Learning counter-intuitive explanations from a conceptual change perspective

Manuscript (ελληνικά)
Published: Jul 21, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/psyhps.30692
Keywords:
Conceptual Change Framework theory approach counter-intutive explanations educational practices and learning
Irini Skopeliti
Abstract

What is the reason why students frequently face difficulties in understanding counter-intuitive scientific and mathematical explanations? It is assumed that when students enter school, they have already constructed theories about how the world works which are based on information they receive from the external environment through their senses. These theories may, however, contradict the scientific explanations, which are often considered to be counter-intuitive, since they do not derive from our daily observations through our senses and are not confirmed by them. Students need to reorganize their initial theories in order to learn counter-intuitive explanations; multiple conceptual changes are required -ontological, epistemological and representational- as described in the Framework Theory approach of conceptual change. In the current Special Issue five papers are presented, which are based on the same theoretical framework of conceptual change. The papers extend the Framework Theory approach by describing students' difficulties in understanding counter-intuitive scientific and mathematical explanations. They also suggest educational practices that could facilitate the learning of counter-intuitive explanations.

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