A longitudinal study following students' ideas about transformations of matter from age 7 to 16

This paper presents results from a ten-year longitudinal study. The study’s aim is to learn more about how students actually make meaning and come to understand transformations of matter. The theoretical framework builds upon social constructivist perspectives. In the study (1997-2006) 23 students all born in 1990 are followed. Interviews allowing the students to explain the transformation of matter in fading leaves left lying on the ground, burning candles, and a glass of water with a lid on have been performed. The students have altogether been interviewed 14 times. In 5 interviews the students have listened to an earlier interview and have had the possibility to comment earlier statements and reflect upon their own learning. Most students make progress in describing and explaining the situations in the first years of the study. Then there is a vast spread in the students’ capability to connect the science taught in school with the processes; decay, burning, evaporation and condensation taking place in the situations. There seems to be a connection between the above mentioned capability and what is said about learning. The implications for science education research, compulsory school science curricula, and school science education out of these findings are discussed.