for entropy and seeing entropy as heat were analysed by use of the different entries for the words in a dictionary. The present paper is a contribution to highlighting the importance of making any metaphors and analogies and their benefits and limitations explicit.
The present study focus the presence and role of deep qualitative conceptual knowledge of temperature among a group of ten individuals (n=10), academic well-educated and experienced in science, when solving a task about changes in temperature of a given thermodynamic system. The aim is to find out the variation of comprehension of temperature in the task solving process. Data is gathered by interviews based on the thinking aloud method. The interviews were video-recorded and verbatim transcribed. Transcriptions were analysed by using a two dimensional semiotic/semantic analysing schema (acronym 2-D SAS). The results revealed a broad variation in the comprehension of the term temperature in the given context. The three informants who produced correct answers structured the task by identifying the scientifically appropriate referent and sense of the term temperature according to the given context.
This article presents Swedish results from ‘the Relevance of Science Education’ (ROSE) study, which is a large world wide comparative research project based at the University of Oslo. The Swedish sample consisted of 751 students, most of whom were 15 years old, from 29 schools and data were collected in spring 2003. Student opinions about science lessons are presented in relation to enrolment intentions for upper secondary school together with what they want to learn about in science and technology. The findings indicate that secondary science instruction seems to address only a minority of the students, those that have chosen science or technology in their further education. At the same time, all students have interest in science and technology and many seem most interested in some important issues in societal development. The results are discussed from the perspective of learners and contribute to the debate about establishing a scientific literacy approach in compulsory education.
In this study three different patterns of reasoning have been identified: linear, star and combined reasoning. As six student teachers were working on a contextualized task on heat and temperature they showed these different patterns of reasoning during an interview situation. The data was analysed using reasoning maps. The patterns are also discussed in relation to the students- subject matter knowledge in this specific area. There are indications that the reasoning pattern is dependent on what kind of scientific subject matter knowledge the student reveals. Star and combined reasoning make it possible to look at the task from different angles and thereby develop fragmented knowledge into more comprehensive knowledge.
I denna antologi ges en bred bild av svensk NO-didaktisk forskning. Såväl teoretiska forskningsperspektiv som empiriska frågeställningar belyses i antologins olika artiklar. I fokus står forskningsresultat som behandlar hur naturvetenskapsbaserad kunskap kommuniceras i skolan. Naturvetenskapens språk skiljer sig ofta från vardagsspråket, vilket innebär ett annat sätt att tänka och resonera än vad man är van vid i vardagslivet. Att abstrahera och generalisera är naturvetenskapens styrka och nyckeln till dess unika framgång. Men det ställer krav på den kommunikativa förmågan. Den kommunikativa utmaningen ställs på sin spets i skolans undervisning och lärande i NO-ämnen, där förutom naturvetenskaplig kunskap även etiska och samhälleliga värderingar ingår. Boken är avsedd för studerande i akademisk utbildning och kan användas i det utvecklingsarbete som bedrivs av lärare, lärarkandidater och lärarutbildare. Den kan också läsas av dem som är generellt intresserade av möjligheterna och hindren att förmedla naturvetenskaplig kunskap.
Recension av avhandlingen -Sharing lived experience. How upper secondary school chemistry teachers and students use narratives to make chemistry more meaningful- författad av Agneta Boström. ISBN 13:978-91-7656-617-6.
The educational challenge of polysemy of words used both in non-formal(every-day) and scientific formal languages is addressed. An analysing tool has been elaborated to make this kind of polysemy of words explicit by discerning three different sets of meaning: non-formal, a scientific quality and a physical quantity, respectively. The discernment process is a particular way of seeing the critical aspects of variation of meaning simultaneously connected to one and the same invariant word.
En beskrivning av den nationella forskarskolan i naturvetenskapernas och teknikens didaktik, behov, organisation, program och verksamhet.
Författaren argumenterar för innehållsrelaterad didaktisk forkning. Närmare bestämt forskning som riktar sig mot innehållet i de naturvetenskapliga disciplinerna. Specifik uppmärksamhet riktas mot den koherenta och systematiska kunskapsstruktur som de fysikaliska storheterna utgör. De fysikaliska storheterna och den matematiska modelleringen med dessa är nyckelkunskap för att förstå naturvetenskapen och dess natur. Resultaten av den didaktiska analysen av denna disciplinära kunskap bidrar till lärarens möjlighet att utforma undervisning som kan anpassas till alla utbildningsnivåer.
En diskussion av didaktikens plats i lärarutbildningen i anslutning till de tre nationella rapporter om lärarutbildning som publicerades 1996.
Ord har ofta olika mening i vardagsspråk och vetenskapligt språk. Så är det exempelvis med energi, värme och massa. I naturvetenskapligt språk betecknar dessa ord främst fysikaliska storheter med precis innebörd, medan de i vardagsspråk framför allt är knutna till fenomen. Denna problematik illustreras av resultat från en översiktlig analys av den aktuella kursplanen i fysik för grundskolan (i anslutning till Lpo 94). Distinktionen mellan objekt, fenomen och fysikaliska storheter är betydelsefull för möjligheten att bilda klara begrepp. Om avsikten är att eleverna skall lära sig naturvetenskap förutsätter detta att de fysikaliska storheterna urskiljs och förstås inom ramen för de teoriramar där de hör hemma. Laborativt arbete lyfts ofta fram som lösningen på de svårigheter studerande har att tillägna sig naturvetenskapliga begrepp. Vad man då bortser från är naturvetenskapens diskursiva sida. Att lära naturvetenskap handlar om att bli delaktig i specifika sätt att tänka och resonera om världen, ofta med matematiken som kommunikativt instrument.
En analys och diskussion av frågeställningarna i den nationella utvärderingen av de naturvetenskapliga ämnena i skolan 1992.
One of the most significant developments in school education in recent years has been the development and introduction of standards, a subject of considerable controversy. This book is the result of a symposium held in Kiel, a symposium that was arranged by two leading science education groups, one at IPN (Leibniz Institute for Science Education at the University of Kiel) in Germany and the other at the University of York, UK. The seminar brought together experts from 15 countries. These countries include those that have extensive experience with the effects of standards on the educational system, on individual schools and teachers and on students. Other reports concern countries which are introducing them shortly and yet others on countries that are in the early stages of development of standards. 11 are from Europe and the others are from Australia, Israel, Taiwan and the U.S. The book is divided into three parts.<BR><BR>In Part A, two of the organizers set the scene, describing the reasons for arranging the symposium and outlining the preparations and the work done at the meeting. Part B contains 17 reports from the 15 countries and in Part C, there are two summaries, analysing the conclusions, taken from two different vantage points.<BR><BR>The controversies surrounding standards remain. However, this book gives a succinct and authoritative overall account of the advantages and disadvantages of their introduction taken from the experiences of many countries.
Svenska Kemistsamfundets nomenklaturutskott har blivit uppmärksammade på användningen av begreppen osmol, osmolalitet och osmolaitet och ställer sig frågande till att dessa SI och ISQ-främmande enheter och storheter används i vetenskapliga och kliniska sammanhang.
I International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM) Basic and General Concepts and Associated Terms (ISO-guide 99, 2007) saknas dessa termer. Inte heller i IUPAC’s Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry (Cohen et al., 2007, p. 59) rekommenderas användningen av osmol. I beskrivningen av den osmotiska koefficienten på molal grund anges i fotnot 24:”Their [molecules, ions, etc.] amount is sometimes expressed in osmoles (meaning a mole of osmotically active entities), but this use is discouraged”. I medicinska tidskrifter som exempelvis Clinical Chemistry och Clinical Biochemistry är användningen av termerna legio och stundtals förekommer artiklar som söker klargöra termernas användning (t.ex. Caon, 2008; Khajuria A.,& Krahn, 2005).
Man skulle kunna hävda att användningen av ’osmol’,’osmolaritet’ och ’osmolalitet’ fyller en praktisk, klinisk funktion för att direkt koppla en specifik koncentrations- (aktivitets-) angivelse till ett specifikt fenomen, osmos, med biologiska eller medicinska implikationer. Då bör dock termerna inte användas som enhet respektive storheter utan snarare som beteckningar för mätning av fenomenet som sådant. I ett korrekt språkbruk kan man i de sammanhang där en lösnings kolligativa egenskaper är av betydelse, till exempel i fallet osmos, tala om ’kolligativ koncentration’ med storheter och enhet enligt ISQ och SI.
The educational challenge of polysemy of words that are used both in non-formal (every-day) and scientific formal languages is addressed. Based upon a two dimensional semiotic analysis, 2-D-SAS, (Strömdahl, submitted) the properties and the polysemy of words are made explicit by discerning on the one hand, the word as a symbol, concept and referent and on the other hand, a set of meaning comprising non-formal senses, a scientific quality and a physical quantity. Traditional conceptual change approaches are generally not analysing a word like e.g. force from a semiotic perspective, eliciting the word as a symbol, a concept and connected to a referent. By applying the 2-D-SAS the educational relevance of identifying the referent will be salient. The potential of this approach will be illustrated by an analysis of the recurrent problems among students to learn the separate scientific meaning of heat and temperature.
A description of the Swedish educational system about chemistry and its challenges.
Engineering education offer traditionally problem-based courses and projects with the intention to prepare the students for future carriers. In this article we present an exploratory study of a transnational collaborative project involving students in masters programs in Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering at KTH Sweden and Stanford University, California USA. The empirical data indicate improved interdisciplinary learning and increased knowledge and skills in related areas. Somewhat counter-intuitive we found that the problems posed by differences in time and space can be apprehended as learning opportunities, however under proper guidance of the teacher.
Die Didaktik des molbegriffs ist immer noch umstritten. Dieser phänomenographische untersuchung ist ein beitrag zum konzeptualisierung die Begiffs Mol und Stoffmenge von 29 schwedishen Schüler und Schülerinnen. Das Ergebnis der auf Veherstehensprocesse ausgerichteten Untersuchung liefert auch zu einen Beitrag für die Chemie selbst, um zu die begriffliche Unklarheiten bei den Begriffen Mol und Stoffmenge zu klären.
Words with well-known meaning in colloquial language often make up an educational challenge when introduced as terms with formal scientific meaning. New connections must be established between the word, already constrained by existing meaning and reference, and the intended formal scientific meaning and reference. A two-dimensional semantic/semiotic analysing schema (acronym 2-D SAS) has been developed to clarify a given word/term in a structured mode both according to non-formal senses and referents and formal scientific meaning and referents. The schema is constructed on ideas from semantics, semiotics and history and philosophy of science. The approach is supposed to be a contribution to make a fine-gained analysis of the structure and dynamics of conceptual change. The role of referents and referent change in conceptual change is highlighted by analysing the character of the recurrent mix-up of the terms heat and temperature among students at different educational levels.
Redaktörer för antologin är Helge Strömdahl och Lena Tibell , båda verksamma vid Linköpings universitet och FontD. Helge Strömdahl är professor emeritus i naturvetenskapernas didaktik och tidigare FontD:s föreståndare och vetenskaplige ledare. Lena Tibell är professor i visuellt lärande och kommunikation, biokemi och livsvetenskapernas didaktik samt ordförande i styrelsen och nuvarande vetenskaplig ledare för FontD. Presentationer av antologins samtliga författare finns i bokens inledning.
Vad är relationen mellan religion och naturvetenskap? Hur lär man sig att ”läsa” naturen? Är naturvetenskaplig kunskap vacker? Vad lär man sig på vetenskaps- och teknikcentra? Vilken betydelse har språk, bilder och animationer i naturvetenskapligt lärande? Vad är förhållandet mellan vetenskaplig disciplin och skolämne? Ovanstående är exempel på frågor som utreds och diskuteras på vetenskaplig grund i denna antologi. Ur olika forskningsperspektiv och ordnade under fem teman, presenterar 17 yngre forskare, som disputerat vid Nationella forskarskolan i naturvetenskapernas och teknikens didaktik (FontD), skolans naturvetenskap utifrån samhällets krav, skolans praktik och dess dilemman.
Antologin vänder sig till blivande och verksamma lärare, lärarutbildare, läromedelsförfattare, skolledare, skoladministratörer, rekryterare till högskolan och politiska beslutsfattare samt andra intresserade av naturvetenskaplig utbildning och undervisning.
Didaktikforskning med inriktning mot naturvetenskap är ett forskningsfält som är under stark utveckling och tillväxt. Förutom dess förankring i de naturvetenskapliga disciplinerna är den ett multidisciplinärt område med inflöde från exempelvis vetenskapshistoria och filosofi, kognitiv psykologi, lingvistik, neurovetenskap och perceptionsforskning. Vi noterar dessutom ett ökat intresse för ämnesdidaktiksk forskning bland företrädare för de vetenskapliga disciplinerna och i lärarutbildningen. Direktiven för den nu aktuella nya lärarutbildningen och regeringens proposition, Bäst i klassen – en ny lärarutbildning (SOU 2009/10:89) talar ett tydligt språk i den riktningen genom att ämnesdidaktikens plats i ämnesstudierna poängteras. Förhoppningsvis innebär inflödet av forskningsbaserad didaktisk kunskap i lärarutbildningen att effektiv undervisning kommer till stånd i skola och högskola med åtföljande goda läranderesultat. I detta avslutande kapitel ger vi en kortfattad exposé över den forskning som speglas i antologins olika kapitel samt den naturvetenskapsdidaktiska forskning som är under framväxt. Syftet är att stimulera läsaren till att ta del av forskningsresultat, delta i forskningsprojekt eller att påbörja egen forskning.
This study describe students´ conceptions of 1 mol and chemistry educators' conceptions of how they teach 'the mole' by means of a collective 'teaching model' consisting of five different sets of conceptions, in which the first set is of general character and largely determines the educators´ teaching approaches, described by the remaining four sets of conceptions.
In this study an outcome space of four categories - fundamentals - are constructed according to 28 experienced chemistry educators´ conceptions of the unit 1 mole. Our claim is that the fundamentals can be used as tools to make conceptual ambiguities explicit both in individuals and textbooks. They can also be a starting point for designing teaching models concerning "mol" and the physical quantity "amount of substance".