A Teaching Strategy for Conceptual Change on Typhoon Topic

Author: Ying-Shao Hsu(Department of Earth Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan), Hui-Chu Hsieh(Chiang-Tsui Junior High School, Taipei County, Taiwan)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 49, No.1
Date：April 2004
Pages：15-40
DOI：10.6300/JNTNU.2004.49(1).02

Abstract：

The researchers first gathered information, from a survey and interviews, regarding students' misconceptions about storm systems. They then used an experimental methodology, the teaching strategy known as Bridging-Differentiation- Exchange-Integration (BDEI, Hewson & Hewson, 1983), in order to teach a newly-developed set of lessons on Typhoons at the junior high school level. The purpose was to note how this teaching strategy promoted, by facilitating conceptual change, the students' understanding of this topic. The survey's sample consisted of four classes of third-year students at four junior high schools, representing the northern, middle, southern, and eastern parts of Taiwan. There were 131 participants, including 65 males and 66 females. After the teaching experiment, statistical results indicated that: (a) students' misconceptions were reduced regarding "the weather system of typhoons" (χ2=38.29, p<0.000), "the structure of typhoons" (χ2=55.63, p<0.000), "torrential rain driven by the southwest airstreams" (χ2=36.43, p<0.003), and "differences between the typhoon, hurricane and tornado" (χ2=58.27, p<0.000); (b) students' conceptual progress was significantly different for the three "typhoon" subtopics (announcement channels, basic concepts, and the meaning of the alert sheet) (F=420.64, p<0.000); and (c) students with different levels of science learning skill showed significant differences in conceptual progress (F=3.37, p<0.037). This study highlights the potential of the BDEI teaching strategy as a means toward the substantial enhancement of students' conceptual change in science education.

Keywords：alternative framework, science learning, misconception, teaching strategy, conceptual change

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