the psychologist february 2012
Page 106, digest
Scientists' struggles help inspire students
In the Journal of Educational Psychology
Science suffers from an image problem. Many students see the subject as too difficult, and they think scientists are aloof boffins with big brains. A new study out of Taiwan tests the benefits of teaching high-school physics pupils about the struggles of eminent physicists--Galileo, Newton and Einstein. Over the course of three computer-based lessons during one week, 88 low-achieving students were taught not just about the relevant theories developed by these characters but also about their frustrations and perseverance...
For comparison, a further 93 students completed the three computer-based lessons on the relevant theories but without any background information on the scientists...Learning about scientists' struggles had several important benefits versus the other two conditions. Students in the struggles condition developed more rounded, less stereotypical images of the scientists, seeing them as people who worked hard. For students who had no initial interest in science, the information about struggles boosted their interest in the subject. Struggles-based background info also improved students' delayed(a week later) recall of the theoretical material, and it increased their success at complex open-ended problem-solving tasks based on the lesson material...A consistent theme to emerge was that anorexia at first provided a sense of control and identity...
David CK Chang, SSN057-86-4042,
March 10, 2012, Saturday,
National Central Library,
Taipei City
