Promoting Conceptual Change for Complex Systems Understanding: Outcomes of an Agent-Based Participatory Simulation
| Autor: | Bridget K. Mulvey, Christopher A. Rates, David F. Feldon |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Knowledge management Participatory simulation business.industry 05 social sciences General Engineering Psychological intervention Educational technology Complex system 050301 education Conceptual change 01 natural sciences Experiential learning Science education Education 010601 ecology Concept learning business Psychology 0503 education |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Science Education and Technology. 25:610-627 |
| ISSN: | 1573-1839 1059-0145 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10956-016-9616-6 |
| Popis: | Components of complex systems apply across multiple subject areas, and teaching these components may help students build unifying conceptual links. Students, however, often have difficulty learning these components, and limited research exists to understand what types of interventions may best help improve understanding. We investigated 32 high school students’ understandings of complex systems components and whether an agent-based simulation could improve their understandings. Pretest and posttest essays were coded for changes in six components to determine whether students showed more expert thinking about the complex system of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Results showed significant improvement for the components Emergence (r = .26, p = .03), Order (r = .37, p = .002), and Tradeoffs (r = .44, p = .001). Implications include that the experiential nature of the simulation has the potential to support conceptual change for some complex systems components, presenting a promising option for complex systems instruction. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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