The Evoking and Resolving of Cognitive Conflict by Using Analogies in Science Learning : Secondary Students' Understanding of the "Direction of Electric Current"

Abstract

This paper presents a process of evoking and resolving cognitive conflict with the help of analogies to teach the "direction of electric current" in secondary science classes. This process was examined with questionnaire and protocol analysis. Consequently, following points were revealed. (1) Two kinds of analogies played an important role in this process. The first was represented as the students' model of electric current, and it implied that electric current begins at one pole and arrives at the other. In contrast, the second resembled a scientific model, and it implied that electric current/free-electrons in every place begins to flow/move at the same time. (2) After the first analogy was evaluated by a reduction of the absurd, the students became aware of the difficulties of their model and this evoked a cognitive conflict. (3) This (the above mentioned (2)) was an opportunity to encourage the students to modify their analogies/models or to generate alternatives. The introduction of an alternative analogy, which was intelligible and plausible for the students to understand the direction of electric current, resolved the students' cognitive conflict, and they were comfortable with this change in cognitive status. (4) This structured analogy was employed with conceptual differentiation in relevant scientific concepts that involve the flow rate of electric current (electrons) and the time required for electric energy transmission in series circuits.