Introduction

Definition
Children are natural scientists. They do what scientists do, but perhaps for some slightly
different and less conscious reasons. They are anxious to understand the world just as
adults are. There is a terribly interesting, but rather confusing, world full of stimuli all
around them. As they explore, children organize what's around them, building their own
schemes and structures and conceptions. The theories children build, whether they are
right or wrong are not capricious. They are often logical and rational, and firmly based in
evidence and experience. The experience may not be deep and broad enough, the
thinking capability may not be enough to formulate what we call a scientific theory, but
the process by which the children form these ideas is very scientific indeed. Some call
these early ideas children form misconceptions.
Misconceptions (Fisher,1983) might also be referred to as preconceived
notions(Anderson&Smith,1983), intuitive beliefs(McCloskey,1983), naive
theories(Caramazzaet.al,1983), mixed conceptions, or conceptual misunderstandings. It
also called alternative framework. Basically, in science these are cases in which
something a child knows and believes does not match what is known to be scientifically
correct. Most children who hold misconceptions are not aware that their ideas are
incorrect. When they are simply told they are wrong, they often have a hard time giving
up their misconceptions especially if they have had a misconception for a long time. The
idea that the moon follows him or her as him or her walk through the streets, for
instance, is very common for the 4-, 5-, or 6-year-old. The notion that the earth is flat
and the sun moves around us are other common understandings among older children.
What is especially concerning about misconceptions is those teacher continues to build
knowledge on child current understandings. Possessing misconceptions can have
serious impacts on children learning. Teachers have to challenge children’s thinking and
give them new perspectives from which to view the evidence through a range of
activities and frequent reinforcement. Children’s often need to articulate the conflicts
that exist in their minds. Drawing out their thinking and talking about their difficulties in
abandoning their beliefs is a key role for an adult in the room, such as the teacher, a
technician or a teaching assistant attached to the science department.
Misconceptions or alternative framework can divide into two types, phenomenological
logical and vocabulary based. Phenomenological misconceptions are those associated
with misinterpretations of natural phenomena. For example, the moon can only be seen
during the night. These interpretations of their observations may have been acquired
spontaneously by children as the result of their limited experiences, or they may have
been passed on from some other person. Vocabulary-based misconceptions are
generally the result of the elementary school child’s limited experience. For instance,
children consider the word solution to refer to the answer or explanation of the answer
as thought in elementary school mathematical learning. But when science teacher said
a matter dissolve called as solution, the younger learner often is confused by the
broader scientific definition. When teachers present concepts that conflict with children’s
alternative framework, children have difficulty assimilating the new information and often
become confused. Sometimes children simply reject the formal, school-based concept
in favor of the more familiar informal one. They also may build a dual, parallel system of
concepts in order to remove the cognitive dissonance.
The way children form misconceptions.
Misconceptions form in a variety of ways. Often misconceptions are passed on by one
person to the next. In other cases, children may be presented with two correct concepts,
but combine or confuse them. Sometimes children make what to them seems like a
logical conclusion, but is simply drawn from too little evidence or lack of experience.
Though the connotation of "misconception" is negative, we must remember that the
formation of these ideas often represent a child's effort to organize and understand the
world around him or her. The success of these efforts will depend both on the
developmental stage of the child and the experiences to which he or she is exposed.

Dealing with Children’s Misconceptions

The first step in dealing with the misconceptions of children is to recognize that they
exist. Concepts grow normally and naturally in children’s cognitive structure as they gain
additional experience information. Second, the teacher must try to spot the conflicts that
arise between children’s preconceptions and the more formal, scientific concept
presented to them. The teacher can define students’ preconceptions by using questions
to arrive at a group definitions or concept statement when possible. Third, the teacher
should categorize the misconceptions as phenomenological or vocabulary based. The
goal is to correct the misconceptions that are based on scientific phenomena and clarify
the difference between the definitions of the in formal use and formal scientific use of
like words when the misconceptions is vocabulary base. The fourth step involves
structuring learning activities that will accomplish these goals and carrying them out.
The way to find out children misconceptions
There are many way to find out children misconceptions. It is not easier to find out the
knowledge that student already know. The teacher must know the right technique such
as question and answer and at the same time have a wide knowledge. The techniques
were used to find misconceptions among the children.
One of the ways to find children misconceptions is Interview about Instances (IAI).
Osborne (1990) uses this technique to interview with student. He uses recorder tape to
record their conversation.
Other than that, structured play-about-events also one of the way to find children
misconceptions. Cross, et. al., (1988) was the person who made this theory. The theory
was use to find alternative framework for 4-9 years old
Shulamith and Michan (1993) was uses survey technique to find out more about
movement concept development among the children. The survey contain three main
question that related with movement.
Predict, Observation and Explanation was the forth way to find out children
misconceptions. The technique use to find children thinking process when do some
task with the open question.
Strategies for Addressing Misconceptions
1. Identify Misconceptions
It would seem obvious that before one can effectively deal with misconceptions in
lessons teachers need to be aware of likely misconceptions for the lesson they are
planning. However, with the wealth of knowledge inherent in many science departments
it would definitely be a good use of curriculum planning time to go through schemes of
work identifying common misconceptions that colleagues can identify.
Whilst general misconceptions need to be addressed during planning, child specific
misconceptions can be diagnosed during the course of a lesson. One way is to focus
students’ thinking on relevant observable attributes and to ask them to spot the
similarities and differences between two or more objects or diagrams. An approach
often used in educational research is to present learners with three diagrams and ask
them to suggest which the odd one is out and explain why. This method known as
“Kelly’s Triads” requires the student to discriminate and therefore elicits the concepts
being used to discriminate. This can reveal areas of ignorance and also the use of
alternative conceptions.
2. Appropriate Cuing
Teachers need to aid students to think in the scientific domain during their lessons
particularly during question and answer sessions. There are cues that teachers can use
to aid this transition and they need to think about them during the planning process.
Teachers are often heard to say things like “remember back to when you did energy in
Year 5”, “what was the source of most of the energy on Earth?”, “Where does a plant
get its energy from?”. This series of cues allows the student to relate their Science
knowledge about energy to answering questions about plants and possibly removing
the misconception that plants get there energy from plant food.
3. Small Group Discussion needs Careful Monitoring
Students’ working in a small group to discuss ideas is a popular teaching method in
Science. However it needs careful monitoring because the nature of consensus
reaching in small groups has been shown to reinforce life-world constructs which are
built up in such environments. This can be contrary to the intended effect.
4. Experimental work for reinforcement
Solomon (1995) states that conceptual understanding is an essential pre-requisite to
carrying out an experiment in a valuable way. Children use their mental construction as
well as their language, hands and equipment for doing practical work. Concepts and
models are tools for investigating, this implies that expectations can be confirmed or
gently tuned by experimental outcomes more easily than they can be refuted. This
suggests that teaching about concepts inherent in a practical should proceed its
carrying out so that students can build upon the concept during their conclusions and
are thinking about the likely outcome. There is a body of work which suggests that
students approaching an open-ended practical have the expectation that anything could
happen which is unhelpful to the construction of new knowledge.
5. Changing ideas is an Acceptable Process
Giving students the knowledge of how scientists came to a particular view when
teaching a concept, for example Galileo dropping objects from the leaning tower, and
putting this in the context of how this discovery superseded previous beliefs allows
students to see that it is acceptable to change constructs. Also social modeling of
situations (how he must have felt etc.) has also been shown to aid recall in the learner.
6. Curriculum Planning and Sequencing
In their study of the understanding of Science Concepts Driver et al looked at how
students develop their understanding of scientific concepts as they get older. Curriculum
planning of when to deliver certain topics needs to look at the sequence of
understanding necessary to grasp a certain concept.
7. Scaffolding
Scaffolding is providing the appropriate level of support for learners to gain new
concepts. Taber (5) gives three levels, the first is the trust me I’m a teacher approach to
getting students to explore new ideas. The second level “working in the zone” is where
concepts are comprehensible with a little support; this means that concepts and tasks
are difficult enough to be interesting but not so hard to be impossible. The third is the
practice of gently withdrawing support over time so that the learner becomes able to
grasp ideas on their own. Scaffolding learning needs a careful analysis of conceptions
and misconceptions and a structured plan through a teaching topic. It also requires
careful diagnostic and evaluation tools of the process. The use of concept maps at the
beginning and end of topics would enhance the understanding and progression from
misconception to conception.
8. 5E Method of Instruction.
The 5 E’s of the model are: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.
 ENGAGE:
During this stage, the instructor piques the student’s interest in the subject matter
by asking questions, providing an interesting or unusual event, and/or providing
discrepant events. This is not the time to explain or define concepts, provide
 answers, or lecture. The point of this stage is to generate enough interest in the
subject at hand to propel the student into the learning process, which follows with
the remaining stages. A key to successful 5E cycles is the ‘engage’ phase, which
whenever possible makes use of ‘discrepant events’. For large enrollment lecture
courses, it is much easier to conduct classroom demonstrations that provide
challenges to misconceptions in physics and chemistry than it is in biology,
especially in ecology and evolution. However, discrepant events can be done via
analogies that make use of simple, inexpensive manipulative or analogies or real
events that can be shown in 2-5 minute video-clips.

 EXPLORE:
In the explore stage, students have an opportunity to work through the problem
to become familiar with it by using some hands-on model, discussion, or logical
thought processes. Instructors here can ask directing questions, provide minimal
consultation, and observe and listen to student interactions.
Instructors should not provide answers, critique students, or lecture extensively. The
focus of this component is for the student to become familiar with the workings of the
problem and generate further interest in the subject.
 EXPLAIN:
During the explaining stage, students will begin to use and understand the
correct terminology surrounding the subject. Students are formally provided with
definitions, explanations, and relationships as they pertain to the concept.
Students may still be encouraged to work with hands-on materials, and
participate in group work and class discussions. Instructors should not introduce
unrelated material, but should correct misconceptions (alternative conceptions).
 ELABORATE:
In this stage, students use what they have learned to solve the initial question, as
well as others that are similar in nature. During this stage, students should be
able to use the concepts introduced during the Explain stage to solve new
problems. Instructors should listen for the correct concept and vocabulary usage,
and provide directive questions.
  EVALUATE:
During this stage, instructors can assess their students’ ability to use the
concepts correctly. This may be done through a variety of processes (e.g. tests,
interviews, observations, capstone projects, etc.). Alternatively, students can
assess their own progress via a self-evaluation. Teachers should avoid testing for
isolated facts, but rather they should ask questions that determine if students can
discuss and apply the concepts covered.
Some common science misconceptions
Much research in science education has focused on students' misconceptions about
science. While searching through the literature sounds like a great way to spend a
Saturday, there are easier ways to locate common misconceptions. The Operations
Physics Project has compiled an extensive list of students' misconceptions on a variety
of science topics. Of course, this by no means should be considered the only
misconceptions a student might have.
There are many example of misconception in science. Below ware the example of
misconception in science.
 Astronomy
1. Stars and constellations appear in the same place in the sky every night.
2. The sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west every day.
3. The sun is always directly south at 12:00 noon.
4. The tip of a shadow always moves along an east-west line.
5. We experience seasons because of the earth's changing distance from the sun
(closer in the summer, farther in the winter).
6. The earth is the center of the solar system. (The planets, sun and moon revolve
around the earth.)
7. The moon can only be seen during the night.
 Atmosphere
1. Rain comes from holes in clouds.
2. Rain comes from clouds sweating.
3. Rain occurs because we need it.
4. Rain falls from funnels in the clouds.
5. Rain occurs when clouds get scrambled and melt.
 Color and Vision
1. The pupil of the eye is a black object or spot on the surface of the eye.
2. The eye receives upright images.
3. The lens is the only part of the eye responsible for focusing light.
4. The lens forms and image (picture) on the retina. The brain then "looks" at this
image and that is how we see.
5. The eye is the only organ for sight; the brain is only for thinking.
 Energy
1. Energy is a thing. This is a fuzzy notion, probably because of the way that we talk
about newton-meters or joules. It is difficult to imagine an amount of an
abstraction.
2. The terms "energy" and "force" are interchangeable.
3. From the non-scientific point of view, "work" is synonymous with "labor". It is hard
to convince someone that more work is probably being done playing football for
one hour than studying an hour for a quiz.
4. An object at rest has no energy.
5. The only type of potential energy is gravitational.
 Forces and Motion
1. The only "natural" motion is for an object to be at rest.
2. If an object is at rest, no forces are acting on the object.
3. A rigid solid cannot be compressed or stretched.
4. Only animate objects can exert a force. Thus, if an object is at rest on a table, no
forces are acting upon it.
5. Force is a property of an object. An object has force and when it runs out of force
it stops moving.
 Forces and Fluids
1. Objects float in water because they are lighter than water.
2. Objects sink in water because they are heavier than water.
3. Mass/volume/weight/heaviness/size/density may be perceived as equivalent.
4. Wood floats and metal sinks.
 5. All objects containing air float.
 Heat and Temperature
1. Heat is a substance.
2. Heat is not energy.
3. Temperature is a property of a particular material or object. (Metal is naturally
cooler than plastic).
4. The temperature of an object depends on its size.
5. Heat and cold are different, rather than being opposite ends of a continuum.
 Light
1. Light is associated only with either a source or its effects. Light is not considered
to exist independently in space; and hence, light is not conceived of as
"travelling".
2. An object is "seen" because light shines o it. Light is a necessary condition for
seeing an object and the eye.
3. Lines drawn outward from a light bulb represent the "glow" surrounding the bulb.
4. A shadow is something that exists on its own. Light pushes the shadow away
from the object to the wall or the ground and is thought of as a "dark " reflection
of the object.
5. Light is not necessarily conserved. It may disappear or be intensified.
 Magnets and Magnetism
1. All metals are attracted to a magnet.
2. All silver colored items are attracted to a magnet.
3. All magnets are made of iron.
4. Larger magnets are stronger than smaller magnets.
5. The magnetic and geographic poles of the earth are located at the same place.
6. The magnetic pole of the earth in the northern hemisphere is a north pole, and
the pole in the southern hemisphere is a south pole.
 Measurement
1. Measurement is only linear.
2. Any quantity can be measured as accurately as you want.
3. Children who have used measuring devices at home already know how to
measure.
 4. The metric system is more accurate than the other measurement systems.
5. The English system is easier to use than the metric system.
 Sound
1. Loudness and pitch of sounds are confused with each other.
2. You can see and hear a distant event at the same moment.
3. The more mass in a pendulum bob, the faster it swings.
4. Hitting an object harder changes its pitch.
5. In a telephone, actual sounds are carried through the wire rather than electrical
pulses.
 Space
1. The earth is sitting on something.
2. The earth is larger than the sun.
3. The sun disappears at night.
4. The earth is round like a pancake.
5. We live on the flat middle of a sphere.
 Work and Power
1. Failing to be able to identify the direction in which a force is acting.
2. Believing that any force times any distance is work.
3. Believing that machines put out more work than we put in.
4. Not realizing that machines simply change the form of the work we do (i.e. trade
off force for distance or distance for force).
Summary.

Many of the children’s ideas and misconceptions make sense. They are logical
interpretations of the information the children currently have. Indeed these
misconceptions make more sense than the scientific view, which is counter, intuitive.
The scientific view frequently makes use of ideas based on things that are not
observable by the children, such as water vapour, unseen forces, vibrations in air etc.
Often science requires children to link together several unseen abstract concepts.

Take, for example, the moon. We see the moon in the sky at night and sometimes in the
daytime. To make sense of the sun, moon, night and day we have to accept that
 ➢ the earth spins around every 24 hours
➢ The earth is always half lit up by the sun, and half is in darkness
➢ the moon has an orbit around the earth so it is sometimes in the day-time
sky
➢ we see the moon because of the sun’s reflection from the surface of the
moon
➢ the moon is always half lit up by the sun (just like the earth), with half in
darkness
➢ from the earth we sometimes see the side of the the moon that is lit up (full
moon) sometimes we see half the lit side and the other half is dark (half
moon) and sometimes we ‘see’ the unlit side (new moon)

Scientific understanding requires ever more complex acceptance and understanding of

invisible forces that most people do not appreciate in their normal lives. The scientific
explanation to many people is just as fanciful as the Maori legend of how the moon was
formed, or the stories of Greek Gods. It is not surprising than, compared to the
complexity of science, children’s intuitive ideas have several shortcomings.

Harlen (2000 A. p54) suggests several reasons for this, which could include one or
more of the following:

➢ Children’s experiences are necessarily limited and therefore the evidence is

partial. – so they may well consider rust to be within metals if they have only paid
attention to it when it appears under paint or flaking chrome.

➢ Children pay attention to what they perceive through their senses rather than
the logic, which may suggest a different interpretation – so if the sun appears to
move around and follow them then they think it, does move this way.
➢ Younger children (Early Years) particularly focus on one feature as cause for a
particular effect rather than the possibility of several - for example, the factors
in the conditions needed for living things to grow healthily.

➢ Although it may satisfy them, the reasoning they use may not stand
comparison with scientific reasoning. For example, if they made genuine
predictions based on their ideas, these ideas would be disproved. But instead they
may predict what they know to fit the idea.

➢ They may use words (vocabulary) without a grasp of their meaning – we have
seen that this can happen with floating, vibration (sound) and evaporation, but many
more examples could be cited.

➢ They may hold on to earlier ideas even though contrary evidence is available
because they have no access to an alternative view that makes sense to them.
In such cases they may adjust their ideas to fit new evidence rather than give
it up, as in the idea that light turns the eye on.

Terry Russell director of the SPACE project argues that children also need a lot of time
to assimilate new ideas, and that mental learning, information processing, is best
achieved by frequent practical hands on work to embed the concept.

Implications for teaching.

➢ Provide children of all ages with lots of hands-on practical work to help embed the
concept in a mental schema, but make sure they predict what they think will happen.
➢ If an idea is derived from a narrow range of evidence then provide more evidence
➢ If testing a prediction based on an idea could help challenge the child’s existing idea
then help the child to make that prediction and consider the challenge. This should
assist children in fair testing and using process skills.
➢ If the child’s use of words is suspect then ask the child to give examples and non
examples of what they understand the words to mean. Develop a scientific
dictionary, word bank etc.
➢ If children have a locally correct idea about a phenomenon in one situation but do
not recognise that the same explanation holds in different situations they need to be
helped by the teacher to make links between the situations. This may mean
repeating experiments, for example evaporation through clothes on a line, water in a
dish a jar and puddles on the playground.

Each strategy helps the teacher support the child in extending their conceptual
understanding.