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Conceptual change instructional approach for countering naïve science conceptions

Design · All designs
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

The conceptual change method is a science-instruction framework the article adopts as the organizing approach for its electricity curriculum. It has two key processes: students are "presented with unavoidable and incontrovertible evidence that explicitly contradicts their existing na¨ıve conception(s)" and are then "guided just enough to allow them to generate an accurate conceptualization" of the domain. BEETLE II implements it with simulation exercises that contradict misconceptions followed by reflective dialogue, leveraging Socratic tutoring and self-explanation research.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • Instruction must present evidence that directly contradicts students' existing naïve conceptions
  • A guided reflection stage must help students generate accurate new conceptualizations

Constraints

  • The article applies it to the sub-topic of electricity and electric circuits

Target Learners

  • students with no prior knowledge of electronics and electricity

Learning Goals

  • conceptual understanding of basic electricity and electric circuits
  • overcoming common physics misconceptions

Claims

Examples

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Key Sources

  • Dzikovska, M., Steinhauser, N., Farrow, E., Moore, J., & Campbell, G. (2014). BEETLE II: Deep Natural Language Understanding and Automatic Feedback Generation for Intelligent Tutoring in Basic Electricity and Electronics. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 24, 284–332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-014-0017-9
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id conceptual-change-approach-beetle
title Conceptual change instructional approach for countering naïve science conceptions
description The conceptual change method is a science-instruction framework the article adopts as the organizing approach for its electricity curriculum.
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-27
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — dzikovska-2014

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