Abstract
In science and science education,1 it is well known to use representations, often in multiple interconnected forms (multiple representations; MR) as an essential means of domain-specific reasoning; they are the cornerstone for adequately understanding scientific experiments, phenomena, and concepts (Gilbert & Treagust, 2009; Schnotz, Baadte, Müller, & Rasch, 2011; van Someren, Reimann, Boshuizen, & De Jong, 1998). The ability to generate, interconnect, and translate several representations correctly and use them as problem-solving tools is called representational competence (Dolin, 2007). There is a considerable body of evidence that shows that the representational competencies of different aged students are low (Kozma & Russell, 1997; Saniter, 2003). The level of coherence that a student achieves between several representations is an important part of representational competence, which we will call the representational coherence ability (RCA) of the subject. It is assumed to be domain-specific, similar to the domain-specificity of modeling competence (see Leisner, 2005); thus, a clear separation of RCA from physics achievement is not to be expected. RCA should be distinguished from the amount of coherence (or termed “referential connections” by Mayer; see e.g., Mayer & Anderson, 1992) between representations in some instructional materials or situations.
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© 2015 Jochen Scheid, Andreas Müller, Rosa Hettmannsperger and Wolfgang Schnotz
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Scheid, J., Müller, A., Hettmannsperger, R., Schnotz, W. (2015). Scientific Experiments, Multiple Representations, and Their Coherence: A Task-Based Elaboration Strategy for Ray Optics. In: Schnotz, W., Kauertz, A., Ludwig, H., Müller, A., Pretsch, J. (eds) Multidisciplinary Research on Teaching and Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137467744_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137467744_13
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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