Chinese Journal of Science Education


Vol. 13 No. 3 , Pages 241 - 262 , 2005

Elementary Students’ Conceptions of Decay and Perceptions of Science Classroom Environment (Article written in Chinese)

Shu-Mey YU & Sue-Fun LIN

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between conceptions of decay and perceptions of science classroom environment in different grades of elementary students. This study employed the conceptions of decay diagnostic instrument and What is Happening in This Class (WIHIC) to investigate grade 4–6 elementary students’ conceptions of decay and perceptions of science classroom environment in the classroom environment of “positive peer interaction” and “balanced development” in middle Taiwan. Students’ conceptions of decay were analyzed in different classroom environments. Pearson’s product-moment correlation was used. Results indicated that: (1) the distribution of students’ conceptions of decay in different classroom environments was different. (2) In the “positive peer interaction” classroom environment fourth graders’ conceptions of “natural phenomena” had a significant correlation with “student cohesiveness”. For sixth graders who had been studying the concept of ecology the conception of “being eaten by animals” was significantly correlated with “student cohesiveness”, “cooperation”, “teacher support”, “equity”, and “task orientation”. In the “balanced development” classroom environment sixth graders who hadn’t studied the concept of ecology the conception of “physical factors” and “decompose” was significantly correlated with “equity”, and “task orientation”. For sixth graders who had been studied the concept of ecology the conception of “decompose” was significantly correlated with “student involvement”. Implications of these results for both teaching and research in conceptions of decay were discussed.

Keywords: decay; science classroom; conceptions; classroom environment; perceptions of environment

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