23rd Annual Student Research Conference
Addressing the Epistemological Beliefs of Secondary Physics Students
Mark A. Philippi
Dr. Matthew M. Beaky, Faculty Mentor
The epistemological beliefs of secondary science students have a strong influence on their ability to understand the interconnectedness of scientific laws and theories. However, fostering student beliefs through curriculum aimed at achieving a more sophisticated view of science is not enough; the students epistemological beliefs must be explicitly addressed. This is especially important in the particularly conceptual discipline of physics. This presentation will focus first on establishing that student epistemological beliefs are directly tied to their academic achievement. Next, it will be shown that, unlike ontological and sociological beliefs, the epistemological beliefs of students do experience growth throughout high school, and may be facilitated by the classroom teacher. The presentation will end with suggestions on how to attend to students epistemological beliefs in order to increase their chances for academic success in a secondary physics setting.
Keywords: physics, education, secondary, epistemology, student achievement
Topic(s):Physics
Education
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 51-3
Location: MG 1096
Time: 3:15