Abstract
In science learning, context is an important dimension of any scientific object or phenomenon, and context-dependent variations prove to be as critical for deep understanding as are abstract concepts, laws and rules. The hypothesis presented is that a context gap between two students can be illuminating to highlight the respective general-particular aspects of an object or phenomenon. Furthermore, provoking a perturbation during the learning process to obtain the emergence of such an event could be a productive tutoring strategy. The authors introduce the emergence of context effects as a problem space, to be modeled in the system, and propose a model of the contextual dimension (MazCalc) associated with an analytical view of its modeling, based on a metaphor in physics. A Learning Scenario (Gounouy) has been designed and tested with two groups of learners in Guadeloupe and in Quebec, and MazCalc has been instantiated for this pilot study. Finally, an architecture of a Context-Aware Intelligent Tutoring System is presented, with services to learners, teachers and researchers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Assaraf, O.B.Z., Eshach, H., Orion, N., Alamour, Y.: Cultural differences and students’ spontaneous models of the water cycle: a case study of Jewish and Bedouin children in Israel. Cult. Stud. Sci. Educ. 12, 1–27 (2012)
Barab, S., Squire, K.: Design based research: putting a stake in the ground. J. Learn. Sci. 13(1), 1–14 (2004)
Bazire, M., Brézillon, P.: Understanding context before to use it. LNAI 3554, 29–40 (2005). doi:10.1007/11508373_3
Duru-bellat, M., Van Zanten, A.: Sociologie du système éducatif. Les inégalités scolaires: PUF 237 (2009)
Galliker, M., Weimer, D.: Context and implicitness: consequences for qualitative and quantitative context analysis. In: Proceedings of (CONTEXT-97), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (ed.), pp. 151–163 (1997)
King, D.T., Winner, E., Ginns, I.: Outcomes and implications of one teacher’s approach to context-based science in the middle years. Teach. Sci. 57(2), 26–30 (2011)
Kokar, M.M., Endsley, M.R.: Situation awareness and cognitive modeling: intelligent systems. IEEE Intell. Syst. 27(3), 91–96 (2012). doi:10.1109/MIS.2012.61
Leurette, S., Forissier, T.: La contextualisation dans l’enseignement des sciences et techniques en Guadeloupe. Grand N. 83, 19–26 (2009)
Nkambou, R., Bourdeau, J., Mizoguchi, R. (eds.): Advances in Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Springer, Heidelberg (2010)
Roth, W.M.: Authentic School Science: Knowing and Learning in Open-Inquiry Science Laboratories. Kluwer, Dordrecht (1995)
Sandoval, W., Bell, P.: Design-based research methods for studying learning in context: introduction. Educ. Psychol. 39(4), 199–201 (2004)
Schwartz, R.S., Lederman, N.G., Crawford, B.A.: Developing views of nature of science in an authentic context: an explicit approach to bridging the gap between nature of science and scientific inquiry. Sci. Educ. 88, 610–645 (2004). doi:10.1002/sce.10128
Van Eijck, M., Roth W.M.: Towards a chronotopic theory of “place” in place-based education. Cult. Stud. Sci. Educ. 5(4), 869–898 (2010). doi:10.1007/s11422-010-9278-2
Van Oers, B.: From context to contextualizing. Learn. Instr. 8(6), 473–488 (1998). doi:10.1016/S0959-4752(98)00031-0
Van Wissen, A., Kamphorst, B., Van Eijk, R.: A constraint-based approach to context. LNAI 8175, 171–184 (2013). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-40972-1. (Heidelberg).
Weinburgh, M.: Gender differences in student attitudes toward science: a meta-analysis of the literature from 1970 to 1991. J. Res. Sci. Teach. 32, 387–398 (1995). doi:10.1002/tea.3660320407
Zimmermann, A., Lorenz, A., Oppermann, R.: Citations an operational definition of context. LNAI 4635, 558–571 (2007). doi:10.1007/978-3-540-74255-5_42
Acknowledgments
Sophie Fecil, science teacher at Collège de Guenette, Guadeloupe, France; Julie Poulin, teacher at Henri-Bourassa et Soleil de l’Aube school and Alain Stockless, ICT pedagogical advisor at Commission scolaire des Affluents, Québec, Canada; Alexandra Vorobyova for English révision; Rectorat de l’académie de Guadeloupe; the LICEF research center, Tele University, Quebec and the CRREF research center, University of The French West Indies.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Forissier, T., Bourdeau, J., Mazabraud, Y., Nkambou, R. (2014). Computing the Context Effect for Science Learning. In: Brézillon, P., Gonzalez, A. (eds) Context in Computing. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1887-4_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1887-4_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1886-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1887-4
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)