Chinese Journal of Science Education


Vol. 6 No. 1 , Pages 31 - 62 , 1998

Paper and Pencil Diagnostic Method and Case Studies of the Concept of Composition of Displacement (Article written in chinese)

Hsiang-Wu HUANG & Sheau-Wei RENN

Abstract

This study included two parts: the first one was to design a group administered paper and pencil diagnostic test for the concept of composition of displacement, and the second to explore the conceptual development of individual cases that were selected from the results of the diagnostic test. Piaget’s original clinical interview method for the concept of composition of displacement was used as a guide for designing of the paper and pencil diagnostic test. Twenty-five elementary, high school, and college students were analyzed in this study.

The results indicated that the diagnostic tool could effectively classify students’ concept of composition of displacement into five developmental levels, and also effectively demonstrated students’ conceptual characteristics as described by Piaget. The case analyses indicated that quite a few college students or adults have difficulties with the concept of composition of displacement. This result is contradictory to Piaget’s original claim that people develop mature conception of composition of displacement at about ten or eleven years of age. The analysis also indicated that the development of the concept of composition of displacement has the close relation with the development of the concept of reference frame. The early developments of the two concepts were interdependent and parallel, while the later development of the concept of composition of displacement exceeded that of the concept of the reference frame. The final developments of the concept of the reference frame required only concrete operational ability, while that of the concept of composition of displacement required formal operational ability. The ability to measure length with the graded rule did not imply the possession of a correct concept of composition of displacement. Students may be able to measure a distance between two points but did not mean they understood that the distance was equal in both directions. Also the ability to measure the lengths of successive displacement, and make all correct calculations of subtraction and addition, did not mean that the student could do the actual composition.

Keywords: cognitive development; composition of displacement; concept growth; learning reference frame

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