Characteristics of Student-Generated Analogies, Mapping Understanding, and Mapping Errors on Saturated Solution of Scientifically-Gifted and General Elementary Students

포화 용액 개념에 대해 초등 과학 영재와 일반 학생들이 만든 비유의 특성과 대응 관계 이해도 및 대응 오류

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of the analogies, the mapping understanding, and the mapping errors on saturated solution of scientifically-gifted and general elementary students. Fifth graders (n=60) at four scientifically-gifted education institutes in Seoul and/or Gyeonggi province and fifth graders (n=91) at three elementary schools in Seoul were selected and assigned to the scientifically-gifted group and the general group respectively. After the students of each group performed the experiment and were taught about the target concept in the first class, they administered the test on the self-generating analogies on the target concept in the second class. The results revealed that the students in the scientifically-gifted group made more analogies, especially verbal/pictorial, structural/functional, enriched, and higher systematic ones, and had deeper understanding of the analogy than those in the general group. The numbers of the shared attributes included in the student-generated analogies and the scores of the mapping understanding of the students in the scientifically-gifted group were significantly higher than those in the general group. The students in the scientifically-gifted group had fewer mapping errors than those in the general group. However, not a few students in the scientifically-gifted group had at least one mapping error. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.