Scientific misconceptions

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Many, if not most, scientific misconceptions are deeply rooted in the common sense experiences of the learner, and most have been identified anecdotally in the course of instruction. Misconceptions about scientific ideas that go unrecognized by either the student or the instructor pose a formidable barrier to learning. More recent studies of misconceptions and their role in effective learning depend upon a rigorous, research-based approach that involves placing students outside of the conventional testing context. A classic example is illustrated by the video A private universe, which deals with students notions of planetary motion. Similar examples on students understanding of electrical circuits and plant growth are also available Private Universe Project.

What is generally unappreciated by both instructors and students alike is that i) misconceptions often remain unrecognized, ii) that multiple "interventions" are often required before misconceptions are recognize as counterproductive, and iii) that teaching without appreciating students' conceptual landscape often leads to increased confusion rather than authentic learning. Based on Hake's 1989 study of student understanding of Newtonian mechanics, it is clear that simple lecturing rarely engages students to revised these obstacles to learning.

[edit] Types of scientific misconceptions

In general, scientific misconceptions have their foundations in a few "intuitive knowledge domains, including folkmechanics (object boundaries and movements), folkbiology (biological species configurations and relationships), and folkpyschology (interactive agents and goal-directed behavior)" (Altran & Norezayan, 2005), that enable humans to interact effectively with the world in which they evolved. That these folksciences do not map accurately onto modern scientific theory is not unexpected.

Misconceptions can be broken down into five basic categories 1) preconceived notions; 2) nonscientific beliefs; 3) conceptual misunderstandings; 4) vernacular misconceptions; and 5) factual misconceptions (e.g., Committee on Undergraduate Science Education, 1997).

While most student misconceptions go unrecognized, there has been an informal effort to identify errors and misconceptions present in textbooks. The Bad Science web page, maintained by Alistair Fraser, is a good resource. Another important resource is the Students' and Teachers' Conceptions and Science Education (STCSE) website maintained by Reinders Duit.

A more systematic search for student misconceptions has been driven by recent efforts to construct concept inventories relevant to various disciplines.

[edit] Addressing student misconceptions

A number of lines of evidence suggest that the recognition and revision of student misconceptions involves active, rather than passive, involvement with the material. A common approach is through metacognition, that is to encourage students to think about their thinking on particular problem. In part this requires students to verbalize, defend and reformulate their understanding - essentially a Socratic method. Recognizing the realities of the modern classroom, a number of variations have been introduced. These include Eric Mazur's Peer Instruction, as well as various tutorials in physics developed groups at University of Washington and the University of Maryland.

[edit] Sources

Altran, S. & A. Norenzayan. 2005. Religion's evolutionary landscape: counterintuition, commitment, compassion, and communion. Behavior and Brain Science. 27:713-770.

Charles, E.S. & S.T. d'Apollonia. 2003. A systems approach to education. PEREA report.

Hake, R. (1998). Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: a six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses. Am. J. Physics 66: 64-74.

Krebs, R.E. 1999. Scientific Development and Misconceptions Through the Ages. Greenwood Press.

How Students Learn. 2005. A National Academy of Sciences Report.