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Cited by 171Science Education and PedagogyEducational Strategies and EpistemologiesEvolution and Science Education

A Case Study of Conceptual Change in Special Relativity: The Influence of Prior Knowledge in Learning‡

Hewson, Peter W.·1982·European Journal of Science Education
DOI 10.1080/0140528820040108
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Abstract

Summaries English It is widely accepted that a person's existing knowledge plays a critical role in learning science. Two different aspects of this role are illuminated by the research reported in this paper. A graduate tutor in freshman physics was interviewed on three separate occasions. The first interview was used to determine what metaphysical commitments he held in relation to special relativity theory and showed the significant role his commitments played in his acceptance of counter‐intuitive aspects of the theory. The second interview was used to show the stability of his commitments four months later and to present the metaphysics underlying the theory in comparison and contrast with his own. The third interview, ten days later, repeated parts of the first interview and showed that significant changes in his metaphysical commitments had occurred. This case study demonstrates firstly the importance of the learner's metaphysical commitments as components of existing knowledge and secondly the effectiveness in facilitating conceptual change of an instructional strategy which explicitly addresses the learner's existing knowledge. An explanation of the effectiveness of instruction is given by an analysis of the interviews in terms of a previously developed model of learning as conceptual change.

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Crossref · 10.1080/0140528820040108

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21 of 21 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Studies meeting the criterion of independent assessment support the position that individuals are less likely to give up entrenched beliefs than nonentrenched beliefs.

    “A number of studies that meet this criterion provide support for the position that individuals are less likely to give up entrenched beliefs than nonentrenched beliefs”

    From The role of anomalous data in knowledge acquisition: A theoretical framework and implications for science instruction. (1993) · cites this paper as Hewson, 1982

  • Several mistaken ontological beliefs have been found to resist change, including beliefs that electrons and photons move along a single discrete path, that time flows at a constant rate regardless of relative motion, that heat is a substance, and that force is something internal to a moving object.

    “Examples of mistaken ontological beliefs that have been found to resist change are beliefs that objects like electrons and photons move along a single discrete path (Brewer & Chinn, 1991), that time flows at a constant rate regardless of relative motion (Brewer & Chinn, 1991;P. Hewson, 1982), that heat is a substance (Wiser, 1988), and that force is something internal to a moving object (McCloskey”

    From The role of anomalous data in knowledge acquisition: A theoretical framework and implications for science instruction. (1993) · cites this paper as P. Hewson, 1982

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Authors
Hewson, P. W.
Affiliations
University of the Witwatersrand (ZA)
Corresponding author
Hewson, Peter W.
Venue
European Journal of Science Education
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
1982-01
Volume
4
Issue
1
Pages
61-78
ISSN
0140-5284 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1080/0140528820040108
OpenAlex
W2060105717
Cited by
171
References
21
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 3
FWCI
33.48
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
European Journal of Science Education (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Strategies and Epistemologies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Evolution and Science Education
Keywords
conceptual change, special relativity, prior knowledge, metaphysical commitment, physics education, freshman physics, teaching methods

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