Preservice elementary teachers’ explanations of properties of sound using a Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE)

ABSTRACT

Background

Understanding the properties of sound is difficult for students across all grade levels and even preservice elementary teachers (PSETs). Because of their abstract nature, there are challenges interpreting common features of sound waves.

Purpose

The goal of this study is to understand pre-service elementary teachers’ (PSETs) understanding of the properties of sound waves, specifically frequency, wavelength, and amplitude.

Sample

We had 59 PSETs from an elementary methods science course learn about the properties of sound in small groups through a Web-based interface.

Design and Methods

After they used a simulation model of an oscilloscope, we analyzed PSETs’ responses to three prompts assessing their understanding of the relationships among frequency, wavelength, and amplitude. They were asked to construct explanations for the changing frequency in an oscilloscope, how adding water to a container changes the pitch of sound and how the frequency changes in a water-based xylophone. We used the Knowledge Integration (KI) framework to understand how PSETs reasoned through properties of sound waves.

Results

Our findings delineated three levels of explainers that PSET groups divided into. After the unit PSETs’ overall understanding of sound waves became more normative, particularly around ideas of frequency and wavelength.

Conclusions

The merging of science and technology played a crucial role in promoting meaningful learning for PSETs. Implications of using technology-enhanced units in supporting PSETs’ understanding of sound waves are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Properties of sound
• technology
• knowledge integration
• preservice elementary teachers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical Statement

An institutional review board approved this study (#28,578) as meeting the ethics/human subject requirements of the institution at the time the data was collected. The study was classified under exemption 45 CFR 46.101(b)2, meaning that the research qualifies as no or minimal risk to subjects and is exempt from most of the requirements of the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects but is still considered research requiring an IRB review for exemption determination.