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Mental Models of Elementary and Middle School Students in Analyzing Simple Battery and Bulb Circuts
Author(s) -
Jabot Michael,
Henry David
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
school science and mathematics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.135
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 1949-8594
pISSN - 0036-6803
DOI - 10.1111/j.1949-8594.2007.tb17760.x
Subject(s) - consistency (knowledge bases) , current (fluid) , electronic circuit , resistive touchscreen , battery (electricity) , flow (mathematics) , mathematics education , simple (philosophy) , psychology , bulb , computer science , mathematics , electrical engineering , engineering , physics , artificial intelligence , geometry , power (physics) , philosophy , epistemology , quantum mechanics , horticulture , biology
Written assessment items were developed to probe students’ understanding of a variety of direct current (DC) resistive electric circuit concepts. The items were used to explore the mental models that grade 3–8 students use in explaining the direction of electric current and how electric current is affected by different configurations of simple battery and bulb circuits. Consistency of applying mental models in different, but equivalent, circuits was also analyzed. Students analyses of current flow direction was categorized into one of two mental models: (1) bidirectional and (2) unidirectional. We found an increase in the consistency of current flow direction mental model use coinciding with grade 4 instruction of batteries and bulbs, however, the proportion of students using a bidirectional flow model was similar in grades 3–8.