Contribution à l'étude du changement conceptuel : les concepts de fermeture de circuit et de conservation de l'intensité dans un circuit en série chez les adultes, avant et après une formation en électricité
Institution:
Paris 8Disciplines:
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Abstract EN:
Several verbal terms that refer to scientific concepts are also those used in everyday life. Therefore, before beginning the formal curriculum, learners have already built their own representation of some of these concepts. Formal-concept learning comes up against the existence of these preconceptions. Conceptual change is a research area studying the nature of these preconceptions and their modification after instruction. In this work, we propose to examine conceptual change by studying changes in the comprehension of two interdependent electrical concepts: closed circuit and intensity conservation of electric current in series circuit. These concepts were examined essentially in two situations. The first is familiar and aims to diagnose the subject's representations. The second situation is unfamiliar and aims to reveal the kinds of representations the subjects use to explain novel situations not usually taught. These concepts were examined for 24 novice adults before and after a two-week vocational training session in electricity. The methodology used to identify subject's representations consists of an analysis of verbalisations. These are collected with a "critical interview" method inspired by piaget's critical interrogation method. Verbalisations are analysed by describing representations in graph form and a series of symbols. Deduced on graphs, every series of symbols gives the subject's representation of intensity conservation and closed circuit notions. In the familiar situation, the results show an improvement of subject's representations especially for the closed circuit notion which seems more "acquired" than "intensity conservation". This latter notion is in contradiction with everyday experience (the materialization of electricity). This improvement suggests that conceptual change can be gradual. Nevertheless, the non-familiar situation results show the reappearance of some representations found before training. This reappearance suggests that the observed change was superficial and that the deep conceptual structures were not modified.
Abstract FR:
Le changement conceptuel est un champ de recherche qui s'interesse a la nature des preconceptions et leur modification par un apprentissage. Dans ce travail, nous proposons d'etudier le changement conceptuel via la comprehension de deux concepts interdependants appartenant a l'electricite : le concept de "circuit ferme" et celui de "conservation de l'intensite" dans un circuit en serie. Ces concepts sont examines notamment dans deux situations. La premiere est familiere aux sujets et a pour but de diagnostiquer les representations des sujets. La seconde est moins familiere et a l'avantage d'ecarter la possibilite de repeter des "recettes" apprises au cours. Les concepts sont examines aupres de 24 adultes novices avant et apres une formation de deux semaines en electricite. La methodologieque nous avons utilisee pour identifier les representations des sujets est basee sur l'analyse des verbalisations obtenues a l'aide d'une methode d'entretien-critique inspiree de l'interrogation-critique de piaget. L'analyse des verbalisations est menee a partir d'une description des representations sous forme de graphes et de suites de symboles. Deduite directement des graphes, chaque suite de symboles donne la representation du sujet concernant les notions de conservation de l'intensite et de circuit ferme. Dans le cas d'une situation familiere, les resultats montrent qu'il y a une amelioration des representations notamment en ce qui concerne la notion de circuit ferme qui semble mieux acquise que celle de conservation de l'intensite qui vient a l'encontre de l'experience quotidienne ("substantialisation" de l'electricite). Cette "amelioration" suggere que le changement conceptuel peut etre envisage en termes d'evolution. Cependant, les resultats de l'etude de la situation non familiere montrent la reapparition de certaines representations d'avant formation suggerant que le changement n'etait que superficiel, que les structures conceptuelles profondes n'ont pas ete modifiees.