FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The human brain is constantly organizing experiences into some sort of coherent structure. Thus all kinds of activities can give rise to misconceptions, from casual everyday experiences to formal classroom instruction. Students can also misconstrue formal information, such as a textbook illustration, if its exact nature is not made clear to them. The media can also impact student ideas.

A religious belief is not a misconception in the way we use the term. Skilled science teachers can respect religious beliefs while teaching science concepts and facts. In the U.S., religious freedom is strongly protected and directly confronting a student's religious beliefs may be problematic. The MOSART development team was confronted with the issue of religion when it wrote the test items: How do you determine if a student is aware of a scientific concept if the student holds a religious belief contrary to it? You will see in many MOSART items the phrases "scientists think" or "what would a scientist predict" rather than "what do you think," wording intended to get students to interpret the questions from the scientific point of view.

Generally speaking, yes; a misconception typically requires a direct challenge in order for student thinking to change.

It is possible to teach a misconception if you hold it yourself. Sometimes certain analogies, lab activities or other approaches may reinforce existing student misconceptions.

Many adults have misconceptions. The most direct way to find out is to take the MOSART tests yourself!

Some MOSART staff teach continuing education science courses. In these courses they see adults of all ages express the same misconceptions as students of various levels. Anyone who has not thoroughly studied a topic can retain a misconception. The good news is that adults of all ages can change their conceptual thinking through the same kinds of learning processes that are effective with younger students.

Most research shows that misconceptions are commonly held. If all students are confronted with experiences that require them to predict outcomes based on their misconceptions, they will have one thing in common: all will make incorrect predictions. Encourage student thinking and discussion about ideas based on experiences that confront students with the areas in which their ideas do not work. Administering a MOSART test as a diagnostic before you begin a topic will help you to identify the misconceptions prevalent among your students.

When we let go of our misconceptions, we often forget that we ever had them. This sometimes makes it more difficult to understand the blocks to learning that students experience. It is important to remember that overcoming these blocks was something most of us had to do. Students seem to overcome misconceptions best when they are aware of them. For example, students can be challenged with the statement: "Astronomers have seen that Earth is nearest the Sun in January and farthest from the Sun in July. How does this information help us to understand seasons?"

If you discover that your students have misconceptions, do not try to address them by doing more of whatever it is you have been doing.

There appear to be no pattern of misconceptions linked to student group or gender.

The MOSART tests can be used in any setting with any group of students at any academic level.

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