Conceptual knowledge (or semantic knowledge) refers to our shared knowledge for words, objects, people and emotions. The anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) have been identified as a critical region for the representation of conceptual knowledge through convergent evidence from fMRI in healthy participants, cortical electrode implantation and damage-deficit correlations. With the involvement of the ATLs established, recent research has begun to focus on the functions of subregions of the ATLs - with particular interest surrounding the functions of the left and right ATLs. This thesis investigated three main research questions: (1) What are the functions of the left and right ATLs in semantic representation? (2) How does unilateral damage affect the semantic system and what mechanisms underlie the robustness of the system? (3) Do functional gradations exist within the ATLs? These questions were addressed using convergent methodologies including functional neuroimaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in healthy participants and behavioural and neuroimaging investigations in patients who have undergone unilateral ATL resection. To address the question of left vs. right ATL function, this thesis began by directly comparing the predictions of the different accounts of ATL function in a large-scale meta-analysis of the existing neuroimaging literature (Chapter 2) and in a large sample of patients who had undergone unilateral left or right ATL resection (Chapter 3). The overarching finding was that conceptual knowledge is underpinned by a primarily bilateral ATL system, whereby both the left and right ATLs are critical for normal semantic processing. Secondary to this bilateral representation, relative functional gradations were observed both between and within the ATLs. To address the second research question, Chapter 4 investigated the robustness of the semantic system to unilateral damage, specifically regions involved in the maintenance of conceptual knowledge were localised. Results showed that upregulation occurred within regions previously associated with semantic knowledge. The upregulation of activation after unilateral resection also mimicked the upregulation in control participants during more challenging semantic processing. Chapter 5 examined the behavioural relevance of upregulation in the contralateral ATL after unilateral perturbation using a novel TMS protocol in healthy participants. The findings observed here suggest that the bilateral ATL system is resistant to a degree of unilateral damage/perturbation because semantic representations are distributed between the hemispheres. Therefore, unilateral damage/disruption only results in a mild semantic impairment, as the undamaged/unperturbed hemisphere is available to compensate. Finally, Chapter 6 explored functional gradations within the ATLs by comparing responses in the ventral ATL to different conceptual categories, presented as visual and auditory inputs. The functional gradations observed here are proposed to emerge via differential structural and functional connectivity between the ATLs and sensory-motor and limbic cortices.

Published Article / Past imbalances in the South African education system continue to perpetuate in poorly resourced schools and inadequately skilled teachers, resulting in under-prepared university students. At Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) a computer-based intervention was developed to address two of the conceptual difficulties identified in prospective first-year Chemistry students. After implementation of the intervention, average improvements of 13.6% and 6.4% were obtained for the concepts of conservation of matter and physical and chemical change respectively. The students' attitudes towards computer-aided study, assessed using a semi-structured questionnaire, were found to be extremely positive despite limited computer access.

This study examined what effects, if any, cultural factors have on conceptual knowledge of evolutionary theory through natural selection. In particular, the study determines if Latino and non-Latino students differ in their misconceptions of natural selection and, if so, whether or not cultural factors could be the reason why such differences exist. A total of 1179 college students attending eight Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Texas participated in the study. The results revealed that the top two challenging natural selection concepts for students to comprehend were causes of phenotypic variation, i.e., mutations are intentional, and selective survival based on heritable traits. In addition, no statistical significant differences were found between the Latino and non-Latino students and the top four natural selection misconceptions between the groups were similar. Not even religion was found to directly contribute to evolutionary misconceptions; even though, it serves as the core of an individual’s beliefs system. However, traditional teaching methods, inadequately trained biology school teachers, lessons poor in content, insufficient teaching time, and lack of age appropriate tasks, as well as, poorly defined evolutionary terms are actually the main causes for evolutionary misconceptions.

This dissertation examines the relationship between an instructional style called Interactive-Engagement (IE) and gains on a measure of conceptual knowledge called the Calculus Concept Inventory (CCI). The data comes from two semesters of introductory calculus courses (Fall 2010 and Spring 2011), consisting of a total of 482 students from the first semester and 5 instructors from the second semester. The study involved the construction and development of a videocoding protocol to analyze the type of IE episodes which occurred during classes. The counts of these episodes were then studied along with student gains, measured in a number of different ways. These methods included a traditionally used measure of gain, called normalized gain, which is computed at the instructor level. Additionally, gains were further investigated by constructing hierarchical linear models (HLMs) which allowed us to consider individual student characteristics along with the measures of classroom interactivity. Another framework for computing ability estimates, called Item Response Theory (IRT), was used to compute gains, allowing us to determine whether the method of computing gains affected our conclusions. The initial investigation using instructor-level gain scores indicated that the total number of interactions in a classroom and a particular type of interaction called "encouraging revisions" were significantly associated with normalized gain scores. When individual-level gain scores were considered, however, these instructor-level variables were no longer significantly associated with gains unless a variable indicating whether a student had taken calculus or precalculus in high school or in college was included in the model. When IRT was used to create an alternative measure of gain, the IE variables were not significant predictors of gains, regardless of whether prior mathematics courses were included, suggesting that the method of calculating gain scores is relevant to our findings.

There are many researchers that emphasize the importance of how teachers’ knowledge will affect students’ learning. However, not much research is focused on an international comparison between preservice mathematics teachers’ procedural knowledge and conceptual knowledge. There were 91 preservice mathematics teachers involved in this study. A test on the operations on fractions, decimals, percentages, and integers knowledge showed a) the significant differences between the United States and Chinese preservice teachers’ (PTS) procedural knowledge, b) the significant differences between the United States and Chinese PTS’ conceptual knowledge, and c) the relationships between the United States and Chinese PTS’ procedural knowledge and conceptual knowledge. By comparing the results, the researcher determined the strengths and weaknesses of preservice mathematics teachers in the two countries. The researcher will provide PTS some information based on the results of the knowledge test.

Literature describes different stances with respect to conceptual and procedural mathematical knowledge. The concept-driven versus skills-orientated perspectives have led to “math wars” between researchers, while some mathematics education specialists advocate that the five strands of mathematical proficiency should be seen as interconnected. Conceptual knowledge is the knowledge of concepts or principles, and procedural knowledge the knowledge of procedures. Both types of knowledge are critical components of mathematical proficiency. This study used a mixed methods design to analyse the relationship between conceptual and procedural knowledge. The qualitative content analysis investigated relations between procedural and conceptual knowledge within the solutions of 33 calculus items. The analysis included the number of procedural and conceptual steps needed to answer the item, item label and item classification into one of four knowledge classes based on the type and quality of knowledge. The items were included in a data collection instrument used for quantitative analysis. Rasch analysis was performed to measure item difficulty and person proficiency, and describe the underlying cognitive construct between items. The Rasch person–item map confirmed that items were not clustered together per class and that item difficulty was not linked to the number of procedural and/or conceptual steps needed to do the mathematics. Confirmatory factor analysis showed over-correlation between classes and that defined classes cannot be separated, confirming integration of procedural and conceptual cognitive processes. The relationship between procedural and conceptual knowledge within and between items is complex. Findings indicated that item solutions drew on both procedural and conceptual components that cannot be separated. Solutions could follow more than one approach and analyses could differ, since what is conceptual for one student could be procedural for another. Therefore, teaching strategies should navigate between concepts and procedures, methods and representations. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / PhD / Unrestricted

Learning of threshold concepts in engineering science courses such as statics has traditionally been a difficult and critical juncture for engineering students. Research and other systematic efforts to improve the teaching of statics in recent years range widely, from development of courseware and assessment tools to experiential and other "hands-on" learning techniques. This dissertation reports the findings from a multi-year, dual-institution study investigating possible links between short writing assignments and conceptual knowledge development in statics courses. The theoretical framework of the study draws on elements from cognitive learning theory: expertise, procedural and conceptual knowledge development, and conceptual change. The way that students approach learning in statics with regard to procedural and conceptual knowledge is explored qualitatively, and the relationship between the writing assignments and conceptual knowledge development is examined using a mixed-methods approach. The results show that students approach learning in statics with varying emphasis placed on procedural and conceptual knowledge development and that a student's learning approach influences their perception of the written problems and the ways that they utilize them in learning. Thus, they provide evidence that the learning approach of students may be an important factor in the success of interventions designed to improve conceptual knowledge in statics. Increases in conceptual knowledge as a result of completing the written problems are also empirically supported though limited by problems with data collection. Areas for future work in light of these findings are identified. / Ph. D.

The topic of students’ application of conceptual knowledge in physics is constantly being researched. It is a common occurrence that students are able to solve numerical problems without understanding the concepts involved. The primary focus of this dissertation is to investigate the extent to which a group of first year physics students are able to identify and use the correct physics concepts when solving problems set in different contexts. Furthermore, this study aims to identify underlying factors giving way to students not applying appropriate physics concepts. A questionnaire was designed in test-format in which all the problems dealt with two objects whose movement had to be compared to each other. The physical quantities describing or influencing the objects’ movement differed in each consecutive problem; whilst the nature of the concept under consideration remained the same. The problems were set in various contexts namely: i. Formal conceptual questions, some with numeric values; ii. Questions set in every day context with/without numeric values; iii. Questions on vertical upward, vertical downward and horizontal motion. The questionnaire was distributed to 481 students in the first-year physics course in 2014 at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North West University. It was expected that the percentage of correct answers would reveal discrepancies in the responses to contextual, numeric and formal conceptual questions. The outcome of the statistical analysis confirmed this expectation. In addition, it seemed that only a few students were able to correctly identify the appropriate variables when considering vertical and horizontal movement while the majority of the students did not apply the same physics principle in isomorphic vertical upward and vertical downward problems. It appears that the context in which the question was posed determined whether the problem was seen as an item that would require “physics reasoning” or as a setting where physics reasoning did not apply. The results revealed students inability to relate physics concepts to appropriate mathematical equations. Two important results from this work are: (1) the presentation of a questionnaire that can be implemented to investigate various aspects regarding the contexts of physics problems; and (2) expanding the concept of context to include the direction of movement as a separate context. / MSc (Natural Science Education), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The topic of students’ application of conceptual knowledge in physics is constantly being researched. It is a common occurrence that students are able to solve numerical problems without understanding the concepts involved. The primary focus of this dissertation is to investigate the extent to which a group of first year physics students are able to identify and use the correct physics concepts when solving problems set in different contexts. Furthermore, this study aims to identify underlying factors giving way to students not applying appropriate physics concepts. A questionnaire was designed in test-format in which all the problems dealt with two objects whose movement had to be compared to each other. The physical quantities describing or influencing the objects’ movement differed in each consecutive problem; whilst the nature of the concept under consideration remained the same. The problems were set in various contexts namely: i. Formal conceptual questions, some with numeric values; ii. Questions set in every day context with/without numeric values; iii. Questions on vertical upward, vertical downward and horizontal motion. The questionnaire was distributed to 481 students in the first-year physics course in 2014 at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North West University. It was expected that the percentage of correct answers would reveal discrepancies in the responses to contextual, numeric and formal conceptual questions. The outcome of the statistical analysis confirmed this expectation. In addition, it seemed that only a few students were able to correctly identify the appropriate variables when considering vertical and horizontal movement while the majority of the students did not apply the same physics principle in isomorphic vertical upward and vertical downward problems. It appears that the context in which the question was posed determined whether the problem was seen as an item that would require “physics reasoning” or as a setting where physics reasoning did not apply. The results revealed students inability to relate physics concepts to appropriate mathematical equations. Two important results from this work are: (1) the presentation of a questionnaire that can be implemented to investigate various aspects regarding the contexts of physics problems; and (2) expanding the concept of context to include the direction of movement as a separate context. / MSc (Natural Science Education), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This study assessed the knowledge structure of undergraduate participants related to previously determined critical concepts of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) by using Pathfinder networks. Three domain experts’ knowledge structures regarding the same concepts were also elicited and averaged to create a referent knowledge structure. The referent knowledge structure served as a basis for formative feedback. Then, each participant’s knowledge structure was compared with the referent structure to identify common, missing, and extraneous links between the two networks. Each participant was provided with individualized written and visual, and multi-media feedback through an online Concept Mapping tool based on the principals of formative assessment and feedback in an attempt to increase their conceptual knowledge of ANOVA. The study was conducted with 67 undergraduate participants from a mid-size university in the United States. Participants completed two data collection tools related to the critical concepts of ANOVA. Later, three different types of feedback around the critical concepts were given to participants in three stages. First, each participant was given visual feedback as a result of the comparison between their own knowledge structures and the referent knowledge structure to highlight similarities and differences between the two. Then, participants were provided with individualized written and multi-media feedback to emphasize conceptual understanding behind ANOVA procedures. This procedure was followed by the re-assessment of participants’ reasoning ability related to ANOVA and knowledge structures related to critical concepts to measure the effect of the intervention. Results suggest that participants both in control and intervention groups had the same level of statistics experience and anxiety before this study indicating that randomization of participants into two different groups was successful. Moreover, women participants reported a statistically significant higher level of statistics anxiety than men, however, it seems that this small difference did not limit their ability to perform required statistical tasks. Further, findings revealed that participants’ conceptual knowledge related to critical concepts of ANOVA increased significantly after the individualized feedback. However, the increase in the conceptual understanding did not help participants to transform this knowledge into more formal understanding related to procedures underlying ANOVA. Moreover, even though, previous similar studies suggest that participants are consistent in using a single strategy for making inferential reasoning across datasets, in the present study, qualitative data analysis revealed that statistics learners demonstrate diverse patterns of inferential reasoning strategies when they were provided with different size of datasets each with varying amount of variability. As a result, findings support the use of an extended framework for describing and measuring the development of participants’ reasoning ability regarding consideration of variation in statistics education.