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Effects of providing partial hypotheses as a support for simulation‐based inquiry learning
Author(s) -
Kuang Xiulin,
Eysink Tessa H.S.,
Jong Ton
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of computer assisted learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.583
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2729
pISSN - 0266-4909
DOI - 10.1111/jcal.12415
Subject(s) - set (abstract data type) , mathematics education , task (project management) , data collection , discovery learning , psychology , process (computing) , domain (mathematical analysis) , motion (physics) , domain knowledge , quality (philosophy) , test (biology) , computer science , artificial intelligence , mathematics , statistics , epistemology , mathematical analysis , paleontology , philosophy , management , economics , biology , programming language , operating system
Abstract Hypothesis generation is an important but difficult process for students. This study investigated the effects of providing students with support for hypothesis generation, with regard to the testability and complexity of the generated hypotheses, the quality of the subsequent inquiry learning processes and knowledge acquisition. Fifty‐two secondary school students completed three prior knowledge tests and worked on an inquiry task in the domain of force and motion, concerning the topic of Newton's first law of motion. They received either a set of terms (variables, conditions and relations) to help them generate hypotheses (T condition, n = 23) or the same set of terms plus a partial hypothesis to start from (T + PHy condition, n = 29). Results showed that students in the T + PHy condition generated more complex hypotheses, performed better at data collection and acquired more domain knowledge than students in the T condition. No effects of prior knowledge were found.