Exploring the Impact of Common Knowledge Construction Model on Students' Understandings of Heat Transfer

The achievement of a proper conceptual change is a challenge for students since there are some constraint-based interactions including different ontological categories with the well-known dichotomy of matter or process. To mitigate this state of affairs, more instructional sequences with pedagogical approaches are needed because many students, regardless of their grade or academic background, incline to see science conceptions with emergent processes as an ontological matter. In this regard, compared to the existing ones, a newly-introduced model called Common Knowledge Construction Model (CKCM) is likely to leverage student learning. The purpose of the study was to investigate the possible impact of CKCM on students' understanding of heat transfer. The study had a pretest-post-test, pre-experimental research design based on qualitative data. The participants of the study comprised a total of 30 sixth grade students selected by convenience sampling model at a state school located in the south-east of Turkey. The data were collected via a semi-structured questionnaire consisting of five open-ended questions, and analyzed using coding method of the qualitative data analysis. The results revealed that majority of the participant students explicated their understandings of heat transfer with less alternative conceptions. The results also showed some improvements in students' understanding of heat transfer via the aforementioned teaching model. [Note: The page range (114-136) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range for this article is p114-135.]