Misconceptions, intuitions and elementary physics: Harnessing everyday understanding in learning environment design

Abstract

Children’s conceptions of physical events have been extensively discussed. Philosophers from Aristotle to Kant speculated about their form, and Einstein was sufficiently intrigued to persuade Piaget to initiate research. Amongst physics educators, it has been recognised for many years that the difficulties children experience in mastering the discipline stem, in part at least, from the conceptual challenge that the material implies. Thus, charting the relation between children’s conceptions and the received wisdoms of physics has become a significant field of research. A range of methodologies has been used, but one of the most popular involves presenting scenarios and asking children to predict outcomes, e.g. anticipate whether ‘float’ or ‘sink’ will occur when heavy and light objects are immersed in water. Regardless of topic area, results indicate marked divergence from received conceptions, which often continues through the adult years. Nevertheless, no matter how scientifically unorthodox notions are when used in prediction, there must be a substrate of orthodoxy that allows children to recognise when events do or do not unfold in the normal fashion. Studies are reported where students make predictions (engaging misconceptions) and view simulations as feedback (engaging intuitions). The encouraging, albeit preliminary, results as regards student knowledge mean that the approach can be regarded as a step towards using intuitions in learning environment design.