1. Uncovering and Correcting
Students' Science
Misconceptions
Jinan Karameh,
Rowaida Aboul Hosn, and
Faten Sleem
MA Students in Biology
Lebanese University

2. Definition of Misconception
The term misconception is used to
describe “a situation in which students’
ideas differ from those of scientists about
a concept”.

3. Misconceptions
Many childrens’ conceptions and
misconceptions are based on their
everyday experiences.They explore
natural phenomena by curiosity and
interest; however, their description and
explanation to the world is often guided
by logical but scientifically inaccurate
understandings.

5. Misconception
Prior to instruction, teachers should be
aware that some students might already
have some pre-instructional knowledge
about the learned topic . However,
students’ knowledge can be erroneous,
illogical, or misinformed.
These erroneous understandings of
students are termed alternative
conceptions or misconceptions (or
intuitive theories).

6. Sources of Misconceptions
Preconceived notions
Nonscientific beliefs
Conceptual misunderstandings
Vernacular misconceptions
Factual misconceptions

7. Sources ( Continued)
1. Preconceived notions are popular
conceptions rooted in everyday
experiences. For example, many people
believe that water flowing underground
must flow in streams because the water
they see at the earth's surface flows in
streams.

9. 2. Nonscientific beliefs include views
learned by students from sources other
than scientific education, such as religious
or mythical teachings. For example,
students’ understanding of the history of
Earth learned through religious instruction

12. 3. Conceptual misunderstandings arise
when students are taught scientific
information in a way that does not provoke
them to confront paradoxes and conflicts
resulting from their own preconceived
notions and nonscientific beliefs.

13. 4. Vernacular misconceptions arise
from the use of words that mean one
thing in everyday life and another in a
scientific context (e.g., "work").
Another example is the expression
“glaciers retreat” where students picture
the glacier stopping, turning around, and
moving in the opposite direction. How do
you think we can correct this type of
misconception?

15. 5. Factual misconceptions are falsities
often learned at an early age and retained
unchallenged into adulthood. If you think
about it, the idea that "lightning never
strikes twice in the same place" is clearly
nonsense, but that notion may be buried
somewhere in your belief system.

17. Uncovering Misconception
Some useful techniques are:
Concept Cartoons
 Probes
 Concept Mapping
 Predict-Observe- Explain
 Interviews
 Students Drawings
 Post Box technique
 Viewfinders
 Card Sorting.

18. Tools to correct
Misconceptions
Instructional strategies that can lead to
changes in students’ alternative
conceptions (misconceptions) and to
learning of new concepts and theories :

19. Correcting misconceptions
1.Present the new concepts or theories
in a plausible, high-quality, intelligible and
generative way.
Plausible: means consistent with other
knowledge and provide a good
explanation of the available data.

21. What does high Quality mean?
The presented theory should be both
correct and scientific and take into account
the data available to students. Thus, the
instructor should deal with the problem
from the perspective of the students.

22. Intelligible?
Learners must be able to grasp how the new
conception works.
To increase intelligibility, teachers can use
methods such as:
a. analogies
b. models
c. direct exposition

23. Generative/fruitful?
The new concept/theory should foster
new areas of inquiry.
This can be done by applying the new
concept/theory to a wide range of familiar
and new real life problems.

25. Correcting Misconceptions
2. Use students’ correct conceptions and
build on those by creating a bridge of
examples to the new concept or theory
that students are having trouble learning
due to having misconceptions.
3. Use model-based reasoning, which helps
students construct new representations
that vary from their intuitive theories.

26. Correcting Misconceptions
4. Use “diverse instruction” where you
present a few examples that challenge
multiple assumptions rather than a larger
number of examples that challenge just
one assumption.
5. Raise students’ metacognition by helping
students become aware of their own
alternative conceptions (misconceptions)

27. Correcting Misconceptions
6. Provide experiences that cause cognitive
conflict in the student’s mind. Such
experiences get students to consider their
own misconception side-by-side or at the
same time with the correct concept or
theory.

28. Correcting Misconceptions
7. Develop students’ epistemological
thinking, which is their beliefs and theories
about the nature of knowledge and the nature of
learning, in ways that will facilitate
conceptual change. The more naïve
students’ beliefs are about knowledge and
learning, the less likely they are to revise
their misconceptions.

29. Correcting Misconceptions
8. Help students “self-repair” their
misconceptions.
9. Once students have overcome their
alternative conceptions (misconceptions),
engage them in arguments that help
strengthen their new knowledge
(representations).

30. Thank you