The Role of Student-Generated Analogies in Promoting Conceptual Understanding for Undergraduate Chemistry Students
ARTICLE
Lesley Spier-Dance, Jolie Mayer-Smith, Nigel Dance, Samia Khan
Research in Science & Technological Education Volume 23, Number 2, ISSN 0263-5143
Abstract
This article reports on the value of using student-generated analogies with undergraduate science students as a strategy for promoting conceptual understanding. A quantitative study was undertaken involving students in four sections of an introductory chemistry course for prospective science majors attending a four year college in British Columbia, Canada. Students in one section of the course developed, performed and discussed analogies representing a conceptually difficult chemistry topic. Students in three other sections received instruction on the same topic via a teacher-generated analogy combined with in-class discussion. To assess the impact of student-generated analogies, students' performance on a final exam question was compared across the four sections and their answers were analyzed for evidence of depth of conceptual understanding. Students who generated their own analogies performed significantly better in the exam and demonstrated a greater level of conceptual understanding than students who were presented with a teacher-derived analogy. It is particularly noteworthy that lower-achieving students who devised and enacted analogies for their peers significantly out-performed their counterparts who received more traditional instruction.
Citation
Spier-Dance, L., Mayer-Smith, J., Dance, N. & Khan, S. (2005). The Role of Student-Generated Analogies in Promoting Conceptual Understanding for Undergraduate Chemistry Students. Research in Science & Technological Education, 23(2), 163-178. Retrieved August 10, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/165843/.
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