Investigating pre-service science teachers’ metaknowledge about the modelling process and its relation to metaknowledge about models

The development of metaknowledge about models (MKM) and metaknowledge about the modelling process (MKP) are important in pre-service science teachers (PSTs) education. MKM refers to knowledge about the model’s entities and its purposes, while MKP refers to knowledge about the components and structure of the modelling process. Assessing MKM and MKP is crucial to foster this knowledge in PSTs’ education. However, assessment instruments focus on MKM rather than MKP, and the connection between MKM and MKP had not been examined deeply. This study validates and applies a diagram task for assessing PSTs’ MKP. For validation, ten experts were surveyed and think-aloud interviews were conducted with ten PSTs. The findings support valid interpretations of PSTs’ MKP based on the diagram task. In the main study, the diagram task was administrated to 63 PSTs, along with an MKM questionnaire. PSTs’ MKP ranged from simple conceptions of modelling as a linear process including few components to sophisticated conceptions of modelling as an iterative process including multiple components. Furthermore, it was found that knowledge about using models to predict a phenomenon is an aspect connecting sophisticated MKM and MKP, indicating that this aspect is crucial to foster both, PSTs MKM and MKP.

关于模型的元知识（metaknowledge about models，MKM）与建模过程的元知识（metaknowledge about the modelling process，MKP）的发展，在职前科学教师（pre-service science teachers，PSTs）教育中具有重要意义。MKM指涉模型的构成要素及其应用目的相关知识，而MKP则指涉建模过程的组成要件与结构相关知识。在PST教育中，评估MKM与MKP对于培育这两类知识至关重要。然而，当前的评估工具多聚焦于MKM而非MKP，且二者之间的关联尚未得到深入探究。
本研究验证并应用了一款用于评估PSTs MKP的绘图任务。为开展效度验证，研究团队邀请10位专家参与问卷调查，并对10名职前科学教师实施了有声思维访谈。
研究结果证实，基于该绘图任务可对PSTs的MKP水平做出有效解读。
在正式研究中，研究团队向63名职前科学教师施测了该绘图任务，并辅以一套MKM调查问卷。PSTs的MKP水平跨度较大，从将建模视为仅包含少量要素的线性过程的朴素认知，到将建模视作包含多要素的迭代过程的成熟认知均有分布。此外，研究发现“运用模型预测现象”这一维度是连接成熟MKM与MKP的关键纽带，表明该维度对于同时培育PSTs的MKM与MKP均至关重要。