Patrice Potvin

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Verified

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• Ph.D.
• Professor (Full) at University of Quebec in Montreal

The relationship that exists between students and science and technology (S&T) is a complex and important one. If it is positive, then social, economic and environmental consequences are to be expected. Yet, many problems of interest/motivation/attitude (I/M/A) towards S&T have been recorded. A lot of research has been conducted on this topic and a...

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects on 558 grades five and six students of three different teaching conditions: the classical model of conceptual change (for which cognitive conflict is considered as a precondition to the transformation of knowledge), the prevalence model of conceptual change (in which different conceptions can c...

While the majority of published research on conceptual change has focused on how misconceptions can be abandoned or modified, some recent research findings support the hypothesis that acquired scientific knowledge does not necessarily erase or alter initial non-scientific knowledge but rather coexists with it. In keeping with this " coexistence cla...

In this article, we propose an analysis of the state of, and trends in, the field of conceptual change research in science education through the lens of its models. Using a quantitative approach, we reviewed all conceptual change articles (n = 245) published in five major journals in the field of science education in search of the support that thei...

This article presents a critical and systematic review of the science education research literature that explores the response of learners to contradicting information (anomalous data). The review is framed in the cognitive conflict process model (CCPM) and provides an analysis of (1) the types and frequency of possible responses, (2) the condition...

Children often hold intuitive conceptions about natural phenomena that are inconsistent with scientific knowledge. For instance, it is common to believe that bigger or heavier objects sink more than others. Previous studies have highlighted the role of inhibitory control in suppressing intuitive conceptions and learning scientific concepts. However...

In the field of conceptual change research and activity, the need to generate cognitive conflicts has often been seen as central to the initiation of any change process. One strategy that science teachers often use to generate such conflicts is to ask their students to make predictions about the outcome of demonstrations or experiments whose result...

L’enseignement des sciences et de la technologie au primaire souffre généralement d’un déficit d’engagement des enseignants. Plusieurs recherches se sont penchées sur l’attitude de ces derniers et ont conclu, entre autres raisons, à des lacunes relatives aux connaissances des notions à aborder et à un faible sentiment d’efficacité personnelle. Or,...

This ongoing research project investigates the impact of adopting a teacher-researcher posture on science teachers' conceptions of teaching and learning. Given that science teachers often hold linear and static views of scientific knowledge, which can affect their teaching methods, this project explores new strategies beyond traditional training. B...

This proposal presents an innovative in-service training initiative that empowers high school science teachers within professional learning communities (PLCs). Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), this seven-year project involves 12 school service centers, five universities and various educational organiz...

This perspective article explores the intersection of science education advancements and public science understanding improvement efforts, critiquing the still prevalent "deficit model" of science communication. It argues for a nuanced approach, incorporating insights from conceptual change research and the coexistence of scientific and misconceive...

This study investigates the challenge of altering science teachers’ conceptions and beliefs regarding scientific activity and pedagogy. Despite traditional efforts relying on informational training, teachers often resist change. In response, a seven-year project in Québec, Canada, fosters professional learning communities among secondary science te...

Creating spaces for discussion and negotiation in the science classroom appears as a promising intervention strategy for fostering conceptual change (Herrenkohl et al., 1999). Analysis of classroom discourse has indeed shown that different forms of dialogue, such as justifying or challenging a peer’s idea, can enhance student achievement (Howe et a...

This study reports the results of two pre/post experiments conducted with secondary school students who read refutation and explanatory texts. The originality of the study lies in the use of certainty scales, which tested the feeling-of-certainty that participants reported about each and every possible choice of the multiple-choice questions (MCQ)...

The Partnership for the Development and Success of Science Education in Secondary Schools project seeks to improve science education by fostering a dynamic environment for professional development and teacher-led inquiry within professional learning communities (PLCs). Addressing the long-standing problem of outdated pedagogical approaches, the ini...

RÉSUMÉ : Cette recherche a pour but d'évaluer l'impact de la remédiation par changement de prévalence conceptuelle sur les scores des élèves de la classe de troisième (élèves de 14 à 16 ans) de l'enseignement secondaire général éprouvant des difficultés à différencier le volume de la solution de celui du solvant lors de la détermination de la conce...

This study uncovers research trends by analysing 1,142 papers published in Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, and International Journal of Science Education: Part A between 2018 and 2022, followed by a series of systematic reviews dating back to 1998. The main findings indicate that, during the period of 2018–2022, the thre...

This article introduces a flexible and easy-to-implement open-ended scientific inquiry activity called the Paper Towels Challenge. After experimentally determining which of three unbranded paper towels is the most absorbent, students discuss their results and methods. The teacher facilitates the discussion of epistemological issues. This activity c...

Integrating science and mathematics in the elementary classroom is a significant challenge, as evidenced by the few convincing examples currently available in the scholarly literature. Yet, this integration is often seen as presenting epistemological and pedagogical value. This study aims to measure the impact of science and mathematics (S&M) learn...

the "Forty electronic challenges" is a "discovery learning" and socio-constructivist science activity that has become rather popular in canada. the article recalls its emergence and development. it discusses its theoretical underpinnings and how it fits into the existing literature. it then gives educators all the guidelines they need to use it aut...

In this article, we describe a study conducted online with 953 participants of varying levels of education and, when applicable, science/physics teaching experience. These participants were asked to solve a cognitive task in which many different pairs of objects were presented and to identify which, if any, would touch the ground first when dropped...

The aim of this study is to examine Kazakh female students’ interest in STEM professions. A convenient sampling method was used to determine the participants from 10 girls’ schools in Almaty city in Kazakhstan. 522 girls from grades 7th to 11th provided answers to the “STEM Career Interest Survey” which was administered online. Collected data was a...

Addressed to professionals and researchers, this article proposes a reflection on the issues and risks associated with certain uses of labels that allow qualification of tested, promoted or contested pedagogical practices and interventions in science education. Often paired in dichotomies, these labels are here presented as sometimes generating cre...

To counteract declining interest in science, contextualizing course material has been suggested, despite little evidence supporting this strategy. We assessed how reading physics problems in different contexts-none, technical, or humanistic-impacted performance and implicit cognitive and affective situational interest (SI) among undergraduate men a...

This chapter explores and discusses the process of gradual integration of the idea of representational plurality within the models of conceptual change that have emerged during the history of this field of research. It argues that this integration was rather slow and progressive, and started with a rather clear rejection of pluralism up to its actu...

This article reports an international initiative to develop and validate a situational interest questionnaire in three cultural/linguistic contexts: Canada (French), USA (English), and Taiwan (Chinese). The 20-item solution (α = .90) presented four factors: enjoyment, value, attention/sustained work, and usefulness. These factors and the convergenc...

Il est aujourd’hui reconnu que les stratégies d’enseignement privilégiées par les enseignants dépendent de leurs systèmes de croyances (Buehl et Beck, 2014 ; Driel et al., 1998 ; OCDE, 2014). Puisque de tels choix auront nécessairement des conséquences sur les apprentissages, la réussite et la motivation des élèves, il apparaît crucial de mieux con...

Although a growing number of studies indicate that simple strategies, intuitions, or cogni-tive shortcuts called heuristics can persistently interfere with scientific reasoning in physics and chemistry, the persistence of heuristics related to learning biology is less known. In this study, we investigate the persistence of the "moving things are al...

This study aims to disclose how the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) neuroimaging approach has been applied in education studies, and what kind of learning themes has been investigated in the reviewed MRI neuroimaging research. Based on the keywords “brain or neuroimaging or neuroscience” and “MRI or diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) or white matter o...

A central challenge in developing conceptual understanding in science is overcoming naive ideas that contradict the content of science curricula. Neuroimaging studies reveal that high school and university students activate frontal brain areas associated with inhibitory control to overcome naive ideas in science, probably because they persist despi...

Cet article propose une réflexion sur les problèmes et risques associés à certaines utilisations d’étiquettes permettant de qualifier les pratiques et les interventions pédagogiques testées, promues ou contestées dans le cadre de l’enseignement des sciences. Souvent pairées en dichotomies, ces étiquettes sont parfois présentées comme pouvant génére...

Intuitive conceptions represent common obstacles to conceptual learning in science. A growing number of studies demonstrate that when learning occurs, these intuitive conceptions are not replaced by scientific conceptions but rather coexist with them and thus need to be inhibited to prevent systematic errors. However, to date no study has demonstra...

This article focuses on the attitude of practicing teachers toward teaching science and technology (S&T). It reports the results of a study conducted with 110 late-elementary school teachers in order to assess their attitude at the end of a particular training intervention. The intervention was based on pairing teachers with pre-university science...

This cross-lagged longitudinal study was conducted with 862 seventh and eighth graders (secondary school) in the province of Québec (Canada) to study the effects of two important perceptual variables (self-concept and individual interest) on achievement, as well as reciprocal relations between all these constructs. Considering the results obtained...

This longitudinal study (N = 540, grades 7 and 8) was conducted over 2 years (four measurement points) with a perceptual construct questionnaire and access to students’ report cards. The changes in interest, self-concept, and the intention to pursue studies and a career in science and technology were explored as well as the reciprocal causal links...

Using mental chronometry and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), 17 pre-university and university professors were tested with a cognitive task that required distinction of true or false statements about chemistry. These were prepared in pairs of similar statements, which differed only by congruency: while congruent stimuli involved no pla...

The growing popularity of collaboration in our school and its possible educational potential has led us to carry out comparative research with 7th grade students. Using a longitudinal approach over an entire school year and using a cross-lag design, we were able to test the effects of this learning environment on science misconceptions and interest...

Effect of serious games and virtual simulations on learning achievement in science

Moderator effect of level of realism on learning achieved in science with serious games

Pour son premier numéro, la revue Didactique explore les différentes déclinaisons du concept de Didactique à travers les contributions les plus importantes du champ et la publication d’articles préparés par des experts du domaine.

Un outil permettant d'initier efficacement les étudiants et les étudiantes de cycles supérieurs aux réalités du champ de l'éducation aux sciences et à la technologie

Various multiple-disciplinary terms and concepts (although most commonly “interdisciplinarity,” which is used herein) are used to frame education, scholarship, research, and interactions within and outside academia. In principle, the premise of interdisciplinarity may appear to have many strengths; yet, the extent to which interdisciplinarity is em...

The research presented in this paper answers the question: What factors are most related to students’ perception of learning during outdoor science lessons occurring in schools’ immediate surroundings? Twenty-six science teachers, as well as 71 classes of seventh (51 classes) and eighth (20 classes) graders participated in our study (n = 2007). All...

This article presents the results of a quasi-experimental research that has been conducted by the (Infrastructure of the authors) for two years. This research aimed at increasing student’s interest for science and technology (ST) by enhanced pedagogical interventions, designed by their teachers in the context of a learning community. It also aimed...

Serious games have become increasingly available to educators. Empirical studies and meta-analyses have examined their impact on learning achievement. However, natural sciences could have a special relation to serious games by their systematic use of quantitative and predictive models that can generate microworlds and simulations. Since no known me...

We conducted an unprecedented analysis of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) primary school science curriculum. The research question focuses on the general scientific quality of the five documents examined, the integration of religious content and the possible tensions between science and religion that result from including such material i...

This chapter overviews science education in Québec, highlighting its educational policies, the science and technology (S&T) curriculum, and teacher education in particular. Québec is a unique province; its Charter of the French Language, vast immigrant population, and diverse Indigenous population can lead to disparities in education in metropolita...

In recent years, an increasing number of research articles have been published in the field of outdoor science education. For many authors, outdoor environments can lead to more authentic learning activities for students, such as field scientific activities, direct experiences with science concepts, and knowledge transfer in real-life settings. Des...

L'enseignant de physique au secondaire doit souvent faire face à plusieurs préjugés qu'entretiennent les élèves concernant cette matière. En effet, bien que la physique soit présente dans leur quotidien, celle-ci demeure très abstraite à leurs yeux. Cela pourrait en partie expliquer pourquoi l'intérêt des élèves envers cette discipline est souvent...

Durant leur parcours scolaire, nombreuses sont les embûches que rencontrent les jeunes filles pour développer leur intérêt à l’égard des sciences et de la technologie (S&T) et accéder aux carrières qui y correspondent. En se basant sur les recherches qui sont actuellement disponibles et qui portent sur cette problématique, le présent article présen...

Drawing on a mixed-methods convergent parallel design, this article presents the results of a study aimed at identifying the factors that are most related to middle school students’ situational interest during outdoor science lessons in their schools’ immediate surroundings. The study involved 26 French-speaking science teachers and 2007 students f...

Learning counterintuitive scientific concepts can be difficult for students because they often have misconceptions about natural phenomena that lead them to commit errors. Recent studies showed that students with advanced scientific training recruit brain regions associated with inhibitory control and memory retrieval to avoid committing errors for...

This research aimed at identifying student profiles of perceptions by means of a clustering method using a validated questionnaire. These profiles describe students' attraction to science and technology (S&T) studies and careers as a variable driven by school S&T self-concept and interest in school S&T. In addition to three rather predictable stude...

Following a series of reviews every 5 years since 1998, this fourth study presents the research trends in science education based on 1,088 research articles published in Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, and International Journal of Science Education from 2013 to 2017. The top three research topics, that is, the context of...

Il est de plus en plus reconnu que les fonctions exécutives (contrôle inhibiteur, attention, mise à jour [updating], flexibilité mentale, raisonnement, planification) jouent un rôle important dans le parcours scolaire des élèves et des étudiants. En effet, les apprenants qui présentent les fonctions exécutives les mieux développées sont souvent ceu...

It is increasingly recognized that executive functions (inhibitory control, attention, updating, mental flexibility, reasoning, planning) play an important role in the educational paths of pupils and students. Indeed, learners who present the most developed executive functions are often those who perform and succeed best in school and university, a...

While expert vs. novice comparisons using fMRI revealed a link between executive function and expertise in scientific fields such as electricity and mechanics, it is still uncertain whether these functions are active components of the learning process, rather than its by-product. Using the Force Concept Inventory to track conceptual change, the aim...

Scientific method, experimental method, scientific approach, inquiry process, scientific practices, etc. are all expressions used to describe the integration into school education of the processes that characterize science. They vary from one educational system to another and from one reform to another. The same applies to the attributes that defin...

This paper presented results of a study that asked this question: Which factors most influence middle school students' interest toward science when lessons occur outdoors in their schools' immediate surroundings? Results from our study might benefit both science education practitioners and researchers who want to bring the field one step further by...

This literature review synthesizes empirical data of 18 articles published between 2000 and 2015 about teaching and learning science outdoors from kindergarten to secondary levels (K–12). We asked four questions: (1) What are the general characteristics of the corpus of studies on teaching and learning science outdoors in schools’ immediate surroun...

Nine secondary school teachers participated in a five day training program where they developed inquiry-based pedagogical interventions for their science classes. Student interest and self-concept in school science and technology were measured before and after the interventions. Increases in interest and self-concept were compared with the results...

In recent decades, many studies have examined students' interest in science and technology (S&T) at school. However, few investigations have studied this interest in a manner that accounts for the status that students assign to this subject relative to other subjects in the curriculum. The main objective of this article is to conduct such an examin...

This article presents recent research results in mental chronometry and neuroimaging that support the coexistence of multiple conceptions. It then presents and elaborates on six possible implications for an adherence to the coexistence claim within the context of scientific conceptual learning: (1) stop the war on misconceptions; (2) use a differen...

Research objective is to elaborate a questionnaire assessing beliefs about teaching and learning science, and the nature of science.

According to McGonagall (Reality is broken, why games make us better and how they can change the world. Penguin Press, 400 p, 2010), the average child in a country with a strong gamer culture will have spent 10,000 h playing online games by the age of 21, which is about the same amount of time spent in school. This gaming time is so huge that one c...

Although science plays an important role in society, a lack of interest of the youth for scientific studies is currently observed worldwide. Indeed, the proportion of science students in universities has been continuously decreasing for the last 15 years and an increasing gap is observed between the social demand and the scientific expertise. Sever...

L’objectif de ce chapitre est de tenter de corriger certaines conceptions inappropriées en proposant une image de l’activité scientifique qui est plus conforme à la réalité. À chaque fois, on présentera une analyse des conséquences que ces conceptions peuvent avoir sur les différentes interventions pédagogiques. Le chapitre se penchera ensuite sur...

http://www.crijest.org/sites/crijest.org/files/Hasni-Potvin-Rapport-CRIJEST-2015-VF.pdf

This article describes the design of a misconception diagnostic test about fire-related phenomena. It proposes a new test format in which a certainty-measuring tier has been integrated into each of the true/false response choices. This format is argued to be easier for teachers to use than the increasingly popular three-tier format. First, we revie...