A Primary Study On The Relation Between Problem-presenting Mode And Scientific Conjecture Thinking Activity Of Secondary School Students

Conjecture and hypothesis is one of the step of scientific inquiry activities. The quality of conjecture and hypothesis that is its depth and breadth, decides to the inquiry's quality and depth.While the quality of conjecture is mainly decided by the content of inquiry,the problem-presenting mode, as well as the interests of explorer .In the inquiry teaching practice, many instructors are confused about the essential relations between the problem-presenting mode and scientific conjecture thinking activities of secondary school students. This paper is about the primary study on the relation-ship of three typical types of problem-presenting modes and scientific conjecture thinking Activity of secondary school students.Conjecture and hypothesis which is the core of scientific exploration activities, determines the direction of inquiry to certain extent, and plays a connecting role . It is the most active and divergent stage in students'thinking activity. Therefore, research on scientific conjecture thinking Activity of secondary school students is significant to promote inquiry teaching and teaching reform.Generally, students conduct their conjecture and hypothesis according to the knowledge they have already known( ideas they have). In order to show the true situation of conjecture and hypothesis thinking activity of middle school students when they are doing scientific activities, this study takes the physics subject as the background, the 126 students of grade 1, senior middle school as research subjects. We use a well-knitted questionnaire and clinic interviews which is combined with three true problem situations to examine the students selected from the middle schools in Yangshuo County of Guangxi Province, the study has a comprehensive and detailed first-hand data. The results of thorough analysis and research on the information from the above mentioned interview and investigation show as the following.1. To the inquiry problems which is common and very familiar life experience to students, there is no significant difference of the quantity and quality of conjecture under the test of three presenting modes——the picture and text, video and real material . This result is consistent with the conclusion drawn by experienced teachers and experts according to experience.2. To the inquiry problem embodying less Scientific knowledge, there is no significant difference in quantity of conjecture,and the quality of conjecture is low .The presenting mode of real material is better than the other two types.3. when Phenomenon and students'experience conflict with each other , and the solving of exploration problem need certain knowledge level. There exist notable difference in the quantity of conjecture under three presenting modes—the picture and text, video and real material; Real material presentation modes is best. Real experiment equipment is not only approachable to student, but also easier to arouse a student exploration interest, makes students enter exploration state quicker.4. Overall, the conjecture quantity on average is maximum under real material presenting mode, picture and text mode take second place, video mode third. Conjecture and hypothesis are guesstimate or assumed explaination to exploration problem , which are made on inquirer's integration between perception to outside experiment phenomenon information and inner knowledge , experience basis. Comparing with two other mode ,Real material presentation mode can provide three-dimensional space-time information to stimulate inquirer under multiple points of view and echelons, so the inquirer can make more conjecture and hypothesis than two other modes.5. The average frequency of thinking strategy under the presenting mode of the picture and text ,is obviously less than the other two types,while the presenting mode of real material is better than the video presenting mode .6.Students'thinking strategy concentrate on observation and analogy under the presenting mode of real material .Students manily use analogy thinking strategy under the presenting mode of the picture and text .In spite of observation and analogy ,students also use deduce and tracing back thinking strategy under the video presenting mode, which is helpful to foster the student's volatilizable and innovative thought.7. The quantity of students'conjecture is related to sequence of problem presentation. To the problem appearing earier, quantity of students'conjecture is larger than those appearing later.8.The students of wholist cognitive style and imagery cognitive style are fit for bringing forward high conjecture quantity under the presenting mode of picture and text ; The students of analytic cognitive style are fit for bringing forward high conjecture quantity under video-presenting mode; The students of the verbal cognitive style are not fit for bringing forward high conjecture quantity under the presenting mode of real material .Generally , most cognitive style can bring forward high conjecture quatity under the presenting mode of real material .Overall, on conjecture and hypothesis stage, under the presenting mode of real material , the conjecture quality and quantity as well as thinking stragtegy are better than the other two modes .Combining with some other finished research, we can conclude : In promoting students to make rich conjecture and to probe into further, it is obvious that real material object is significant and irreplaceable.