Nature of Scientific Models: The Impact of Media Type on Students’ Epistemological Understanding of the Particle Model
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Tobias Bier [1] ; Björn Risch [1]
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[1] RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany
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- Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 103, Nº 1, 2026
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
Scientific models play a critical role in chemistry education, serving as tools for explaining, predicting, and illustrating complex phenomena. Numerous studies have demonstrated that students struggle with conceptualizing the transition from macroscopic observations to submicroscopic particle models. Despite extensive research, effective teaching strategies for this conceptual transition remain an active area of investigation. Models and their coherent representations offer potential explanatory approaches to address these challenges. This study investigates the impact of three model types, Augmented Reality (AR), Haptic-Interactive (HI), and Illustrative (IL), on students’ epistemological understanding of the particle model. A quasi-experimental design was implemented with 248 eighth-grade students across six schools. Results demonstrate that both AR and IL models significantly improved students’ epistemological understanding compared to HI models, with no significant difference between AR and IL. These findings highlight the potential of AR and IL for fostering conceptual understanding in science education. Implications for pedagogical practice and future research directions are discussed.
