Student's mental representations of physical concepts are often different from those of scientists. The research aimed to identify and compare mental representations of light propagation time by school children aged 10 (132 subjects), and 14 (109 subjects) years old. This research was conducted through individual interviews in which the students…

The paper is set in socio-material farming to offer a way of conceptualising actions and interactions of children in preschool involved in the understanding of scientific concepts. A model of early science education about the physical phenomena of shadow formation is implemented in group work in a French context. The research involved 44 children…

Background: This work is based on the idea that young children benefit from early introduction of scientific concepts. Few researches describe didactical strategies focusing on physics understanding for young children and analyse their effectiveness in standard classroom environments. Purpose: The aim is to identify whether didactical strategies…

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a sociocognitive teaching strategy on young children's understanding of light. It explores their understanding of the concept of light as an entity that is transmitted independently of the light source and the final receiver. The study was conducted in three phases: pretest, teaching…

The study of pupils' representations of physics concepts and phenomena constitutes a central part of Science Education research, as they play a decisive role in teaching. In the study presented here, we investigate 212 fifth grade pupils' mental representations of the formation of shadows, before they were taught about it in school. The empirical…

This study investigates the effectiveness of a teaching conflict procedure whose purpose was the transformation of the representations of 12-16-year-old pupils in Greece concerning light emission and shadow formation by extended light sources. The changes observed during the children's effort to destabilize and reorganise their representations…

This research, carried out in Greece on pupils aged 12-16, focuses on the transformation of their representations concerning light emission and image formation by extended light sources. The instructive process was carried out in two stages, each one having a different, distinct target set. During the first stage, the appropriate conflict…

Investigates the role that social mediation plays in the destabilization of preconceptions of the concept of light among primary school pupils. One experimental group participated in a teaching process which aimed to lead students to cognitive conflict. Another group was taught with traditional methods. Differences between groups in pre- and…

Studied the ideas of 5-year olds regarding the concept of light, using individual interviews. Found that children identify light with its source or its effect rather than as a distinct entity, a representation at odds with the scientific concept of light. (Author/JPB)