Scientific Thinking: Childhood Development

• Science content knowledge
  • Misconceptions about scientific phenomena (Leuchter et al., 2014; Vosniadou & Brewer, 1992)

• Science process skills
  • Experimental variable control (CVS): Vary variable of interest, keep all other factors constant (Chen & Klahr, 1999, Sodian et al., 1991)

• Developmental relation
  • Influence each other (Schauble, 1990, 1996)

Scientific Thinking: Present Study

• Does children's understanding of variable control influence their knowledge development in inquiry based physics instruction?

Method: Sample & Intervention

• N = 1275 elementary school (M[age] = 8.56, SD = 1.30, range = 6 - 13); 1st - 6th grade (mostly 3rd & 4th)

• Inquiry based instruction about Floating and Sinking (Hardy et al., 2006)
  • Object density, water displacement, buoyancy force
  • 15 units, guided experimentation, cognitive activation

Method: Experimentation Skills

• 14 multiple choice questions on variable control (CVS; Cronbach's Alpha = .79)
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Method: Knowledge Development

• 11 Extensive multiple choice questions before and after instruction

• Misconceptions, everyday conceptions, scientific concepts
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Method: Analysis

• Cohen's d: Misconceptions decrease (d = -0.98), everyday conceptions (d = 0.80) and scientific concepts (d = 1.01) increase

• More detailed information?
  • Conceptual change theories: Qualitative processes
  • Large sampe, detailed knowledge questionnaires

Method: Analysis

• Latent Profile Transition Analysis (Schneider & Hardy, 2013)
  • Limited number of qualitatively different knowledge profiles
  • Knowledge structure about floating and sinking differs between children

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  • Profile Frequencies before instruction and transition probabilities during instruction

Method: Analysis

Results: Knowledge Profiles

Results: Cross-sectional

• Relation between variable control and profile frequencies before instruction

Results: Cross-sectional

Results: Longitudinal

• Relation between variable control and profile transitions during instruction

Results: Longitudinal

Discussion

• The understanding of variable control relates positively to elementary school children's knowledge structure (coherence and expertise)

• The understanding of variable control predicts knowledge development into more coherent and advanced profiles

Outlook

• Control for broader reasoning skills

• Bayesian analysis
  • Include prior information from large sample