Children’s conceptions about respiration before and after formal teaching: identification of learning obstacles

Abstract

In general, Portuguese primary school teachers impose content knowledge on pupils without having any idea about pupils’ alternative conceptions constructed in their daily life. Using drawing technique, we carried out a systematic investigation on primary school pupils’ conceptions about air breathing and smoking (tobacco and hashish smoking) either before their first formal learning or after it, in order to identify their alternative conceptions, to monitor the conceptual change and to identify learning obstacles. Results showed no significant differences (p>0.05, χ2 test) between boys and girls. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between before and after teaching. Children’s drawings before formal teaching showed large variety of alternative conceptions (one or two lungs with no links; one lung with one tube; two lungs with two tubes). One week and one year after formal teaching pupils’ drawings were mostly correct and precise (98% and 95%, respectively), but pupils made no links with circulatory system. In all grades, children differentiated the tobacco and hashish smoking effects from the air breathing effects by representing the lungs in dark colour. Teachers should give more emphasis to the interactions between the respiratory and circulatory systems. This study also suggests that teachers may be more efficient in their teaching process if being aware of the patterns of children’s alternative conceptions.