Helge Strömdahl

Exploring the Use of Conceptual Metaphors in Solving Problems on Entropy

A growing body of research has examined the experiential grounding of scientific thought and the role of experiential intuitive knowledge in science learning. Meanwhile, research in cognitive linguistics has identified many conceptual metaphors (CMs), metaphorical mappings between abstract concepts and experiential source domains, implicit in everyday and scientific language. However, the contributions of CMs to scientific understanding and reasoning are still not clear. This study explores the roles that CMs play in scientific problem-solving through a detailed analysis of two physical chemistry PhD students solving problems on entropy. We report evidence in support of three claims: a range of CMs are used in problem-solving enabling flexible, experiential construals of abstract scientific concepts; CMs are coordinated with one another and other resources supporting the alignment of qualitative and quantitative reasoning; use of CMs grounds abstract reasoning in a “narrative” discourse incorporating conceptions of paths, agents, and movement. We conclude that CMs should be added to the set of intuitive resources others have suggested contribute to expertise in science. This proposal is consistent with two assumptions: that cognition is embodied and that internal cognitive structures and processes interact with semiotic systems. The implications of the findings for learning and instruction are discussed.

Conceptions and Contexts : On the Interpretation of Interview and Observational Data

Abstract Research within a constructivist approach often relies on interview data, which are used to reveal beliefs held by the interviewee or to expose conceptions or conceptual structures that are supposed to reside within the interviewee. From a sociocultural perspective, severe criticism has been leveled against the neglect of the problems of inferring conceptions held by a participant from what is uttered in an interview. Utterances should be looked upon as cultural tools used to realize discursive practices, rather than as propositions mirroring mental entities. It is argued that the clinical interview, often used by constructivists, disregards the impact of a situation and discursive norms with regard to what is uttered in a conversation. Here, it is argued that by taking into account an interviewees conceptions of the situation, as well as of the subject matter being talked about, some sort of a bridge between the methodological standpoints of constructivism and sociocultural theory can be formed. It is proposed that utterances should be regarded as actions, and thus the problem of ascribing meanings to behavior is in focus, that is, how a series of behaviors can be regarded as an intentional action. It is argued that by means of such an approach, it is possible to make inferences about conceptions and conceptual structures much in the same way as is done in research on conceptual change. However, this means that utterances cannot just be “read off.” The interviewees aims, conceptions of the subject matter talked about, as well as the interviewees conceptions of the situation to hand must be taken into account. A reinterpretation of data reported by Andrea diSessa and Bruce Sherin is used as an illustration.

The qualitatively different conceptions of 1 mol

The present paper arises from a series of studies we have carried out concerning the conceptions of ‘the mole’ held by different actors in the Swedish educational system. It is a report of the results gained in a study with 28 experienced chemistry educators, all of whom were interviewed individually. A qualitative analysis of the protocols has revealed four separate fundamental meanings of ‘the mole’, described by means of four categories (Fo, F1, F2, F3), complemented by one theoretical fundamental F4. The fundamentals are incommensurably separated, that is, even if the same words and symbols, such as ‘molar mass’ and ’NA’, are used in different fundamentals, they have separate connotations. The fundamentals are validated by historical meanings of ‘the mole’. In the individual educator, the equivocal use of the term ‘mole’ is typical. Every educator has a ‘gravity point conception’ of mole coincident with one of the fundamentals. But, depending on the context, properties belonging to other fundamentals ...

Different Senses of Entropy—Implications for Education

A challenge in the teaching of entropy is that the word has several different senses, which may provide an obstacle for communication. This study identifies five distinct senses of the word entropy ...