Examining the Role of Executive Functions and Motivation in Conceptual Change in a Physics Task

The alteration of students’ ideas in favour of more scientific ones is known as conceptual change. The process might involve a combination of both higher-order cognitive skills and motivational attitudes of students, but few studies have explored all three together. The current study examines the role of executive function skills and motivation alongside conceptual change in physics understanding. The study examines a sample of 426 Egyptian students (M age = 12.5)—an underrepresented population in the literature. The participants completed a short tutorial targeting misconceptions about density. Findings from the structural equation model indicated that executive functions, especially shifting, predicted baseline density understanding (ß = .18, p < .05), but not conceptual gains. Motivational elements, particularly, self-efficacy was a significant positive predictor of conceptual gains (ß = .15, p < .05), but not baseline density understanding. However, performance goal orientation negatively predicted conceptual gains (ß = -.18, p < .05). Implications for teaching and learning are suggested in light of the present findings.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Cambridge

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Said, Tamer

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Michelle, Ellefson

• Conceptual change
• executive functions
• motivation
• performance goals
• science education
• density
• inhibition
• self-efficacy
• goal orientation
• task value
• physics education

Licence

• https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/bf7a137a-eaaa-40cb-9446-e6a18d43876b/download
• https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/

Language dc:language

eng

DOI dc:identifier.doi

https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.97109

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/350745