Abstract:Aunque los términos naturaleza de la ciencia y modelo científico sean polisémicos en laEnseñanza de Ciencias, hay una especie de consenso en el área en cuanto a la importancia de laepistemología y del modelado científico en la formación de estudiantes y profesores. Por eso,diversos investigadores han dedicado esfuerzos a la enseñanza y a la investigación de esos temas.Parte de esos investigadores, así como nosotros, creen que la estrategia del modelado científicoaplicada a la Enseñanza de Ciencias, además de s… Show more
The translation and adaptation of an assessment instrument into another language can be problematic, due, among other reasons, to sociocultural differences. This proved to be the case with the Spanish adaptation of the Students' Understanding of Models in Science (SUMS) questionnaire, a Likert‐type scale developed originally in English. In light of this, and with the additional aim of improving upon certain aspects of the original instrument, we report the development of a new questionnaire for assessing Spanish‐speaking students' understanding of the nature of models and their uses in science, providing validity evidence for the internal structure of the construct measured. The tool was developed by considering various dimensions of this concept that have been described in the literature, as well as the results of studies that piloted the SUMS questionnaire. For each dimension we drew up a set of items that could be rated using a Likert‐type scale; half of these items were positively worded with respect to an adequate understanding of models, and half were reverse worded. The adequacy of the proposed items was first assessed by a panel of experts, following which we examined the score structure obtained with the resulting instrument by administering it to a sample of 1272 students aged between 14 and 55 years. After purifying the instrument based on the results of these analyses, we obtained a final version of the questionnaire comprising 20 items distributed equally across four subscales: Beyond exact replicas, Purpose of models, Multiple models, and Changing models. The results obtained through factor analysis and structural equation modeling provide validity evidence for the internal structure of the construct measured. The questionnaire is quick to administer and is applicable to students across a wide range of ages and levels of education, including prospective science teachers.
The translation and adaptation of an assessment instrument into another language can be problematic, due, among other reasons, to sociocultural differences. This proved to be the case with the Spanish adaptation of the Students' Understanding of Models in Science (SUMS) questionnaire, a Likert‐type scale developed originally in English. In light of this, and with the additional aim of improving upon certain aspects of the original instrument, we report the development of a new questionnaire for assessing Spanish‐speaking students' understanding of the nature of models and their uses in science, providing validity evidence for the internal structure of the construct measured. The tool was developed by considering various dimensions of this concept that have been described in the literature, as well as the results of studies that piloted the SUMS questionnaire. For each dimension we drew up a set of items that could be rated using a Likert‐type scale; half of these items were positively worded with respect to an adequate understanding of models, and half were reverse worded. The adequacy of the proposed items was first assessed by a panel of experts, following which we examined the score structure obtained with the resulting instrument by administering it to a sample of 1272 students aged between 14 and 55 years. After purifying the instrument based on the results of these analyses, we obtained a final version of the questionnaire comprising 20 items distributed equally across four subscales: Beyond exact replicas, Purpose of models, Multiple models, and Changing models. The results obtained through factor analysis and structural equation modeling provide validity evidence for the internal structure of the construct measured. The questionnaire is quick to administer and is applicable to students across a wide range of ages and levels of education, including prospective science teachers.
RESUMEN • Modelo y modelización son términos empleados habitualmente en la literatura de didáctica de las ciencias con distintas acepciones. En este artículo se identifican y analizan al menos cinco acepciones diferentes para el término modelización: 1) la modelización como progresión de modelos; 2) la modelización como práctica científica; 3) la modelización como competencia; 4) la modelización en su dimensión instrumental, y 5) la modelización como estrategia de enseñanza. A partir de este análisis se sugiere la necesidad de conectar las distintas perspectivas, con el objeto de unificar la terminología usada y desarrollar propuestas didácticas integradoras que sean de utilidad para la investigación y para las prácticas de aula en la enseñanza de las ciencias. PALABRAS CLAVE: Aprendizaje basado en modelos; Aprendizaje basado en modelización; Enseñanza basada en modelos; Modelos; Modelización. ABSTRACT • Model and modeling are terms commonly used with different meanings in the literature of science education. In this paper, at least five different meanings for the term modeling are identified and thus analyzed: 1) modeling as model progression; 2) modeling as a scientific practice; 3) modeling as competence; 4) modeling in its instrumental dimension; and 5) modeling as a teaching strategy. From this analysis it is suggested that it is necessary to connect the different perspectives in order to unify the terminology used and develop integrative didactic proposals that are useful for research and classroom practices in the teaching of science.
Se ha diseñado y validado un cuestionario, a fin de indagar sobre las concepciones acerca de la ciencia y su naturaleza (NOS) en el profesorado en formación inicial, a partir de cuyos resultados se diseñarán posteriores intervenciones didácticas sostenidas de enseñanza de la NOS en el aula. Se describe el cuestionario, la muestra (N = 385) y el procedimiento de validación. La escala tiene una fiabilidad y validez correctas, por lo que se concluye que puede ser de utilidad para la investigación relacionada con esta temática. También se realiza un análisis clúster de las puntuaciones en los factores de la escala, con el fin de segmentar los casos en grupos de perfiles de respuestas similares y elaborar «Tipos docentes».
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