International Journal of Human-Computer Studies - Special issue: Interactive graphical communication
Internet Environments for Science Education
Internet Environments for Science Education
Using log files to track students' model-based inquiry
ICLS '06 Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Learning sciences
Helping students make controlled experiments more informative
ICLS '10 Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - Volume 1
Introducing computing students to scientific experimentation
Proceedings of the 18th ACM conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education
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This study examines how students' experimentation with a dynamic visualization contributes to their understanding of science. We designed a week-long, technology-enhanced inquiry module on car collisions. The module uses new technologies that log student interactions with the visualization. Physics students (N=148) in six diverse high schools studied the module and responded to pretests, posttests, and embedded assessments. We scored students' experimentation using three methods: total number of trials, how widely students changed variables between trials (variability), and how well students connected content knowledge to experimentation strategies (validity). Students made large, significant overall pretest to posttest gains. Regression models showed that validity was the strongest predictor of learning when controlling for prior knowledge and other experimentation measures. Successful learners employed a goal-directed experimentation approach that connected their experimentation strategy to content knowledge.