Impact of Additional Guidance in Science Education on Primary Students’ Conceptual Understanding

ABSTRACT

A cognitive and a guidance dimension can describe the support of students’ conceptual understanding in inquiry-based science education. The role of guidance for student learning has been intensively discussed. Furthermore, inquiry learning may pose particular challenges to students with low language proficiency. The present intervention in primary school (54 teachers, 1,070 students) aimed to examine the effects of additional guidance. Therefore, the control group uses a science unit mainly addressing the cognitive dimension of inquiry. In the 3 treatment groups, this unit was enriched with guidance through scaffolding instructional discourse, formative assessment, or peer-assisted learning. The results (43 teachers, 873 students) confirm that in each intervention condition, students’ conceptual understanding significantly improves. In the formative assessment group, students’ mean conceptual understanding is higher than in the control group. Moreover, formative assessment and scaffolding instructional discourse provided particular support to the conceptual understanding of students with poor language proficiency.

Keywords:

• conceptual understanding
• formative assessment
• peer-assisted learning
• primary science education
• scaffolding instructional discourse

Note

1. Because the teacher did not give agreement, we could not assess scores in one SID class, and for organizational reasons, we could not assess the treatment scores in one CG class.

APPENDIX

Example of a Multiple Choice Item for Assessing Conceptual Understanding (adapted from Hardy et al., 2006; Kleickmann et al., 2010).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jasmin Decristan

Jasmin Decristan is senior researcher at the German Institute for International Educational Research (DIPF) in Frankfurt, Germany. Her research focuses on individual support of students, differential effects of instruction, teaching quality, and peer-assisted learning.

A. Lena Hondrich

A. Lena Hondrich is PhD student at the DIPF in Frankfurt, Germany. Her research focuses on embedded formative assessment, motivation, and science education.

Gerhard Büttner

Gerhard Büttner is Professor of Educational Psychology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany and director at the Academy of Education Research and Teacher Education. His research focuses on self-regulated learning, teaching quality, working memory, learning disabilities, and intellectual disabilities.

Silke Hertel

Silke Hertel is Professor of Educational Psychology at the Heidelberg University. Her research focuses on professional competencies and professional development of teachers, cooperation between families and schools, and the arrangement of (adaptive) learning environments.

Eckhard Klieme

Eckhard Klieme is Director of the Department of Educational Quality and Evaluation at the DIPF in Frankfurt, Germany, and Professor of Educational Science at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. His research focuses on teaching quality, school effectiveness, school development, and international comparative educational research.

Mareike Kunter

Mareike Kunter is Professor of Educational Psychology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany Her research focuses on professional competencies and professional development of teachers, empirical research on teaching and instruction, and motivation in the school context.

Arnim Lühken

Arnim Lühken is Professor of Chemistry Education and Director of the Institute of Chemistry Education at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. His research focuses on professional development of science teachers, promotion of students' science learning.

Katja Adl-Amini

Katja Adl-Amini is PhD student at the DIPF in Frankfurt, Germany. Her research focuses on peer-assisted learning, inclusive education, and science education.

Sanna-K. Djakovic

Sanna-K. Djakovic earned her PhD at the DIPF in Frankfurt, Germany. Her research focuses on parental counseling and professional development of teachers.

Susanne Mannel

Susanne Mannel is senior researcher at the Faculty of Educational Sciences, Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. Her research focuses on modelling science competencies and instructional design in elementary school.

Alexander Naumann

Alexander Naumann is senior researcher at the DIPF in Frankfurt, Germany. His research focuses on instructional sensitivity and educational measurement.

Ilonca Hardy

Ilonca Hardy is Professor of Elementary Education at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. Her research focuses on instructional design in preschool and elementary school, science education, and bilingual education.