Fostering 5th Grade Students' Understanding of Science via Salience Analogical Reasoning in On-line and Classroom Learning Environments

Abstract

This study examined whether or not on-line learning (on-line as compared to classroom) influenced the progression of scientific concept construction and analogical reasoning ability; and the degree to which different analogical reasoning (surface and relational salience) contributes to the progression of scientific concept construction and analogical reasoning ability. A total of 190 5th grade students were assigned to three different conditions: surface salience analogical reasoning without the use of on-line learning (condition 1), the same surface salience analogical reasoning with on-line learning (condition 2), and relational salience analogical reasoning with on-line learning (condition 3). Results indicate that condition 2 significantly outperformed condition 1, regardless of the progression of scientific concept construction and analogical reasoning. Condition 2 performed at the same level that condition 3 did, regardless of the progression of scientific concept construction and analogical reasoning. The stepwise regression indicated that the best predictor for scientific concept construction is analogical reasoning followed by scientific reasoning. This study highlights the idea that on-line learning benefits students more than classroom learning, surface salience analogical reasoning is as efficient as relational salience analogical reasoning, and analogical reasoning can better predict scientific concept construction than can scientific reasoning.