ERIC Number: EJ1299770
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1309-7202
EISSN: N/A
Effects of Three Neo Piagetian Constructs on Students' Portrayed Representations of the Atomic Structure: A Latent Class Analysis
Zarkadis, Nikolaos; Stamovlasis, Dimitrios; Papageorgiou, George
European Journal of Physics Education, v12 n1 p1-14 2021
The present study investigates the effect of three neo-Piagetian constructs, namely Formal Reasoning (FR), Field Dependence/Independence (FDI) and Divergence (DIV), as well as the effect of age and gender, on students' portrayed representations of the atomic structure, considering their degree of coherence. For this purpose students' representations were examined for their consistency across three task contexts, using Latent Class Analysis (LCA), in order to identify distinct latent classes of participants providing specific consistent representations. Participants (n=421) were students of the grades 8th, 10th and 12th of secondary education. LCA led to three clusters, in each of which, students' responses demonstrated a consistency across tasks, with Bohr's model, Nuclear model and Particle model, respectively. LCA with the covariates provided evidence for the association of the three cluster-memberships with the neo-Piagetian variables and age, while no effect of gender was found. Implications for science education are also discussed.
Descriptors: Secondary School Students, Piagetian Theory, Nuclear Physics, Cognitive Style, Logical Thinking, Age Differences, Gender Differences, Grade 8, Grade 10, Grade 12, Foreign Countries, Visual Aids, Models
Erciyes University. Melikgazi, Kayseri, 38039 Turkey. Tel: +90-352-207-6666; Web site: http://www.eu-journal.org/index.php/EJPE
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education; Elementary Education; Grade 8; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Grade 10; High Schools; Grade 12
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Greece
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A