Learning with Multiple Representations: Understanding Electricity with an Augmented Circuit Exhibi

Understanding electrical circuits can be difficult for novices of all ages (Grotzer & Sudbury, 2000; Osborne, 1983; Shipstone, 1984; Tarciso Borges, 1999). Research shows that novices tend to have inadequate understandings of what happens at the level of atoms and electrons, leading to difficulty predicting the outcomes of electrical circuits at the level of wires, resistors, and light bulbs (Reiner, Slotta, Chi, & Resnick, 2000; Sengupta & Wilensky, 2009; Tarciso Borges, 1999). One promising strategy to help learners understand circuits is to provide simulations of electrical concepts that relate aggregate patterns, such as current flow or formation of potential difference, to the behavior of charged particles in circuits (Frederiksen, White, & Gutwill, 1999; Sengupta & Wilensky, 2009).;In this dissertation, I report on a multi-year design-based research project called Spark, an augmented circuit exhibit to help learners better understand the fundamental concepts in circuits, such as current and resistance (Beheshti, Aljuhani, & Horn, 2014; Beheshti, Kim, Ecanow, & Horn, 2017a, 2017b; Beheshti, Obiorah, & Horn, 2015). Spark combines a circuit building environment with a simulation that visualizes the flow of electrons, which enables learners to interact with electrical circuits at two levels. At one level, visitors can create and test a variety of circuits by wiring together the circuit components. At another level, visitors can inspect a simulation of electrons moving through these components. The primary goal of our design is to enhance learners' understanding of electrical current and resistance by enabling them to develop meaningful connections between these two representations.;To evaluate our design, I conducted two sets of studies. In this dissertation, I first present our findings from a lab study with university students that examines the learning gains of using two linked representations of circuits. I then discuss our results from a museum study with family visitors comparing different versions of our design and examining the design factors that can promote a meaningful interaction with multiple representations. The focus of this study is on exploring the effects of two design factors: first, coupling the two representations through augmented reality, and second, using physical manipulatives instead of digital ones.;This research contributes to our understanding of learning with multiple representations of a scientific concept in the form of a museum exhibit, by addressing the following questions: (a) does the combination of the two circuit representations enhance learners' understanding of circuits? (b) Does dynamically linking the two representations through augmented reality have any effect on learners' experience and learning with the exhibit? (c) Does working with physical manipulatives (instead of digital ones) improve learning gains? and (d) How do parents and children interact with an interactive exhibit and make sense of science in an informal setting?...