Using the Teaching Strategy of "Integrative Reconciliation" to Assist Students Construct Scientific Concepts

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to propose a teaching strategy that assists students to construct scientific concepts and to evaluate the strategy, We call the strategy "integrative reconciliation." The idea of integrative reconciliation can be found in Ausubel's assimilation learning theory. From this learning theory, Novak developed an idea of how to achieve meaningful learning and construct concepts in the science class. However, very few attempts have been made to conduct classes based on these ideas, especially in the electric current field. Thus we planned a class by using the strategy of integrative reconciliation. To evaluate this teaching strategy, we conducted three experiments to examine how students study integrated problems, and we also compared the students' pre-test and post-test ideas in their self-evaluations. In conclusion, we would like to state the following two points. First, in regard to upper level students, we found that the strategy of integrative reconciliation effectively promotes learning. Second, in regard to lower level students, there is considerable evidence to show that student performance of integrated problems was improved by the method. Thus, we found the method of integrative reconciliation to be effective for both levels of students.