Improving students' ability to intuitively infer resistance from magnitude of current and potential difference information: A functional learning approach

• Published in: European journal of psychology of education 2011-03, Vol.26 (1), p.1-19
• Main Authors: Chasseigne, Gérard, Giraudeau, Caroline, Lafon, Peggy, Mullet, Etienne
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Differences; Algebra; Ammeters; Associative Learning; Biological and medical sciences; Child Development; Cognitive Psychology; College Students; Concept Formation; Education; Educational Psychology; Electric current; Electrical circuits; Electricity; Energy; Friction; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Grade 11; Grade 7; Grade 9; Inferences; Judgment; Learning; Learning Processes; Pedagogic Psychology; Physics; Pictorial Stimuli; Prior Learning; Problem Solving; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopedagogics. Didactics; Science education; Scientific Concepts; Skill Development; Students; Task Analysis; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 0256-2928; 1878-5174
• DOI: 10.1007/s10212-010-0048-z

The study examined the knowledge of the functional relations between potential difference, magnitude of current, and resistance among seventh graders, ninth graders, 11th graders (in technical schools), and college students. It also tested the efficiency of a learning device named "functional learning" derived from cognitive psychology on the knowledge of these relations. A total of 73 participants were confronted with pictorial electrical circuits. Their task was to learn to infer resistance from potential difference and magnitude of current information, without any recourse to formal computations. It was possible to characterize, in a simple way, each student's initial conceptualizations about the relationships between potential difference, magnitude of current and resistance. These initial conceptualizations were very diverse, from the correct one to completely different ones to completely opposite ones. Learning was, to a certain extent, possible; but the learning sessions were more effective among students that had already been exposed to Ohm's law at school. Learning had durable effects, at least in the medium term (5 weeks), and mainly among the older students. There was a good correspondence between the state of learning of the relationships and the ability to solve classical physics problems related to these relationships. Cette étude a examiné les connaissances des relations fonctionnelles existant entre la différence de potentiel, l'intensité du courant et la résistance électrique chez des élèves de 5ème, 3ème, 1ère de collège technique et chez des terminales de lycée. Elle a également évalué l'efficacité d'un outil pédagogique dérivé de la psychologie cognitive relatif à la connaissance de ces relations et dénommé « apprentissage fonctionnel ». Soixante-treize participants ont été confrontés à des schémas électriques. Ils devaient apprendre à inférer la résistance à partir d'informations sur la différence de potentiel et sur l'intensité du courant sans avoir aucun recours à des calculs formels. Les conceptualisations initiales de chaque étudiant ont été caractérisées. Elles étaient très diverses, des plus correctes aux plus incorrectes. L'apprentissage s'est avéré possible dans certaines limites, mais il s'est révélé plus efficace chez les étudiants qui avaient déjà suivi des cours sur la loi d'Ohm. Les effets de cet apprentissage ont été durables, au moins à moyen terme (cinq semaines), principalement chez les étudiants les plus âgés. Une bonn