In these studies, we investigated the conceptual change processes of students in concept learning with discrepant events from the viewpoints of the psychology and history of science. <br>
In Part I, we interviewed to explore students' emotional resp ...
In these studies, we investigated the conceptual change processes of students in concept learning with discrepant events from the viewpoints of the psychology and history of science. <br>
In Part I, we interviewed to explore students' emotional responses and perceived teaching-learning strategies for effective conceptual change by the types of cognitive responses to a discrepant event. The results revealed that cognitive conflict was more induced by a discrepant event when its reliability and validity were emphasized. The students’ cognitive responses to a discrepant event, the existence of alternative hypotheses, and their clearness influenced the patterns of emotional responses such as interest and anxiety. Many students perceived that emotional responses had positive influences on concept learning processes. <br>
In addition, we investigated students' responses to a discrepant event and an alternative hypothesis which had been presented in the conceptual change processes from the phlogiston theory to the oxygen theory, and compared them with scientists' responses. Analyses of the results revealed that scientists tended to focus on explaining the problems of the discrepant event, whereas students tended to ignore and/or exclude the discrepant event in order to maintain their previous beliefs. Only a few students were also found to change their beliefs after having been presented with the alternative hypothesis. <br>
In Part Ⅱ, we examined the influences of cognitive conflict and non-cognitive variables induced by a discrepant event on conceptual change processes, and the processes that a discrepant event led to situational interest. A path analysis revealed that cognitive conflict induced by a discrepant event caused situational interest, which in turn increased attention and/or effort and thus resulted in conceptual change. The results of the path analysis on the processes which a discrepant event led to situational interest suggested that novelty may be a primary source of situational interest. Novelty influenced situational interest directly as well as through attention demand, exploration intention, and instant enjoyment. Moreover, novelty exerted a direct effect on challenge, which in turn had negative effects on instant enjoyment directly as well as through cognitive conflict, and thus decreased situational interest. However, the path coefficients of the latter were relatively smaller than those of the former. <br>
In Part Ⅲ, we investigated the influences of the epistemological beliefs on the conceptual change processes in respects of cognitive conflict, situational interest, attention and state learning strategies. Analyses of the results revealed that fixed ability, quick learning and certain knowledge, which are epistemological factors, were highly related, but only certain knowledge exerted a direct effect on conceptual understanding negatively. It also had positive effects on attention directly as well as via situational interest, and thus increased conceptual understanding, even if the effects were relatively smaller than the direct effect. However, epistemological beliefs had little influence on conceptual understanding through cognitive conflict and/or state learning strategies. <br>
In addition, the influences of the presentation types of anomalous data on the processes of conceptual change were investigated in respect of students' cognitive, affective, and motivational variables. The results indicated that movie-type anomalous data induced significantly more cognitive conflict than text-type ones. Cognitive conflict induced by anomalous data increased students' conceptual understanding through their attention to learning. Situational interest stimulated by anomalous data also promoted conceptual understanding through attention to learning.