Students’and Teachers’ Perception of Scientific Models: Transition From Daily to Scientific Language

Abstract

The use of scientific models has been regarded as an important skill for scientific enquiry. However, although many national curricula and major international science education reform movements have stressed the use of scientific models in science teaching and learning, students and teachers generally do not know how to perceive models properly. This research explores these perceptions about scientific models using the Perception of Models in Science (PMS), a self-developed instrument designed to collect participants’ model perceptions, among 218 grade 4, 6 and 8 students, as including 57 of the science teachers in their respective schools, and treated these statistically with analysis of variance, post hoc analysis and cluster analysis. Results showed that the groups of students and teachers agreed that the most acceptable model representation is reality but remained uncertain on whether a model can be presented through nonreality representations (i.e., diagram, graph, symbol, writing and speech). Participants did not significantly differ in perception intensity of seeing each model representation and held three kinds of model perceptions: daily language, transitional and scientific language. This research thus proposes action plans in managing this transitional perspective in learning the concepts of scientific models. Keywords: model representations, scientific model, students’ view, teachers’ view