Comparison of Central Appalachian In-Service Elementary and Middle School Teachers' Understanding of Selected Light and Force and Motion Concepts.

This descriptive study investigated whether elementary and middle school teachers in the Central Appalachian region were prepared to teach selected standards-based light, force and motion concepts they could reasonably be expected to teach. The study also sought to compare their preparedness for teaching these concepts. Basic light concepts and force and motion concepts are integral components of the K-8 national science education standards and frameworks. Specifically, the National Science Education Standards (NSES) (National Research Council [NRC], 1996) for grades K-4 indicate elementary students should understand and apply the concept that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object. Students at this level should also understand that light can be reflected by a mirror, refracted by a lens, or absorbed by an object. Middle school students are expected to further this understanding of light phenomena by learning that the interaction between light and matter includes the ability to be transmitted, absorbed, reflected, and refracted. They should also understand that in order to see an object, light must be either emitted by an object or reflected by another object, and then, in both cases, the light must enter the eye (NRC, 1996). The standards statements on position and motion of objects in the NSES (NRC, 1996) indicate that elementary students should be able to describe the position of an object by relating it to another object or background. They should also understand that the position and motion of an object can be changed by pushing or pulling the object, and that the greater the push or pull, the greater the change in the object's motion, and consequently, the greater the displacement of the object from its original position. In middle school, students should be able to demonstrate more advanced knowledge and skills about force and motion, including the abilities to represent an object's motion on a graph, interpret the motion of objects by reading a graph, and recognize the effect forces have on the motion of an object (NRC, 1996). That is, they should understand that forces acting on an object along a straight line can reinforce or cancel out another force, while unbalanced forces acting on a moving object can change the direction and/or speed of the object's motion. Recommendations in the Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1994) are similar to those described in the NSES. Looking beyond standards from the United States, the targeted concepts appear to be viewed globally as fundamental to scientific literacy, which is evidenced by their inclusion in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study assessments (Beaton, Martine, Mullis, Gonzalez, Smith, & Kelly, 1997) Much of the research on understanding light phenomena has focused on K- 12 students (Crooks & Goldby, 1984; Feher & Rice, 1988; Fetherstonhaugh & Tre gust, 1992; Guesne, 1985; Feher, 1990; Piaget, 1974a, 1974b; Ramadas & Driver, 1989; Shapiro, 1994) and college-level students (Goldberg & McDermott, 1986; Huang & Hwang, 1992). Other studies have addressed pre-service elementary teachers' conceptions of light phenomena (Atwood, Christopher, & McNall, 2005; Bendali, Goldberg & Galili, 1993; Feher & Rice, 1987), as well as the conceptions that in-service elementary teachers (Atwood & Christopher, 2004; Greenwood & Scribner-MacLean, 1997; Association for the Education of Teachers in Science [AENTS], 2004a) and middle school science teachers (Trundle, Atwood, & Christopher, 2002) have about the topic. Collectively, these studies document many of the same conceptual difficulties that are shared by individuals across a broad spectrum of age and experience. Research on conceptual understanding of force and motion phenomena reveals comparable findings. Previous studies have explored conceptual understanding of force and motion phenomena held by middle school (Morote & Pritchard, 2002), secondary (Champagne, Klopfer, & Anderson, 1980; Gunstone, 1984; Gunstone & Watts, 1985; Minstrell, 1982; McCloskey, 1983; McDermott, 1984; Oliva, 1999, 2003; Ridgeway, 1988; Peters, 1982; Thijs, 1992; Thijs & Dekkers, 1998; Tao & Gunstone, 1999) and college-level students (da Costa & Moreira, 2005; Halloun & Hestenes, 1985; Hestenes, Wells, & Swackhamer, 1992; Trowbridge & McDermott, 1981). …