Dynamic Science Assessment: A New Approach for Investigating Conceptual Change |
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| Abstract: | Starting from the premise that understanding conceptual change requires studying it while it occurs, this article describes a new research methodology in which students' knowledge is assessed in the context of mediated learning situations that attempt to foster conceptual change. The methodology builds on two ideas: that conceptual change in science is a matter of appropriation by individuals of culturally based knowledge (of the scientific community), and that understanding such change requires a mediated context in which the students' activity (actions and thinking) is shaped by a more experienced other who reflects the cultural norms or ideals of the scientific community that facilitate knowledge production. Specific assessments developed with these ideas in mind, which we call dynamic science assessments (DSAs), function to determine students' potential to change their understanding and as a result inform us about the process of conceptual change toward scientific knowledge. Results of a DSA about electricity that we conducted with upper elementary school children (n = 28) indicated that it was possible to foster conceptual change and to discriminate children with respect to their potential to develop scientifically accurate conceptions of current and resistance. These findings indicate the promise of using mediated learning situations, such as a DSA to study conceptual change in science, and we discuss the direction of future work given the conservative mediation in the assessments conducted in this particular instance. |
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