The aim of this project was to research alternative conceptions that grades 11 and 12 high school physical science learners have about projectile motion. Their performance is compared with first year university physics students. A questionnaire was designed for grade 11 and 12 learners. The understanding of university students was assessed through ex post facto scrutiny of responses to a projectile question set in their mid-year examination. The results of this study were analyzed through the responses of the learners and university students. The study revealed that the grade 11 learners performed better than their grade 12 counterparts, though the same questionnaire was used for both groups. Such differences may be associated with the fact that projectile motion is taught during the grade 11 year of study. Grade 11 learners may therefore have a better memory recall of the formal teaching of the topic and associated concepts. By contrast, grade 12 learners might have resorted to a “re-understanding” of the various concepts as they have been acquired in their own world: these are what the literature refers to as, inter alia, alternative conceptions or naïve ideas. The performance of university students was also better than that of the grades 11 and 12 learners. This may be due to a maturity factor, as well as the way in which projectile motion was dealt with in their lectures. Arising out of our analysis, we shall make a number of recommendations as to how the topic might be better taught at the secondary level. Secondary educators need to be better informed about alternative conceptions research, and preventative and remedial activities that could be adopted.

Degree: Master of Science Department: Science / This study examined conceptions about earthquakes held by the selected high school students in Lesotho. A survey was carried out at one high school with students from three different grades; Form A students who had not yet received formal instruction about earthquakes, and Form C and Form D students who had dealt with the topic in school. Some of the students in the sample had experienced an earthquake. A diagnostic test was used to elicit conceptions from 130 students. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 6 students, with the purpose of probing certain responses from the test. In particular, test responses that were probed included; first, those which showed confusion between earthquakes and volcanoes, and second, those which used indigenous beliefs to explain causes of earthquakes. The conceptions held by students in the three grades were analysed and compared. From the results the following findings emerged: First, many students appear to be confused in their understanding between earthquakes and volcanoes, particularly those who had received classroom instruction on these concepts. Some of the students could not distinguish between an earthquake and a volcano, while others seem to think that earthquake occurrences are always linked to volcanic activity. Second, several students across the three grades could not differentiate between movements of the earth’s crust which result in earthquakes and the larger scale movements, i.e. the rotation and revolution of the earth. Third, generally students across the three grades appear to have scientifically correct ideas about the causes of earthquakes. Also, the majority of students attributed the causes of earthquakes to water, perhaps because the earthquake in their area was caused by impoundment of the dam. However, students seemed to be uninformed about the mechanisms or processes behind the occurrence of earthquakes. Finally, a few students across the grades used indigenous beliefs to explain earthquakes. With an awareness of the conceptual and cultural difficulties students in Lesotho are likely to encounter in the learning of earthquakes, teachers can prepare in advance to handle such issues, as they are critical in the understanding of the phenomenon of earthquakes.

Magister Educationis - MEd (Mathematics and Science Education) / A large percentage of South African learners held inadequate or alternative conceptions that might hinder them from developing a valid understanding of various scientific concepts and generalizations. This study explored the conceptions of Senior Phase learners on magnetism, chemical change of substances and the environment. More explicitly, the study attempted to investigate the influence of the learners" age, language and gender issues on their understanding of these scientific concepts. The study is underpinned by socio-cultural constructivism as espoused by Vygotsky (1978). The research sample comprised 250 Senior Phase learners (grades eight and nine) from secondary schools in the Metro Central District in the Western Cape. The study used the following six research instruments for data collection: Science Achievement Test (SAT), Context Test, Cloze Test, Picture Test, Science Vocabulary Test and an interview schedule. The tests were administered to all the participants while the interview was conducted with six participants.This study was a descriptive research of a survey type and data was collected and analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods.The data collected was analyzed quantitatively using the Statistical Package for Sciences (SPSS) in order to obtain descriptive statistics that were used to explore the conceptions of senior phase learners in magnetism, chemical change substances and the environment in the Metro Central district while data from the tape recorder and notes taken during the interview, were analyzed qualitatively.

A call for the design of programs focused on the development of self-awareness skills permeates the field of research and practice on postsecondary students with learning disabilities (LD). Important components of self-awareness are students' advanced understanding of learning, LD, and the social context (peers, instructors, classmates) of college learning. This study explores students with LD's conceptual understanding of learning and LD by situating it within developmental theoretical frameworks delineating the form and content of adult reasoning. Twelve female and five male college-students with LD participated in two-hour interviews. Students' thinking about others was explored by asking participants to reason about the behaviors, intentions, feelings and traits of the characters in two scenarios depicting typical dilemmas faced by students with LD. Students' conceptual understanding of learning and LD was elicited by means of open-ended questions followed by prompts. Students' responses were scored for level of cognitive complexity and coded for conceptual content. Overall, the students reasoned abstractly about learning and LD at a level of complexity expected from college-age population. They demonstrated well-developed understanding of others' expectations and motivations especially as they relate to the themes of self-identification, seeking accommodations, and understanding of LD. Students' conceptions of learning and LD presented qualitatively different variations on main themes. These variations paralleled the increase in complexity and were associated with experience(number of years of education). The overarching understanding of learning as acquiring knowledge transitioned from understanding learning as an external, given task to learning as an internal, personal-development process. The common understanding of LD as a difference transitioned from a difference related to an external label and an imposed constraint, to meaning of "difference" as a special ability, an asset, and a source of identity. These results indicate a possible progression in the evolution of the concepts of learning and LD throughout the college career of students with LD. The approach to this conceptual content and its description can inform and serve as starting points in the development of programs that foster the conceptual understanding of learning, LD, and the social-context of the educational enterprise, as a way of building these students' self-awareness skills.

Abstract This research is to explore the high school student potential misconceptions on evolution, based on the two-tier diagnostic test and diagnostic interview. Through a proper teaching design, the researcher has developed an untraditional teaching method. The effects of the untraditional teaching method and the traditional teaching method were compared. With the retest of two-tier diagnostic test, a survey was conducted to evaluate the students¡¦ achievement resulting from the teaching strategy designed by the researcher. The survey can also be consulted and used in the improvement of future teaching activities. This research adopted a Quasi-experimental research method. Data included the analysis of quantity and the description of quality. The research tool is a two-tier diagnostic questionable. The sample groups consist of two classes in the grade-10 and two classes in the grade-12 with 35 students in each class, taught by the researcher. The results of this research indicate that (1) in general , the students are in lack of the structural knowledge of evolution in their prior learning especially¡§the relationship between organism and organism¡¨and the concept of human selection; (2) the comparison of learning results brought about between the untraditional teaching method and traditional teaching method, apparently shows that the experimental group students are far better than the control group students in understanding the connection of evolutional concepts and the abundance of conceptive maps; (3) the difference of student learning process of the two teaching methods , compared by the quiz results on each unit, are not significantly different between the two groups of students; and (4) as far as the teaching of the concept of evolution is concerned, the improved teaching method design is appreciated by the experiment group students and is highly expected by the control group students.

A call for the design of programs focused on the development of self-awareness skills permeates the field of research and practice on postsecondary students with learning disabilities (LD). Important components of self-awareness are students' advanced understanding of learning, LD, and the social context (peers, instructors, classmates) of college learning. This study explores students with LD's conceptual understanding of learning and LD by situating it within developmental theoretical frameworks delineating the form and content of adult reasoning. Twelve female and five male college-students with LD participated in two-hour interviews. Students' thinking about others was explored by asking participants to reason about the behaviors, intentions, feelings and traits of the characters in two scenarios depicting typical dilemmas faced by students with LD. Students' conceptual understanding of learning and LD was elicited by means of open-ended questions followed by prompts. Students' responses were scored for level of cognitive complexity and coded for conceptual content. Overall, the students reasoned abstractly about learning and LD at a level of complexity expected from college-age population. They demonstrated well-developed understanding of others' expectations and motivations especially as they relate to the themes of self-identification, seeking accommodations, and understanding of LD. Students' conceptions of learning and LD presented qualitatively different variations on main themes. These variations paralleled the increase in complexity and were associated with experience(number of years of education). The overarching understanding of learning as acquiring knowledge transitioned from understanding learning as an external, given task to learning as an internal, personal-development process. The common understanding of LD as a difference transitioned from a difference related to an external label and an imposed constraint, to meaning of "difference" as a special ability, an asset, and a source of identity. These results indicate a possible progression in the evolution of the concepts of learning and LD throughout the college career of students with LD. The approach to this conceptual content and its description can inform and serve as starting points in the development of programs that foster the conceptual understanding of learning, LD, and the social-context of the educational enterprise, as a way of building these students' self-awareness skills.

A call for the design of programs focused on the development of self-awareness skills permeates the field of research and practice on postsecondary students with learning disabilities (LD). Important components of self-awareness are students' advanced understanding of learning, LD, and the social context (peers, instructors, classmates) of college learning. This study explores students with LD's conceptual understanding of learning and LD by situating it within developmental theoretical frameworks delineating the form and content of adult reasoning. Twelve female and five male college-students with LD participated in two-hour interviews. Students' thinking about others was explored by asking participants to reason about the behaviors, intentions, feelings and traits of the characters in two scenarios depicting typical dilemmas faced by students with LD. Students' conceptual understanding of learning and LD was elicited by means of open-ended questions followed by prompts. Students' responses were scored for level of cognitive complexity and coded for conceptual content. Overall, the students reasoned abstractly about learning and LD at a level of complexity expected from college-age population. They demonstrated well-developed understanding of others' expectations and motivations especially as they relate to the themes of self-identification, seeking accommodations, and understanding of LD. Students' conceptions of learning and LD presented qualitatively different variations on main themes. These variations paralleled the increase in complexity and were associated with experience(number of years of education). The overarching understanding of learning as acquiring knowledge transitioned from understanding learning as an external, given task to learning as an internal, personal-development process. The common understanding of LD as a difference transitioned from a difference related to an external label and an imposed constraint, to meaning of "difference" as a special ability, an asset, and a source of identity. These results indicate a possible progression in the evolution of the concepts of learning and LD throughout the college career of students with LD. The approach to this conceptual content and its description can inform and serve as starting points in the development of programs that foster the conceptual understanding of learning, LD, and the social-context of the educational enterprise, as a way of building these students' self-awareness skills. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Faculty of Science School of Physics[Science Education] 0305541n mososloaneR@science.pg.wist.ac.za / This research report is based on a study that investigated South African Grade-10 learners’ conceptions about day and night, and the seasons, after instruction in these topics. The study was motivated by examiners’ reports that learners perform poorly in physical science, and by alternative conceptions that learners have about scientific concepts, as reported in the literature. A motive for conducting the study in South Africa is that relatively little has been published about South African learners’ conceptions about day and night, and the seasons. An open-ended diagnostic questionnaire was used to probe learners’ conceptions about day and night, and the seasons. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were checked by the researchers’ supervisor and colleagues. The questionnaire was piloted in a secondary school in the same township as the school that was later used to collect the main study data. Learners in the pilot study were asked to state problems encountered while answering the questionnaire. This resulted in minor modifications on the questionnaire. The modified questionnaire was then administered to the main study group, and open coding was used to analyze the results. The results show that the majority of learners lacked scientifically acceptable conceptions about day and night, and the seasons, e.g. they did not understand the combined rotation of the Earth about its axis, and the revolution of the Earth about the Sun. The results also show that learners could not properly interpret diagrams, and to effectively use diagrams to clarify their answers. Learners lack scientifically acceptable conceptions despite detailed explanations given in their textbooks, which imply that the books were not used effectively in the learning process. Some recommendations made, following these results, are that learners’ attention should be drawn to rich information presented in their textbooks, and that some 3-dimensional objects should be used when teaching the topic.

La thèse propose d'appréhender le concept d'équité en matière d'accès aux soins de santé selon de multiples aspects en adoptant une réflexion axée initialement sur les fondements normatifs des conceptions théoriques pour parvenir progressivement aux conceptions profanes. Pour alimenter cette réflexion progressive, une première partie est dédiée à la présentation des différents niveaux de débats qui s'articulent tout au long de ce cheminement. Une vue d'ensemble est dressée afin de mettre en exergue les complémentarités potentielles et l'apport interactif qui lient les différentes approches. La suite de la réflexion s'axe sur les conceptions profanes. Les parties 2 et 3 de la thèse apportent des éclairages à l'élicitation des conceptions profanes. A cette fin, nous avons eu recours à deux méthodologies empiriques de révélation spécifiques. (i) Dans la partie 2, l'expérience que nous proposons est destinée à éliciter les préférences sous « condition d'impartialité » auprès de sujets présentant des caractéristiques différentes : des sujets-étudiants d'une part, puis un groupe plus hétérogène comprenant des patients hospitalisés, des représentants d'usagers et des membres d'association d'autre part. Selon cette approche, nous avons testé certains principes normatifs de justice en les confrontant aux opinions exprimées par les sujets participant aux expériences. (ii) Dans la partie 3, nous avons eu recours à une méthode inductive de recueil d'opinion avec comme sujets un groupe de médecins traitants. La méthodologie adopte ainsi un angle différent puisque nous cherchons à faire émerger des principes de justice de manière inductive. En somme, les parties 2 et 3 de la thèse offrent deux approches empiriques complémentaires pour parvenir à une certaine connaissance des conceptions profanes de l'équité en santé. / The thesis proposes to understand the concept of equity in access to health care in multiple aspects by adopting a reflection initially focused on the normative foundations of theoretical concepts to achieve progressively to profane ones. To supply this progressive thinking, first part is dedicated to the presentation of different levels of discussions. An overview is drawn to highlight the potential complementarities and interactive contributions that link different approaches. Parts 2 and 3 of the thesis provide insight to express profane conceptions. To this end, we used two empirical methodologies of specific revelation. (i) In Part 2, the experience we purpose is designed to elicit preferences under «impartiality» in subjects with different characteristics: subjects - students on the one hand, and a more heterogeneous group including patients, user representatives and members of associations on the other. Under this approach, we tested some normative principles of justice by confronting the views expressed by the subjects participating in the experiments. (ii) In Part 3, we used an inductive method for collecting opinion as subjects with a group of doctors. Methodology takes a different angle focused on principles of justice emergence inductively. To sum up, Parts 2 and 3 of the thesis offer two complementary empirical approaches to bring some knowledge of profane conceptions in health equity.

The ways that physics students’ conceptualize – the way they experience – the use of algebraic signs in vector-kinematics has not been extensively studied. The most comprehensive of these few studies was carried out in South Africa 15 years ago. This study found that the variation in the ways that students experience the use of algebraic signs could be characterized by five qualitatively different categories. The consistency of the nature of this experience across either the same or different educational settings has never given further consideration. This project sets out to do this using two educational settings; one similar to the original South African one, and one at the natural science preparatory programme known as basåret at Uppsala University in Sweden. The study was carried out under the auspices of the Division of Physics Education Research at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University in collaboration with Nadaraj Govender, University of KwaZulu-Natal, who performed the original study while completing his PhD at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. This study is situated in the kinematics section of introductory physics with participants drawn from the natural science preparatory programme at Uppsala University and physical science preservice teachers’ programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The participating students completed a specially designed questionnaire on the use of signs in kinematics problem solving. A sub-group of these students was also purposefully selected to take part in semi-structured interviews that aimed at further exploring their experiences of algebraic signs. The students’ descriptions and answers were categorized using Nadaraj Govender’s set of categories, which had been constructed using the phenomenographic research approach. This approach is designed to enable finding the variation of ways people experience a phenomenon. The process of sorting the data was grounded in this phenomenographic perspective. From this categorization it was possible to identify four of the original five categories amongst the participating students. The results suggest that these four categories remain educationally relevant today even if the context is not the same as the one for the original findings. Although one of the original five categories was not found, the analysis cannot be taken to definitely eliminate this from the original outcome space of results. A more extensive study would be needed for this and thus a proposal is made that further studies be undertaken around this issue. The study ends by suggesting that physics teachers at the introductory level need to obtain a broader understanding of their students’ difficulties and develop their teaching to better deal with the challenges that become more visible in this broader understanding. / På vilka sätt fysikstudenter föreställer sig och förstår användandet av algebraiska tecken i vektorkinematik har endast studerats i mindre utsträckning. Den mest omfattande av dessa få studier genomfördes i Sydafrika för 15 år sedan. Denna studie upptäckte att variationen av de sätt studenter upplever användandet av algebraiska tecken på kunde karaktäriseras genom fem kvalitativt olika kategorier. Hur solida dessa upplevelser är i en liknande eller helt annan utbildningsmiljö har däremot inte studerats vidare. Detta projekt ämnar till att göra detta genom att använda två olika studentgrupper; en liknande den ursprungliga gruppen i Sydafrika, samt det tekniskt-naturvetenskapliga basåret vid Uppsala universitet, Sverige. Studien har genomförts med stöd från avdelningen för fysikens didaktik vid institutionen för fysik och astronomi vid Uppsala universitet i samarbete med Nadaraj Govender, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Sydafrika, som genomförde den ursprungliga studien under sin doktorandutbildning vid University of the Westen Cape, Sydafrika. Denna studie är begränsad till den del av den grundläggande fysiken som behandlar kinematik och innefattade deltagare från det tekniskt-naturvetenskapliga basåret vid Uppsala universitet samt tredje års studenter vid physical science preservice teachers’ programme, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Sydafrika. De deltagande studenterna genomförde ett specialdesignat frågeformulär kring användandet av algebraiska tecken för att lösa kinematiska problem. En del av dessa studenter valdes sedan ut för att delta i semi-strukturerade intervjuer som syftade till att vidare utforska deras upplevelser kring algebraiska tecken. Studenternas beskrivningar och svar kategoriserades med hjälp av Nadaraj Govenders fem kategorier som tagits fram genom ett fenomenografiskt tillvägagångssätt. Detta tillvägagångssätt är framtaget för att kunna hitta variationen av hur människor upplever ett fenomen. Sorteringsprocessen grundades i detta fenomenografiska perspektiv. Från denna kategorisering var det möjligt att identifiera fyra av de fem ursprungliga kategorierna bland de deltagande studenterna. Fyra av de fem ursprungliga kategorierna som föreslagits av Govender återfanns genom denna studie varför dessa kategorier föreslås förbli relevanta idag även om utbildningsmiljön skiljer sig från den ursprungliga. Trots att den femte kategorin inte hittades kan denna inte definitivt exkluderas från det outcome space som beskriver studenters upplevelser för algebraiska tecken. Det föreslås att vidare studier undersöker förekomsten av denna kategori. Studien avslutas med att föreslå att fysik lärare på grundnivå behöver få en bättre förståelse för sina studenters svårigheter samt att de behöver utveckla sin undervisning för att bättre kunna hantera dessa svårigheter och på så sätt göra undervisningen mer anpassad för mångfalden av studenterna.