ABSTRACT

This study analyses the evolution of school-level scientific models proposed by prospective pre-primary teachers (PPTs) (a) about the water molecule and its intermolecular bonds, and (b) representing the different states of water molecule aggregation at a microscopic level. The data were acquired from the PPTs’ responses at the beginning and at the end of the intervention to two open-ended questions. Given the qualitative and interpretive nature of the study, the responses were analysed and categorised by combining inter- and intra-rater evaluation methods. In general, positive evolution was observed in the models for both questions, progressing from representations that were symbolic, macroscopic, or without differentiating the constituents of the molecule to molecular representations that were more coherent. They ended up presenting a more proportionate ratio between the sizes of the two types of atom involved, considering the approximate angle between the bonds, and even differentiating the intra- from the intermolecular hydrogen bonds characteristic of water to describe the states of water molecule aggregation. The conclusion was that, with interventions of this kind, it is possible to initiate PPTs in the practice of scientific modelling as part of their training as science teachers at the initial levels of education.

摘要

这项研究分析了准学前教师（PPT）提出的学校级科学模型的演变（a）关于水分子及其分子间键，以及（b）在微观水平上代表水分子聚集的不同状态。数据是从PPT在干预开始和结束时对两个开放性问题的回答中获得的。考虑到研究的定性和解释性，通过结合评估者之间和评估者内部的评估方法对回答进行了分析和分类。通常，在两个问题的模型中都观察到了积极的演变，从象征性的，宏观的或没有区分分子组成的表示演变为更连贯的分子表示。他们最终在涉及的两种原子的尺寸之间呈现出更大比例的比例，考虑了键之间的近似角度，甚至区分了水的分子内氢键和分子间氢键特征来描述水分子聚集的状态。结论是，通过这种干预，有可能在科学建模实践中启动PPT，作为他们在初始教育阶段接受科学老师培训的一部分。