TY - GEN
T1 - A pre-post topic assessment tool for uncovering misconceptions and assessing their repair and conceptual change
AU - Kelly, Jacquelyn
AU - Krause, Stephen
AU - Baker, Dale
PY - 2010/12/1
Y1 - 2010/12/1
N2 - Misconceptions act as barriers to conceptual change, but uncovering and repairing them requires considerable effort. Thus, the research question is, "How effective is a simple pre-post topic assessment tool in uncovering misconceptions and assessing their repair and student conceptual change?" A multimodal pre-and-post topic assessment tool was created to identify misconceptions and assess their repair and student conceptual change. Pre-post assessments were created for six course topics for an introductory materials class. Assessments were composed of four to six describe-and-sketch questions given before and after a topic. Data showed incoming students are familiar with written descriptions (possibly memorized) of covalent, ionic, and metallic bonding, but not van der Waals bonding. Conceptual understanding was much less when models were sketched, indicating conceptual knowledge that was shallower than written descriptions indicated. Gains were always less for sketched than written models, indicative of greater difficulty of conceptual change and building detailed bonding mental models. Visuals, misconceptions, conceptual change and learning are presented in full detail in the paper body.
AB - Misconceptions act as barriers to conceptual change, but uncovering and repairing them requires considerable effort. Thus, the research question is, "How effective is a simple pre-post topic assessment tool in uncovering misconceptions and assessing their repair and student conceptual change?" A multimodal pre-and-post topic assessment tool was created to identify misconceptions and assess their repair and student conceptual change. Pre-post assessments were created for six course topics for an introductory materials class. Assessments were composed of four to six describe-and-sketch questions given before and after a topic. Data showed incoming students are familiar with written descriptions (possibly memorized) of covalent, ionic, and metallic bonding, but not van der Waals bonding. Conceptual understanding was much less when models were sketched, indicating conceptual knowledge that was shallower than written descriptions indicated. Gains were always less for sketched than written models, indicative of greater difficulty of conceptual change and building detailed bonding mental models. Visuals, misconceptions, conceptual change and learning are presented in full detail in the paper body.
KW - Assessment
KW - Atomic bonding
KW - Conceptual change
KW - Misconceptions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78751516876&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=78751516876&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/FIE.2010.5673206
DO - 10.1109/FIE.2010.5673206
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:78751516876
SN - 9781424462599
T3 - Proceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE
SP - T1G1-T1G6
BT - 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference
T2 - 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference: Celebrating Forty Years of Innovation, FIE 2010
Y2 - 27 October 2010 through 30 October 2010
ER -