Research Letters
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Publication 2022-04-20ZeitschriftenartikelPromoting Pre-service Physics Teachers’ Science Media Literacy(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Zilz, Kendra; Höttecke, DietmarThe Science Media Literacy (SML) framework aims to prepare students for the rapidly changing mediascape, where the task of gatekeeping is increasingly transferred to consumers. In this explorative study we reconstructed pre-service physics teachers’ ideas of the communication of science in society and the strategies they apply when examining a scientific claim made in social media. Furthermore, we investigated to what extent SML could be promoted during an intervention. Results indicate that initially held ideas had been challenged and their strategies for dealing with a scientific claim in public were shifting from epistemic to sociological.Publication 2020-01-16ZeitschriftenartikelInvestigating students’ modelling styles in the process of scientific-mathematical modelling(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Meister, Johannes; Upmeier zu Belzen, AnnetteModelling plays an important role for inquiry in science and mathematics education; therefore, a lot of research has been done in this field from both perspectives. However, an integrated view combining previous findings is rather limited. For the specific case of line graphs as a common representation that models relations between different variables in science, an integrated model of scientific-mathematical modelling was developed. The model integrates a scientific and mathematical perspective that describes line graphs as graphical representations of functional relationships. This model is used as a theoretical framework a) to describe cognitive processes that are necessary for modelling scientific phenomena with mathematical functions represented as line graphs and b) to analyse these processes empirically. In the presented study two modelling tasks were developed in which 10th grade students (N = 15) are asked to model biological phenomena graphically as line graphs. Modelling processes are recorded using a SmartPen and concurrent think aloud. Results show that participants’ modelling processes can be divided into sub-processes, related to the model of scientific-mathematical modelling. Furthermore, different individual modelling processes are reconstructed and graphically represented as graphical representations of individual modelling processes (GRIMPs). Based on a clustering process using GRIMPs, eight modelling styles are defined.Publication 2019-03-18ZeitschriftenartikelAssessment of meta-modeling knowledge: Learning from triadic concepts of models in the philosophy of science(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Krell, MoritzMeta-modeling knowledge is an established construct in science education, typically conceptualized in frameworks encompassing hierarchically ordered levels of understanding specific for different aspects (e.g., purpose of models, testing models, changing models). This study critically discusses the appropriateness of assessments based on such frameworks taking into account triadic concepts of models in the philosophy of science. Empirically, secondary school students’ (N=359) responses to modeling tasks are analyzed. In the tasks, the modeling-purpose is not subject of the assessment, but intentionally provided. The findings show that students’ expressed level of understanding significantly depend on both the modeling-purpose and the modeling-context introduced in the tasks. Implications for science education are discussed.Publication 2018-09-24ZeitschriftenartikelVisualizing pre-service biology teachers´ conceptions about population dynamics in ecosystems(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Meister, Sabine; Zimmerman, Corinne; Upmeier zu Belzen, AnnetteThe Balance of Nature (BoN) metaphor leads to various naïve conceptions about ecosystem dynamics that do not address current scientific theories adequately. An appropriate alternative is the Flux of Nature (FoN) metaphor. Approaches to conceptual development in science education aim for learners to develop scientifically adequate conceptions rather than maintain naïve conceptions. Our goal was to investigate naïve BoN conceptions and their sources with the method of visualization. Therefore, we examined pre-service biology teachers’ (n = 26) conceptions about ecosystem dynamics by asking them to draw and explain line graphs to predict the development of a population. Graphs and explanations were analyzed with qualitative content analysis and assigned into categories related to either the BoN or the FoN metaphor. The majority of the graphical predictions were found to be in line with the BoN metaphor, which replicates the findings of previous studies. Additionally, the method of visualization shows that a common model used in ecology that is often presented in biological textbooks influenced the predictions made by our participants. When used uncritically, this model can support naïve BoN conceptions. Thus, our results suggest that the use of scientific models and pedagogical materials may influence conceptual development in this context.Publication 2018-05-16ZeitschriftenartikelDo Linguistic Features Influence Item Difficulty in Physics Assessments?(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Höttecke, Dietmar; Feser, Markus Sebastian; Heine, Lena; Ehmke, TimoThis paper addresses the question if and to which extent linguistic surface features of test items in a physics assessment affect item difficulty. In an experimental study, linguistic features of test items in physics were varied systematically on three levels based on a heuristic model of linguistic demands. The results show that item difficulty can be predicted by linguistic features, but only for a limited number of items and not in a consistent way.Publication 2017-04-05ZeitschriftenartikelDevelopment and Evaluation of a Construct Map for the Understanding of the Expansion of the Universe(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Aretz, Sarah; Borowski, Andreas; Schmeling, SaschaThe expansion of the universe is one of three pillars of the Big Bang theory and, therefore, an important aspect in cosmology. How the understanding hereof, including the complex concept of an expanding space, is developing, is not yet completely understood. On the basis of a hypothesis of a different study, which constructed a first structural setup of student understanding in this field, we developed it further to be able to reflect students’ processes of understanding the concept of an expanding universe. The assignment of open answers of N=126 German students from 11th- and 12thgrade classes (16-20 years old) showed a good classification of these students into this construct with high interrater reliabilities.Publication 2012-11-07ZeitschriftenartikelUsing polytomous IRT models to evaluate theoretical levels of understanding models and modeling in biology education(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Krell, MoritzForced choice-tasks have been developed to assess students’ (N = 901) understanding of models and modeling in biology based on a theoretical structure differentiating five aspects and three levels of understanding (Upmeier zu Belzen & Krüger, 2010). The data have been analyzed by using the partial credit and the rating scale model to evaluate the assumption of an increasing degree of difficulty from level I to level III in each aspect. The findings suggest (1) that the levels of understanding are not equidistant across all aspects and (2) that the theoretically developed levels of understanding are in fact ordered by difficulty. However the latter issue needs further investigations since the present findings are not clear for all five aspects of the theoretical structure.Publication 2016-03-18ZeitschriftenartikelUnderstanding Energy - An exploration of the relationship between measures of students’ understanding of energy, general cognitive abilities and schooling(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Weßnigk, Susanne; Knut, NeumannPast research has examined students’ understanding of energy at different stages of schooling. This research has led to the widespread view that students progress in their understanding of energy through a sequence of key ideas about energy. However, so far, it is unclear, whether this progression in understanding energy is a result of schooling or whether it is a result of maturation - in particular, as the role of general domain-unspecific cognitive abilities that improve with age, such as reading ability in the assessment of students’ understanding of energy. In a re-analysis of data from N=1856 students of grades 6, 8 and 10 in German middle schools, we investigated, in addition to the amount of schooling, the impact of general cognitive abilities on measures of middle school students’ understanding of energy. To do so we utilized a latent variable modelling approach. Our findings suggest that whereas students’ understanding of energy is related to general cognitive abilities, this understanding is also considerably dependent on the amount of schooling. This finding corroborates findings from earlier studies that students’ progression in their understanding of energy is indeed a function of schooling and not just a product of maturation.Publication 2015-12-01ZeitschriftenartikelDevelopment of inquiry competencies during junior classes: A replicationstudy using longitudinal design(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Schiffl, Iris; Weiglhofer, Hubert; Remplbauer, DanielaScientific inquiry plays a major role in science education. So far competency structures related to knowledge gain through inquiry have been identified and analyzed. Different levels of such structures have also been articulated. In a nationwide Austrian study conducted by BIFIE (Bundesinstitut für Bildungsforschung, Evaluation und Entwicklung des österreichischen Schulwesens) competency levels were tested in order to construct a diagnosis instrument for natural sciences to diagnose junior class students. In the presented study we want to replicate the findings of the BIFIE study but not in a crosssectional but in a longitudinal study from 5th to 7th grade. This study design was chosen because we wanted to answer the question how inquiry competencies develop during junior classes and the BIFIE study which was only conducted once in 7th grade could only give cues about the competency level of 7th graders but not about competency development.Publication 2015-04-14ZeitschriftenartikelEvaluating an instrument to measure mental load and mental effort using Item Response Theory(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Krell, MoritzMeasurement of cognitive load (CL) is seen as a problematic issue since no consensus about appropriate instruments has been reached. In this study, a rating scale instrument to measure mental load (ML; 6 items) and mental effort (ME; 6 items) is evaluated using Item Response Theory. N=506 students self-reported their amount of ML and ME after working on a standardised multiple choice-test. The findings propose to separately measure ML and ME instead of CL in general. Furthermore, the 7-point rating scale had to be reduced post-hoc to a 3-point scale in order to reach consistent information. Finally, there was a significant (negative) correlation between ML and test performance, but not between ME and test performance.Publication 2014-06-05ZeitschriftenartikelSecondary Students’ Visual-Spatial Ability Predicts Performance on the Visual-Spatial Electricity and Electromagnetism Test (VSEEMT)(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Fulmer, Gavin W; LynaThis study examines the relationship between students’ general visual-spatial ability and their understanding of electricity and electromagnetism, a topic that requires imagining many invisible, 3-dimensional phenomena. Participants (N = 428 Singaporean secondary students) completed the Visual- Spatial Ability Test (VSAT) and the Visual-Spatial Electricity and Electromagnetism Test (VSEEMT). Results reveal that students’ visual-spatial ability is significantly, positively correlated with their achievement in the VSEEMT; this relationship was highest for students with previously lower ability. Thus, visual-spatial ability is an asset to students in mastering the concepts of electricity and electromagnetism, especially for students of lower ability. The findings support a need for visualization instruction that can support students’ visual-spatial ability, which may help them visualize the abstract phenomena and deepen their understanding of the concepts.Publication 2014-06-05ZeitschriftenartikelThe Terminology within German Lower Secondary Physics Textbooks(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Härtig, HendrikFrom primary school through university and beyond, textbooks are crucial for teaching and learning science. In most cases the content of the books is aligned with intended state curricula, and teachers in many countries use textbooks at least to guide lesson preparation. Therefore, textbooks are discussed as an implemented curriculum. Many existing studies have been conducted on the content of science textbooks. Using different methods, Biology textbooks as well as Physics textbooks could be shown to be not very coherent in sense of using striking scientific terms regularly. However from the viewpoint of learning only the frequent use of a term will elicit stable propositions around the term, which allows emerging concepts associated with the terms in the mental representation of the readers.Publication 2013-12-03ZeitschriftenartikelChemistry Student Teachers’ Scientific Inquiry Competencies(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Stiller, Jurik; Nehring, Andreas; Tiemann, RüdigerWe constructed paper-and-pencil test-items to assess chemistry student teachers’ scientific inquiry competencies. We focused on the inquiry method experiment, divided into three reasoning steps (question & hypothesis; planning & performing; analysis & reflection). Test revision resulted in a test of 20 items, which was applied to a sample of undergraduate and graduate chemistry student teachers. The first explorative assessment (N = 89) based on that instrument (1) revealed acceptable item characteristics, such as an appropriate range of item difficulties (.48 < Pi < .84) and only slightly unsatisfactory item discrimination parameters (.19 < rit < .65). The study (2) obtained preliminary information on the high prognostic potential of the planned degree.Publication 2013-07-01ZeitschriftenartikelAnalyzing the FCI based on a Force and Motion Learning Progression(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Neumann, Irene; Fulmer, Gavin W; Liang, Ling L.In this paper, we bring together a well-established and often-studied instrument assessing students’ understanding about force and motion, the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), and a proposed description of how students develop in understanding of the force concept, the Force and Motion Learning Progression (FM-LP). We report on two phases of content analysis of the FCI and the FM-LP. In the first phase, findings indicate that 17 FCI items address aspects consistent with the FM-LP. In the second phase, our findings show that these 17 items have responses that can be coded to fit the levels of the proposed FM-LP. Implications for future research on both the FCI and the FM-LP are described.Publication 2013-04-03ZeitschriftenartikelTeaching Patterns of Scientific Inquiry: A Video Study of Chemistry Lessons in Germany and Sweden(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Björkman, Jaana; Tiemann, RüdigerDespite the central role of Scientific Inquiry within science education, this topic is rarely focused upon during science lessons in Germany. A comparison with a school system that emphasises Scientific Inquiry in a stronger way (such as the Swedish system) would enable the identification of culturespecific teaching patterns in terms of the instruction of Scientific Inquiry. For this reason, such a comparison has been made within this study. This study has been undertaken as a low- and middle-inferent video analysis. The study provides information concerning culture-specific teaching patterns in Germany and Sweden on the level of general (organisational) teaching processes and of the phases of Scientific Inquiry. The study was carried out with ten German und nine Swedish video-recorded chemistry lessons. The results, presented in this paper, show that German chemistry lessons are organised in a more product-oriented way than the Swedish chemistry lessons.Publication 2012-06-15ZeitschriftenartikelCovariates of complex problem solving competency in chemistry(Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) Scherer, Ronny; Patzwaldt, Kerstin; Tiemann, RüdigerThe ability to solve complex and real-life problems is one of the key competencies in science education. Different studies analyzed the relationships between complex problem solving (CPS) and covariates such as intelligence, prior knowledge, and motivational constructs on a manifest level. Additionally, research findings indicate that intelligence and prior knowledge are substantial predictors of CPS. Due to the interconnections between covariates, the relationships between CPS and covariates are quite complex. Therefore, we propose a model which describes these relations by taking direct and indirect effects into account. All analyses are based on structural equation modeling. Results show that the proposed model represents the data with substantial goodness-of-fit statistics and explanation of variance. Intelligence, domain-specific prior knowledge, computer familiarity, and attendance in advanced chemistry courses are direct predictors of CPS, while interest and scientific self-concept show indirect effects.