Research Article ExperimentalEvidenceoftheSuperiorityofthePrevalenceModelof ConceptualChangeOvertheClassicalModelsandRepetition

摘要: This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects on 558 grades five and six students of three different teaching conditions: classical model conceptual change (for which cognitive conflict is considered as a precondition tothe transformation ofknowledge), prevalence (inwhichdifferentconceptionscancoexist,withoneofthemsurpassingtheothers),andrepetitionoftraditional (that avoids conflicts concentrates automatization appropriate thought processes).Theseconditionswerereducedtosequencingconsiderations,asclassical participantswere firstsubjectedtoapossiblecognitiveconflict inducedbyavideo, followedbyanothervideoaboutthetargeted conceptions;prevalence modelparticipantsweresubjectedtothesamevideosbutintheoppositechronological order; repetition condition participants watched "traditional teaching" video twice. Differences in accuracy response times between our computerized validated "sink/float" pretest retest were analyzed.Resultsandinterpretationsconfirmthatcognitiveconflictsareusefulinteachingsequencesthataimat producing changes. However, majorfindingsof this research suggest that such should notnecessarilybetriggeredattheverybeginningofteachingsequences,andthereforethattheprevalencemodel mightpossiblybethepreferableonetopromoteconceptualchangesinreal-lifeschoolscienceteachingsettings. Recommendationsforteachingandresearchareformulated.Presentedresults,althoughstatisticallysignificant, sometimes show weak sizes, therefore call for further efforts. # 2015 The Authors.