Testing the "Conflict Sheet" as a Metacognitive Tool in the Fifth Grade Elementary School "Simple Pendulum Unit"

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of the "conflict sheet" as a metacognitive tool in the acquisition of the principles of the simple pendulum in the elementary school science class. As a result of this research, the following three points became clear: 1) There is a high possibility that lessons which use the "conflict sheet" in the planning stage of the experiment stimulate metacognition during the experiment activity. 2) The higher the child's metacognition was, the more possible it was for lessons using the "conflict sheet" to exert influence on the conceptual acquisition of the principles of the simple pendulum. 3) For many of the children in upper class metacognitive groups, lessons that used the "conflict sheet" helped bring about metacognition equivalent to monitoring in regard to the elements of the principles of the simple pendulum.