An Analysis of the Science Education Problem of Teaching Density as Approached From Two Different Piagetian Research Perspectives: Operationalism and Constructivism
Emerick, Blanche Bante
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/68844
Description
Title
An Analysis of the Science Education Problem of Teaching Density as Approached From Two Different Piagetian Research Perspectives: Operationalism and Constructivism
Author(s)
Emerick, Blanche Bante
Issue Date
1983
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Educational Psychology
Abstract
This study examined the science education problem of junior high students not learning science concepts requiring formal operational reasoning--concepts such as density. A number of researchers have suggested classifying students into the Piagetian stages of concrete operations or formal operations. They have found that most junior high students can be classified as concrete operational.
The hypothesis of the present study was that, through clinical interviews with junior high students and classification criteria that were not task-specific, more students could be shown to be formal operational than had been reported on tests designed to classify students into stages. It was thought that such tests could underestimate the cognitive development of students by using criteria that are too restrictive and by using paper and pencil tests that preclude probing into student responses. Such probing was thought to be essential to eliciting students' highest levels of reasoning.
The method employed was to conduct clinical interviews with fifteen junior high science students. When the behavior on the interviews was mapped onto the criterial attributes of stages, 33 percent of the subjects demonstrated formal operational reasoning, a finding that suggests that tests can underestimate the cognitive development of students. An unanticipated finding was that all subjects demonstrated preoperational behavior at least once. That range of behavior across stages suggests that classifying students into single-stage categories is of little assistance to teachers making curriculum decisions.
It was discovered that some subjects did have a concept of density, although it was not the formal operational concept of density. It appears that their concept of density is the culmination of a long process of construction of intuitions, perceptions, and operations, possibly beginning during infancy. The concepts of density held by those subjects can be thought of collectively as a concrete operational concept of density. The concept involves thoughts on the composition of objects, relationships among parts, the role that holes play, and logical multiplication. The role that teachers might play is to assist the construction of the formal operational concept of density from the concrete operational concept of density.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
