Uncovering and Correcting

Students' Science

Misconceptions

Jinan Karameh,

Rowaida Aboul Hosn, and

Faten Sleem

MA Students in Biology

Lebanese University

Definition of Misconception

The term misconception is used to

describe “a situation in which students’

ideas differ from those of scientists about

a concept” .

Misconceptions

Many childrens’ conceptions and

misconceptions are based on their

everyday experiences.They explore

natural phenomena by curiosity and

interest; however, their description and

explanation to the world is often guided

by logical but scientifically inaccurate

understandings.

Misconception

Prior to instruction, teachers should be

aware that some students might already

have some pre-instructional knowledge

about the learned topic . However,

students’ knowledge can be erroneous,

illogical, or misinformed.

These erroneous understandings of

students are termed alternative

conceptions or misconceptions (or

intuitive theories).

Sources of Misconceptions

Preconceived notions

Nonscientific beliefs

Conceptual misunderstandings

Vernacular misconceptions

Factual misconceptions

Sources ( Continued)

1. Preconceived notions are popular

conceptions rooted in everyday

experiences. For example, many people

believe that water flowing underground

must flow in streams because the water

they see at the earth's surface flows in

streams.

2. Nonscientific beliefs include views

learned by students from sources other

than scientific education, such as religious

or mythical teachings. For example,

students’ understanding of the history of

Earth learned through religious instruction

3. Conceptual misunderstandings arise

when students are taught scientific

information in a way that does not provoke

them to confront paradoxes and conflicts

resulting from their own preconceived

notions and nonscientific beliefs.

4. Vernacular misconceptions arise

from the use of words that mean one

thing in everyday life and another in a

scientific context (e.g., "work").

Another example is the expression

“glaciers retreat” where students picture

the glacier stopping, turning around, and

moving in the opposite direction. How do

you think we can correct this type of

misconception?

5. Factual misconceptions are falsities

often learned at an early age and retained

unchallenged into adulthood. If you think

about it, the idea that "lightning never

strikes twice in the same place" is clearly

nonsense, but that notion may be buried

somewhere in your belief system.

Uncovering Misconception

Some useful techniques are:

Concept Cartoons

Probes Concept Mapping

Predict-Observe- Explain

Interviews

Students Drawings

Post Box technique

Viewfinders

Card Sorting.

Tools to correct

Misconceptions

Instructional strategies that can lead to

changes in students’ alternative

conceptions (misconceptions) and to

learning of new concepts and theories :

Correcting misconceptions

1.Present the new concepts or theories

in a plausible, high-quality, intelligible and

generative way.

Plausible: means consistent with other

knowledge and provide a good

explanation of the available data.

What does high Quality mean?

The presented theory should be both

correct and scientific and take into account

the data available to students. Thus, the

instructor should deal with the problem

from the perspective of the students.

Intelligible?

Learners must be able to grasp how the new

conception works.

To increase intelligibility, teachers can use

methods such as:

a. analogies

b. models

c. direct exposition

Generative/fruitful?

The new concept/theory should foster

new areas of inquiry.

This can be done by applying the new

concept/theory to a wide range of familiar

and new real life problems.

Correcting Misconceptions

2. Use students’ correct conceptions and

build on those by creating a bridge of

examples to the new concept or theory

that students are having trouble learning

due to having misconceptions.

3. Use model-based reasoning, which helps

students construct new representations

that vary from their intuitive theories.

Correcting Misconceptions

4. Use “diverse instruction” where you

present a few examples that challenge

multiple assumptions rather than a larger

number of examples that challenge just

one assumption.

5. Raise students’ metacognition by helping

students become aware of their own

alternative conceptions (misconceptions)

Correcting Misconceptions

6. Provide experiences that cause cognitive

conflict in the student’s mind. Such

experiences get students to consider their

own misconception side-by-side or at the

same time with the correct concept or

theory.

Correcting Misconceptions

7. Develop students’ epistemological

thinking, which is their beliefs and theories

about the nature of knowledge and the nature of

learning, in ways that will facilitate

conceptual change. The more naïve

students’ beliefs are about knowledge and

learning, the less likely they are to revise

their misconceptions.

Correcting Misconceptions

8. Help students “self-repair” their

misconceptions.

9. Once students have overcome their

alternative conceptions (misconceptions),

engage them in arguments that help

strengthen their new knowledge

(representations).

Thank you