Helping Students Understand Challenging Topics in Science Through Ontology Training

• Published in: Cognition and instruction Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 261 - 289
• Main Authors: Slotta, James D., Chi, Michelene T. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc 01.01.2006; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Cognition & reasoning; Computer Assisted Instruction; Concept Formation; Control Groups; Curricula; Difficulty Level; Domain ontologies; Electric current; Electricity; Experimental Groups; Heat; Light; Misconception; Ontological commitment; Ontology; Physics; Posttests; Predication; Prediction; Science education; Science Instruction; Scientific Concepts; Teaching Methods; Training
• ISSN: 0737-0008; 1532-690X
• DOI: 10.1207/s1532690xci2402_3

Chi (2005) proposed that students experience difficulty in learning about physics concepts such as light, heat, or electric current because they attribute to these concepts an inappropriate ontological status of material substances rather than the more veridical status of emergent processes. Conceptual change could thus be facilitated by training students in the appropriate ontology prior to physics instruction. We tested this prediction by developing a computer-based module whereby participants learned about emergent processes. Control participants completed a computer-based task that was uninformative with respect to ontology. Both groups then studied a physics text concerned with electricity, including explanations and a posttest. Verbal explanations and qualitative problem solutions revealed that experimental students gained a deeper understanding of electric current.