Preservice teachers' theory development in physical and simulated environments

We report a study of three prospective secondary science teachers' development of theories- in-action as they worked together in a group to explore collisions using both physical manipulatives and a computer simulation (Interactive Physics). Analysis of their investigations using an existing theoretical framework indicates that, as the group moved from physical experiments to the computer simulation, their attention shifted from planning their experiments to processing system feedback, which impeded the iterative refinement of their theories-in-action. The nature of the theories they developed also changed. Learners' attitudes toward science and prior experiences affected the exploration process in both environ- ments. In particular, prior instruction in physics and an authoritarian view of science seemed to impede engagement in the development and testing of theories-in-action. Certain features of the computer system itself also impeded exploration. 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 43: 907-937, 2006 One of the goals of science education at the secondary level is that our students will ''actually use the cognitive and manipulative skills associated with the formulation of scientific explanations'' (National Research Council, 1996, p. 173). That is, we want our students to observe phenomena, formulate ideas that might explain what they see, and implement strategies to test whether these ideas are correct and over what range of parameters they hold true. In an ideal situation, students will formulate ideas that align with the explanations that have been developed by the larger community of scientists, but significant forces work against this possibility. First, it is unlikely that students working without guidance or prior knowledge will formulate ''ontological entities (and) organizing concepts'' (Driver, Asoko, Leach, Mortimer, & Scott, 1994, p. 6) that are as sophisticated and productive as those generally accepted by the discipline, the latter having been developed through years of evaluation by a dedicated community of scholars toward a general consensus. A case in point is the kinetic energy construct—that the energy

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