A STUDY OF PRECONCEIVED KNOWLEDGE OF MECHANICAL CONCEPTS AMONG ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY GIFTED LEARNERS

An area of current research of interest to science educators deals with the nature of preconceived knowledge and its role in the learning of science. Studies have shown that preconceived views more closely resemble an Aristotelian-Impetus model than the Newtonian view. The main purpose of this exploratory study was to examine student-held concepts involving certain mechanical principles among gifted and non-gifted students. The subjects were chosen from the fourth and eleventh grades of a single public school district in Northeastern Pennsylvania which conducts a full-time gifted program. The gifted fourth grade subjects represented the total gifted population (IQ (GREATERTHEQ) 130) for that grade level. The non-gifted population was chosen from three fourth-grade classes representing a smaller geographical area of the district. The socioeconomic background of the non-gifted subjects matched that of the gifted group. The eleventh grade subjects were all students concurrently taking a physics course with the same teacher. A Piagetian test was administered individually to all subjects. Only those fourth graders with demonstrated concrete operationalism and eleventh graders with demonstrated formal operationalism were included in this study. The instrument used to investigate students\u27 misconceptions dealing with motion was a newly compiled series of written questions and tasks called the Preconceived Knowledge Test (PKT) gleaned from several recent studies investigating preconceived knowledge of mechanical concepts among students from diverse age and intellectual levels. The subjects were administered the Preconceived Knowledge Test individually and their responses to each of the 14 items were scored as either correct or incorrect. The data on each of the 14 items were analyzed using the chi-square analysis with the Yates correction. Analysis of the data from the PKT on mechanics indicates that students from diverse levels of age and intellectual ability share common difficulties in dealing with mechanical concepts. The results of the study suggest further that intelligence, as measured by IQ scores, does not facilitate students\u27 understanding of fundamental mechanical concepts. The implication for those studying giftedness is that identification based solely on IQ scores is incomplete and that an expanded model of giftedness which includes this preconceived knowledge may be useful for science teachers. The findings also suggest the need for expanded research into the nature of student-held views concerning motion; how these complex, yet erroneous views develop; and what role they play in everyday life