JeongHyun Yun

This study investigated the relationships among middle school students' understanding about the nature of scientific knowledge, conceptual understanding, and learning strategies. Grade 7 students (N=162) in Incheon completed the nature of scientific knowledge scales (NSKS) and a learning strategy questionnaire. After learning density by way of a CAl program, a conception test was administered. Results indicated that students' conceptual understanding and both deep and surface learning strategies were significantly correlated to their understanding about the nature of scientific knowledge. A cluster analysis was used to classify students on the basis of their deep and surface learning strategies. Three clusters of students with distinctive learning strategy patterns were found; high deep-low surface strategy (cluster 1), low deep-high surface strategy (cluster 2), and high deep-high surface strategy (cluster 3). One-way ANOVA results revealed that the scores of cluster 3 were significantly higher than those of the others in the NSKS and the conception test. Additionally, cluster 1 also performed better than cluster 2 in the conception test. Lastly, educational implications were discussed.

Abstract When a software product is composed of dozens of or even hundreds of components with complicated dependency relationship among each other, one component's change can affect lots of other components' behavior. Sometimes, therefore, the ...