High School Students' Understandings of Diffusion Concepts in Relation to Their Levels of Cognitive Development [electronic resource] / A. Louis Odom and John Settlage.

The concept of diffusion may seem easy enough for many teachers to understand, but when and what do students really understand about diffusion and osmosis? In order to answer these two questions, 116 students (46.6% in the tenth grade, 30.2% in the eleventh grade, and 23.2% in the twelfth grade) enr...

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Bibliographic Details
Online Access: Full Text (via ERIC)
Main Author: Odom, A. Louis
Other Authors: Settlage, John
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: [S.l.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1994.
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Summary:The concept of diffusion may seem easy enough for many teachers to understand, but when and what do students really understand about diffusion and osmosis? In order to answer these two questions, 116 students (46.6% in the tenth grade, 30.2% in the eleventh grade, and 23.2% in the twelfth grade) enrolled in biology classes were administered tests to assess for their level of cognitive development and their understandings of diffusion and osmosis. Results revealed that while there were significant differences in level of cognitive development, significant differences between grade levels and gender did not exist. The researchers asked teachers to not assume that a concept can be easily understood by students simply because it is basic knowledge. Instead they should be aware of the fact that students must have a working knowledge of other concepts before they can truly understand more abstract concepts. (ZWH)
Item Description:ERIC Document Number: ED368581.
ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (Anaheim, CA, March 19-24, 1994).
Physical Description:7 p.