A classroom intervention using a computer‐augmented curriculum for mechanics

A set of teaching materials was developed for the teaching of mechanics, as part of the research carried out for the ‘Conceptual Change in Science’ project. These incorporated a series of interactive computer simulations, associated written materials and a number of practical activities; their aim was to promote change in learners’ conceptual understandings of natural physical phenomena. The materials were described in the preceding issue of this journal (Hennessy et al. 1993). This paper presents the results of an empirical evaluation undertaken over a seven‐week period with a class of 29 12‐ to 13‐year‐olds. The intervention was found to promote conceptual change, in that the children displayed more sophisticated reasoning at immediate and delayed post‐tests than their counterparts in comparison classes. Specifically, explanations asserting that motion implies a force in the same direction and those excluding friction as a force opposing motion were significantly less prevalent. An interesting phenomenon was observed in that both prior and goal (Newtonian) conceptions in this domain increased over the experimental period.