What Is the SCIMAP Project?
SCIMAP — SCIence Misconception Access Project — is a searchable database of students’ and teachers’ science misconceptions derived from empirical and anecdotal studies. Teachers might consult the database to see what ideas students are likely to have before beginning a lesson and perhaps adjust lesson planning and instruction. Science education researchers might consult the database to see what areas of science have not yet been studied or to consider updating older studies.
The broad fields of science covered include:
- Biological and Life Science
- Chemistry and Physical Chemistry Science
- Earth and Space Science
- Physics and Physical Science
- History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science
What Are Misconceptions?
We all have prior ideas that can either block or support future learning. When those prior ideas are incorrect and are called misconceptions, some prefer the label naïve or personal beliefs or alternative views. When students come to the classroom with such prior ideas, learning scientific concepts may become more difficult because the learners have already constructed personal mental models.
It is sometimes difficult to change or adjust prior ideas if they were acquired early (Allen, 2014) or if these ideas are personally relevant and useful. Such misconceptions may be difficult to eliminate even with high-quality lessons and may require the direct targeting of such misconceptions (Berg,1991). However, when teachers possess knowledge of likely prior ideas on the part of their students, they can adjust instruction accordingly. This is one of the core ideas behind the SCIMAP project.
What Are Some Causes of Misconceptions?
Students do not enter the science classroom as blank slates but hold a variety of preconceptions or misconceptions they might have gotten from various sources. These prior notions may obstruct future learning. Research has shown that sources of students’ misconceptions include:
- Personal experiences, including media portrayal of science
- Their cultural or religious background
- Texts and books
- Inaccurate instruction
- Faulty understanding and/ or conclusion formed by students
It is important for educators to identify students’ misconceptions before teaching new concepts so that students can grasp and understand what is being taught in the class. To do this, teachers must have some ideas about those student misconceptions, and of course, not all learners have the same misconceptions (Laeli et al., 2002), although, in any classroom, the range is such misconceptions is narrow. However, knowing some of the students’ misconceptions about a particular topic before teaching a science lesson is important. Using SCIMAP, teachers can quickly look at the misconceptions that the students will likely have before teaching a particular content.
It is important for educators to identify students’ misconceptions before teaching new concepts so that students can grasp and understand what is being taught in the class. To do this, teachers must have some ideas about what those student misconceptions are, and of course, not all learners have the same misconceptions. (Laeli et al., 2002) although in most classrooms, the range is such misconceptions is narrow with only 2-3 prior ideas present. However, knowing some of the misconceptions that the students may have on a particular topic before teaching a science lesson is important. Teachers can have a quick look at the misconceptions that the students are likely going to have before teaching a particular content from the SCIMAP.
References
- Allen, M. (2019). Misconceptions in Primary Science 3e. McGraw-Hill Education (UK)
- Berg, E. (1991). Physics Misconceptions and Remediation, Publisher. Salatiga: Universitas Satya Discourse
- Laeli, C. M. H. (2020, February). Misconception of science learning in primary school students. In 3rd International Conference on Learning Innovation and Quality Education (ICLIQE 2019) (pp. 657-671). Atlantis Press.