The purpose of this study was to investigate Ethiopian physics undergraduate students' conceptual change in the concepts of electric potential and energy (EPE) and electromagnetic induction (EMI). A quasi-experimental design was used to study the effect of cognitive perturbation using physics interactive simulations (CPS) in relation to cognitive…

The question of how children solve force and motion problems in computer simulations without explicit knowledge of the underlying physics was investigated. Keystroke sequences made by children were saved and analyzed, and children were interviewed to understand their perception of the relationship between keyboard input and on-screen action. (CW)

Outlines a systematic approach to instructional design and discusses some of the cognitive and instructional issues involved in learning or teaching scientific concepts. Uses the concept of "acceleration" to illustrate the approach. Advocates the use of computers and related information technologies in concept teaching. (ML)

Analyzes student discourse in 4 grade-12 lab groups working on microcomputer-based laboratories. Analysis reveals the role the computer plays in the group context and the ways that this context is shaped by the computer. Contains 22 references. (Author/JRH)

Investigated a microcomputer-based system for the diagnosis and remediation of three Aristotelian alternative conceptions of force and motion held by eighth-grade physical science students. Reports that computer simulations exemplifying canonical conceptions facilitate alteration of students' naive conceptions to a significant degree. Suggests…

Reviews research on children's ideas about floating and sinking. Describes the Model-Assisted Reasoning in Science (MARS) project curriculum and student responses to a question about helium balloons. Contains 61 references. (DDR)

Outlines an in-depth case study of teachers' use of image processing in biology, earth science, and physics classes in one high school science department. Explores issues surrounding technology implementation. Contains 21 references. (DDR)

Examines the effects of using interactive digital video on student learning and attitudes in an introductory physics course. Results indicate that sophisticated instructional video software can be perceived by students as easy to use and effective. The software can also be used to promote active learning. Contains 48 references. (Author/JRH)

Describes a case study of an advanced physics class that analyzes the implications of using computerized journalizing. Reports that this technique provides a vehicle for students and teachers to make their knowledge public, builds an atmosphere for valuing the conceptual understanding of others, and mediates an ongoing dialog between the…

Discusses a study designed to understand 11th-grade students' learning during conversations with their teacher over and about a computer-based Newtonian microworld, Interactive Physics. Illustrates that students' learning was not local but persistent, in that they used appropriate canonical science talk without teacher support. (36 references)…

Investigates the conceptual-change process in grade 10 students during a computer-supported physics unit. Finds that many students vacillated between alternative and scientific conceptions from one context to another during instruction, and those few students who did exhibit context-independent and stable conceptual change appeared able to accept…

Discusses a study which assessed the effect of a brief kinematics unit on: (1) students' ability to translate between a physical event and the graphic representation of it, and; (2) the effect of real-time on graphing skills. Reports the success of the use of a microcomputer-based laboratory with graphing velocity and distance. (ML)