Skip to main content
Log in

THE EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE STYLES ON NAÏVE IMPETUS THEORY APPLICATION DEGREES OF PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS

  • Published:
International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between pre-service science teachers’ Field Dependent or Field Independent (FD/FI) cognitive styles and the application of degrees of naive impetus theory. The sample consisted of 122 pre-service science teachers (97 females and 25 males) who were enrolled in the Introductory Physics course required by the Science Education program. Data were collected in two successive years, after the completion of the required Introductory Physics undergraduate courses, in 2008 and 2009. The Group Embedded Figure Test and Impetus Theory Application Test (a two-tier-type test) were administered to assess the FD/FI tendency of students and to determine the degree students applied the naïve impetus theory, respectively. Initial results showed that a majority of students had made use of the native impetus theory repeatedly. The results also indicated that the degree to which students applied the naïve impetus theory was statistically related to their FD/FI cognitive styles. The findings of this research showed that there existed a statistically significant difference between the FI and FD students’ degree of applying the naïve impetus theory in favor of FI students. However, the test score gap between FI and FD students remained almost constant regardless of the testing instruments utilized in this study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alamolhodaei, H. (1996). A study in higher education calculus and students’ learning styles. Ph.D. thesis, University of Glasgow.

  • Ates, S. & Cataloglu, E. (2007a). The effects of students’ cognitive styles on conceptual understandings and problem solving skills in introductory mechanics. Research in Science and Technological Education, 25, 167–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ates, S. & Cataloglu, E. (2007b). The effects of students’ reasoning abilities on conceptual understandings and problem solving skills in introductory mechanics. European Journal of Physics, 28, 1161–1171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bayraktar, S. (2009). Misconceptions of Turkish pre-service teachers about force and motion. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 7, 273–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogdanov, S. & Viiri, J. (1999). Students’ understanding of the force concept in Russia and Finland. In M. Komorek, H. Behrendt, H. Dahncke, R. Duit, W. Graber, and A. Kross (Eds.), Proceedings of the second international conference of the ESERA, Kiel.

  • Cataloglu, E. (1996). Promoting teachers’ awareness of students’ misconceptions in introductory mechanics. M.Sc. thesis, METU, Ankara, Turkey.

  • Clement, J. (1981). Students’ preconceptions in introductory mechanics. American Journal of Physics, 50, 66–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clement, J. (1993). Using bridging analogy and anchoring intuitions to deal with students’ preconceptions in physics. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 30, 1241–1257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Driver, R., Guesne, E. & Tiberghein, A. (1985). Children’s ideas in science. Philadelphia: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Banna, H. (1987). The development of a predictive theory of science education based upon information processing theory. Ph.D. thesis, University of Glasgow, Scotland.

  • Franco, A. B. (2004). Avempace, projectile motion and impetus theory. Journal of the History of Ideas, 64, 521–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franco, G. M., Muis, K. R., Kendeou, P., Ranellucci, J., Sampasivam, L. & Wang, X. (2012). Examining the influences of epistemic beliefs and knowledge representations on cognitive processing and conceptual change when learning physics. Learning and Instruction, 22, 62–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank, B. M. (1984). Effect of field independence-dependence and study technique on learning from a lecture. American Educational Research Journal, 21, 669–678.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, C. (1997). A study of factors affecting a curriculum innovations in university chemistry. Ph.D. thesis, University of Glasgow.

  • Hake, R. (1998). Interactive-engagement vs. traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses. American Journal of Physics, 66, 64–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halloun, I. & Hestenes, D. (1985). The initial knowledge state of college physics students. American Journal of Physics, 53, 1043–1048.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hestenes, D. & Wells, M. (1992). A mechanics baseline test. Physics Teacher, 30, 159–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hestenes, D., Wells, M. & Swachhamer, G. (1992). Force concept inventory. Physics Teacher, 30, 141–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hubbart, L. T. (1993). The effect of context on visual representational momentum. Memory & Cognition, 21, 103–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hubbart, L. T. (2006). Bridging the gap: Roles and contributions of representational momentum. Psicologica, 27, 1–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnstone, A. H. & Al-Naeme, F. F. (1991). Room for scientific thought. International Journal of Science Education, 13(2), 187–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonassen, D. H. & Grabowski, B. L. (1993). Handbook of individual differences: Learning and instruction. Mahwah: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karacam, S. (2005). Determining the conceptual understanding levels of high school students’ having different cognitive styles on major concepts of motion and motion laws by using different assessment techniques. M.A. thesis, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Turkey.

  • Kozhevnicov, M. & Hegarty, M. (2001). Impetus beliefs as default heuristics: Dissociation between explicit and implicit knowledge about motion. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 8, 439–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kruger, C., Palacio, D. & Summers, M. (1992). Surveys of English primary school teachers’ conceptions of force, energy, and materials. Science Education, 76, 339–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawson, A. E., Clark, B., Meldrum, E. C., Falconer, K. A., Sequist, J. M. & Kwon, Y.-J. (2000). The development of scientific reasoning in college biology: Do two levels of general hypothesis-testing skills exist? Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37, 81–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X. & MacIsaac, D. (2005). An investigation of factors affecting the degree of naïve impetus theory application. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 14, 101–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDermott, C. L. (2001). Oersted medal lecture 2001: Physics education research—The key to students learning. American Journal of Physics, 69, 1127–1137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Odom, A. L. & Barrow, L. H. (1995). The development and application of a two-tiered diagnostic test measuring college biology students’ understanding of diffusion and osmosis following a course of instruction. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32, 45–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sencar, S. & Eryılmaz, A. (2004). Factors mediating the effect of gender on ninth-grade Turkish students’ misconceptions concerning electric circuit. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(6), 603–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shepardson, D. P. & Pizzini, E. L. (1994). Gender, achievement, and perception toward science activities. School Science and Mathematics, 94, 188–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornton, R. K. & Sokoloff, D. R. (1998). Assessing students learning of Newton’s laws: The force and motion conceptual evaluation. American Journal of Physics, 66, 228–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tinajero, C. & Paramo, M. F. (1997). Field dependence/field independence and academic achievement: A re-examination of their relationship. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 67, 199–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Treagust, D. F. (1986). Evaluating students’ misconceptions by means of diagnostic multiple choice items. Research in Science Education, 16, 199–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trumper, R. & Gorsky, P. (1996). A cross-college age study about physics students’ conceptions of force in pre-service training for high school teachers. Physics Education, 31, 227–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witkin, H. A. & Goodenough, D. R. (1981). Cognitive styles: Essence and origins field dependence and field independence. New York: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witkin, H. A., Goodenough, D. R., Moore, C. A. & Cox, P. W. (1977). Field dependent and field independent cognitive styles and their educational implications. Review of Educational Research, 47, 1–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young-Jin, L. (2011). Utilizing formative assessments to guide student learning in an interactive physics learning environment. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 39, 245–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziane, J.H. (1996). The application of information processing theory to the learning of physics. Ph.D. thesis, University of Glasgow, Scotland.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Erdat Cataloglu.

Appendix

Appendix

The Impetus Theory Application Test (ITAT)

figure a

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cataloglu, E., Ates, S. THE EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE STYLES ON NAÏVE IMPETUS THEORY APPLICATION DEGREES OF PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 12, 699–719 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-013-9430-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-013-9430-z

Key words

Navigation