Introduction
Research in the field of developmental psychology has demonstrated that human beings construct an intuitive understanding of the world based on their everyday experience (Vosniadou & Brewer 1992). This understanding of the world is often different from scientific explanations and is resistant to change. In most societies, early theories of the earth claimed that it was flat, stationary and the centre of the universe (Kuhn, 1957; Toulmin & Goodfield, 1961; Lambert, 1975). It has taken more than two thousand years to establish the scientific view that the earth is a sphere, spins on its axis and revolves around the sun. Much like the early astronomers, young children do not have sufficient tools to enable them to perceive the earth …show more content…
They create a framework theory which is derived from their observation of the world. This theory possesses ontological presuppositions, such as unsupported objects fall downward, and the epistemological presupposition that things are the way they appear (Vosniadou & Brewer 1992). An outcome of this framework theory is that they categorize the earth as a physical object as opposed to an astronomical object, and apply all the properties of physical objects to it. For instance, young children believe the earth is finite and has an edge because they are yet to develop perception of infinite objects. Accordingly, the initial models of the earth young children construct tend to be rectangular or disc shaped, supported from below by the ground and surrounded from above by the sky and other objects (Vosniadou & Brewer 1992; Vosniadou …show more content…
To investigate if age is associated with children’s scientific understanding of the structure of the earth.
2. To investigate if gender is associated with children’s scientific understanding of the structure of the earth.
3. To investigate if younger children construct different models of the earth’s structure compared to older children.
Hypotheses
1. Older children will have a better scientific understanding of the structure of the earth compared to younger children. A higher percentage of older children will construct the scientifically accepted sphere model compared to younger children.
2. Boys will have a better scientific understanding of the structure of the earth compared to girls. A higher percentage of boys will construct the scientifically accepted sphere model compared to girls.
3. Younger children will construct different mental models of the earth compared to older children. Younger children will construct synthetic models that combine elements of the flat earth view and sphere earth view, whereas older children will construct the scientifically accepted sphere
Research in the field of developmental psychology has demonstrated that human beings construct an intuitive understanding of the world based on their everyday experience (Vosniadou & Brewer 1992). This understanding of the world is often different from scientific explanations and is resistant to change. In most societies, early theories of the earth claimed that it was flat, stationary and the centre of the universe (Kuhn, 1957; Toulmin & Goodfield, 1961; Lambert, 1975). It has taken more than two thousand years to establish the scientific view that the earth is a sphere, spins on its axis and revolves around the sun. Much like the early astronomers, young children do not have sufficient tools to enable them to perceive the earth …show more content…
They create a framework theory which is derived from their observation of the world. This theory possesses ontological presuppositions, such as unsupported objects fall downward, and the epistemological presupposition that things are the way they appear (Vosniadou & Brewer 1992). An outcome of this framework theory is that they categorize the earth as a physical object as opposed to an astronomical object, and apply all the properties of physical objects to it. For instance, young children believe the earth is finite and has an edge because they are yet to develop perception of infinite objects. Accordingly, the initial models of the earth young children construct tend to be rectangular or disc shaped, supported from below by the ground and surrounded from above by the sky and other objects (Vosniadou & Brewer 1992; Vosniadou …show more content…
To investigate if age is associated with children’s scientific understanding of the structure of the earth.
2. To investigate if gender is associated with children’s scientific understanding of the structure of the earth.
3. To investigate if younger children construct different models of the earth’s structure compared to older children.
Hypotheses
1. Older children will have a better scientific understanding of the structure of the earth compared to younger children. A higher percentage of older children will construct the scientifically accepted sphere model compared to younger children.
2. Boys will have a better scientific understanding of the structure of the earth compared to girls. A higher percentage of boys will construct the scientifically accepted sphere model compared to girls.
3. Younger children will construct different mental models of the earth compared to older children. Younger children will construct synthetic models that combine elements of the flat earth view and sphere earth view, whereas older children will construct the scientifically accepted sphere