A research report submitted by Safura Khan in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Science Education, Faculty of Science. University of the Witwatersrand, School of Physics, September 2008. / This study investigated understanding of measurements by students in scientific activities that are
experimentally based. The study focused on grade 12 high school learners in an urban South
African School. The majority of these students were second language English speakers. Data were
obtained through a written questionnaire given to students, to explore learners’ ideas about data
collection, data processing and data comparison, in particular the need to repeat measurements and
the implication of the scatter associated with numerical and graphical data.
An alphanumeric coding scheme adapted from Lubben et al. (2000), was used as an analysis tool.
This included categorising responses into point or set paradigms. The findings of this limited study
maybe summed up as follows:
There is some consistency in reasoning across the experimental phases of data collection and data
processing but it was noted that there is little use of set reasoning. It seems that students had
specific difficulties in understanding the role and value of statistical tools in assessing confidence
in measurement.
By and large the learners in this study did not appreciate the need for error analysis. The overall
study suggests that though the correct procedures are followed students have little or no
understanding of the factors taken into account during data analysis. The findings show that very
few students are true set reasoners; 75% of the students chose to take an average because that is the
way it was always done. Students’ views may have been influenced by either exposure to ‘cook
book’ laboratory sessions or by the context of the questionnaire which asks for three repeats. The study also shows that students had specific difficulty in understanding the role and value of
statistical tools in assessing confidence in measurement (Mc Dermott & Redish, 1999).
In conclusion though analysis shows a large percentage of students appear to be point reasoners,
they may appear at first sight to be set reasoners. The term average was used by students yet a
recurring value was chosen. There is therefore a need to perform experiments in a meaningful
context and move away from ‘cook book’ laboratories to appropriate non-traditional laboratory
activities, so as to enhance higher order thinking.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/7051 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Khan, Safura |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (137 leaves), application/pdf |
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