Tips to use the resources on this site:
The conceptual change model (Posner et al., 1982; Strike & Posner, 1992) in science instruction recognizes the resilience of children’s prior conceptions and focuses on meaningful changes in their misconceptions. This model requires that students must be dissatisfied with their intuitive concepts in the face of complex problem-solving challenges, and use the scientific models to explain, predict, and solve problems. Several instructional strategies to promote conceptual change have been reported in the literature, such as discrepant events to expose the limitations of students’ existing models, problem-based learning approaches, and activities to foster student engagement in active re-construction of their knowledge (Kang et al., 2010).
On this site, we share useful evidence-based interventions gleaned from relevant literatures studies which teachers can use to improve students’ conceptual understanding in science. Our project team has summarized these inquiry-based activities from relevant research studies, so that science educators can use and adapt these effective interventions for their classrooms.
How to use these interventions in your classroom in your teaching:
Step 1: Use diagnostic multiple choice assessment items related to the scientific concept to explore students’ prior knowledge and initial ideas about this topic before teaching your lesson;
Step 2: Share and discuss students’ responses with them and probe their ideas further to encourage them to construct explanations about their chosen options of the assessment items.
Step 3: Choose 1-2 inquiry-based activities from the intervention tables that are relevant to this topic and could meaningfully address students’ alternative concepts.
Step 4: Conduct the activity and engage students in using the scientific models to explain, predict, and solve problems.
Step 5: Use the same diagnostic items as Step 1 to examine changes in students’ conceptions before and after instruction.
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