During the past three decades, much research has occurred into students' conceptions as well as factors influencing them and how the conceptions are formed. This study reports on students' conceptions involving energy and the human body. Initially, a number of student conceptions within the overarching area of energy and the human body were identified by developing and administering questionnaires to 610 students ranging from Year 8 through to Year 12. Students' responses to the questionnaire items resulted in previously identified conceptions as well as a number of unreported ones. The unreported notions included: carbohydrates are different to sugars; energy is needed for organs to function; fats and their role in energy storage; the eye and ear do not convert energy but transfer it to the brain; sweat cools the skin due to contact with air; objects need energy to start moving but not to move; and aspects of respiration and digestion. Conceptions such as the particulate nature of energy, energy's usefulness, conservation and transfer of energy, role of digestion and respiration, sources of energy were associated with previously identified notions which were derived from both informal and formal learning situations. But, it was not possible to distinguish which source knowledge was derived from. From these notions, a series of possible pathways for conceptual development within the area of energy and the human body were described. Further analysis of the data indicated a number of ontological changes that can occur as the student-cohort became older. These ontological changes included a decline in the notion of energy being particulate to being non-particulate and not being described, through to being involved in the chemical bonds of molecules, the role and processes of digestion, the number of energy types and energy sources and how the eye and ear function. / All these conceptions changed with student age and became more scientifically acceptable in their nature as students' formal education increased. Based upon the findings of the above questionnaires, a diagnostic paper and pencil instrument set of 20 items based upon a modified two tier multiple-choice format was developed to identify student held conceptions on energy and the human body. Subsequently, an interventionist strategy was designed and implemented to help students avoid the development of misconceptions as they construct acceptable concepts related to digestion and to respiration. This strategy follows the passage of food from its ingestion through to the absorbed foods conversion into ATP for use by the body. The findings of this study are to be of use to science teachers worldwide, not only in Western Australia as the findings of this thesis are relevant to educators of students in Years 8 to 12. The findings are related to energy in general but specifically to the students' own body. These findings relate directly to an intrinsically interesting feature, the student's own body. Another outcome of these misconception findings are two instruments which are likely to be of value to educators of Years 8 to 12 students. These are a diagnostic instrument designed to identify a number of alternative conceptions learners may hold and secondly a lesson sequence dealing with digestion and respiration and the role these have in the conversion and transfer of energy in the body.

The results of a questionnaire that should reveal students’ knowledge about the use of computers in mathematics and the relevance of applications of mathematics in our society clearly show that current math teaching does not provide adequate ideas about the importance of computers. We describe the results and give examples of mathematical activities that are suitable to both foster mathematical concepts and widen the mathematical view. Possible changes in the curriculum are discussed.

Cette recherche, réalisée en milieu scolaire québécois, concerne l’enseignement et l’apprentissage de la géométrie à l’entrée au secondaire. Ce contexte est caractérisé par une géométrie non clairement définie d’un point de vue épistémologique, tant dans le programme d’études du premier cycle que dans les manuels scolaires. Ainsi, nous avons cherché à voir d’une part, l’activité géométrique souhaitée et actualisée par des enseignants incluant les problèmes proposés et, d’autre part, les conceptions d’élèves développées par ces problèmes. À partir de données recueillies auprès de quatre classes, nous avons déterminé cette activité géométrique et répertorié six types de problèmes dont quatre sont dominants ainsi que des conceptions d’élèves. L’activité géométrique en classe a donné lieu à des moments d’hésitation épistémologique, lesquels ne sont pas sans effet dans le développement des conceptions des élèves. / This research was conducted in a Quebec classroom environment. It pertains to the teaching and learning of geometry at the outset of secondary school. This context is characterized by a geometry that is not clearly defined from the epistemological point of view in either the secondary cycle one program or in textbooks. We attempted to find firstly, the desired geometric activity and updated by teachers with the proposed problems and, secondly, students conceptions developed by these problems. Using data collected from four classes, we then determined this geometric activity and identified six types of problems from which four were predominant. We also observed students conceptions. The classroom activity gave birth to moments of epistemological hesitance that may have had a certain effect on the development of the students’conceptions.

The results of a questionnaire that should reveal students’ knowledge about the use of computers in mathematics and the relevance of applications of mathematics in our society clearly show that current math teaching does not provide adequate ideas about the importance of computers. We describe the results and give examples of mathematical activities that are suitable to both foster mathematical concepts and widen the mathematical view. Possible changes in the curriculum are discussed.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Syftet med studien är att öka kunskap om vilka föreställningar elever i årskurs 3 har om teknik och programmering. Studien har utgångspunkt i två frågeställningar: Vilka föreställningar har eleverna om ämnet teknik? Vilka föreställningar har elever om programmering och kopplingen till teknikämnet? Metoden som användes i studien var semistrukturerade kvalitativa intervjuer. Dessa intervjuer videoinspelades och utfördes i fyra fokusgrupper med vardera tre elever. Resultatet av studien visar att elevernas föreställningar om teknik till största del är i relation till fysikämnet. Artefakter, uppfinningar, pyssel och att klippa är ytterligare variationer om hur teknik framställs. Sambandet mellan teknik och programmering är diffust och majoriteten av eleverna hänvisar till matematikämnet. Eleverna har problem att se programmering i ett större sammanhang som en helhet och de ser inte nyttan med att ha kunskaper om programmering som barn. Några av eleverna förklarar däremot programmering som ett verktyg för att effektivisera och förenkla arbetsuppgifter för människan. Sammanfattningsvis ger resultatet en indikation om att lärare behöver synliggöra teknikämnets bredd samt tydliggöra programmeringens samband med teknik. Lärare behöver konkretisera och synliggöra programmering både som en del ur ett större sammanhang och som en helhet för fördjupad förståelse och kunskap så att eleverna aktivt kan delta i vårt nutida och framtida samhälle. / The purpose of the study is to increase knowledge about the conceptions students in grade 3 have about technology and programming. The study is based on two questions: What conceptions do students have about the subject of technology? What ideas do students have about programming and the connection to the technology subject? The method used in the study was semi-structured qualitative interviews. These interviews were videotaped and conducted in four focus groups of three students each. The results of the study show that the students' conceptions of technology are largely related to the subject of physics. Motor and creative elements, artifacts and innovations are further variations on how technology is represented. The connection between technology and programming is diffuse and many students refer to the mathematics subject. Many students have trouble seeing programming from a whole and a context and do not express the benefit of having programming knowledge. The other students explain programming in artifacts is helpful and a way of streamlining work tasks for human. The result gives an indication that teachers need to make visible the breadth of the subject and the role of programming and its connection with technology. The teacher needs to concretize and put programming in connection with different contexts for deepened understanding and knowledge, as the students will be given the conditions necessary to actively participate in our present and future society.

Schüler/innen zu befähigen, die allgegenwärtige Rechentechnik in ihrem Umweld zu erkennen und zu bewerten ist ein international proklamiertes Ziel sekundärer Informatikbildung. Zu diesem Zweck müssen sie von ihrem schulischen Wissen auch tatsächlich im Alltag Gebrauch machen. Ausgehend von Theorien zu Lerntransfer und existierender Forschung zu Schülervorstellungen, untersucht diese Dissertation die Denk- und Lernprozesse von Schüler/innen über konkrete informatische Geräte. Die erste Studie untersucht, welche Arten von Technik Schüler/innen allgemein unterscheiden. Ich stelle eine Grounded Theory zu einer entsprechenden Taxonomie vor. Diese legt nahe, dass Rechentechnik keine vordergründige Kategorie für sie darstellt, was entsprechenden Transfer erschweren würde. Die zweite Studie untersucht, wie Schüler/innen Rechen- von Nicht-Rechentechnik unterscheiden. Ich stelle eine Grounded Theory entsprechender Denkprozesse vor. Diese zeigt, dass etliche Schüler/innen Rechentechnik unsachgemäß anhand inhärenter Fähigkeitsgrenzen unterscheiden, was ebenfalls Transfer behindern würde. Die dritte Studie untersucht daraufhin Lernprozesse im Kontext einer Intervention, die die oben genannten Punkte adressieren soll. Sie zeigt, dass einige Schüler/innen Probleme damit haben, Rechentechnik als gleichzeitig ökonomisch und leistungsfähig zu verstehen, was wiederum seine Verbreitung und Auswirkungen einschränkt. Die Analyse legt zudem erste Richtlinien für das Design entsprechender Interventionen nahe. Die Studien werden anschließend integriert diskutiert. Insbesondere stelle ich Lernziele und Aktivitäten vor, welche eine Teilantwort meiner ursprünglichen Leitfrage bilden: was müssen Schüler/innen lernen, um Rechentechnik im Alltag adäquat zu erkennen und zu bewerten? Ich diskutiere Implikationen für die Praxis sowie potentielle weiterführende Forschung, vor allem im Bezug zu einer Informatikbildung, die sich als Säule moderner Allgemeinbildung versteht. / Enabling students to recognize and evaluate the ubiquitous computing technologies in their lives is an internationally proclaimed goal of a secondary informatics education. To that end, they need to actually engage with their school-learned knowledge in the context of everyday situations. Based on theories of knowledge transfer and prior research on student conceptions, this thesis investigates students' related thinking and learning processes. The first study investigates what kinds of technology students generally distinguish. I propose a grounded theory for a related taxonomy. It suggests that computing technology is, in fact, not a very salient kind of technology for many, which poses a challenge for related transfer. The second study investigates how students even distinguish computing from non-computing technology. I propose a grounded theory of their related reasoning processes. It shows that students may inappropriately distinguish computing devices on the basis of inherent capability limitations, which would also be detrimental to transfer. The third study investigates students' learning processes in the context of an intervention designed to address these issues. It revealed that several students apparently had difficulty to conceive of computing technology as simultaneously economical and powerful, thus limiting its potential ubiquity and impact. The analysis also indicates some initial guidelines for the design of related interventions. The three studies are then integrated and discussed. In particular, I propose a set of learning objectives and activities as a partial answer to my original guiding question: what is it that students need to learn in order to adequately recognize and evaluate computing technologies in their lives? I discuss implications for practice and potential avenues for future research, especially with respect to a general informatics education that regards itself as part of a contemporary general education.

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