The relation of representational competence and conceptual knowledge in female and male undergraduates.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Representational competence is commonly considered a prerequisite for the acquisition of conceptual knowledge, yet little exploration has been undertaken into the relation between these two constructs. Using an assessment instrument of representational competence with vector fields that functions without confounding topical context, we examined its relation with N = 515 undergraduates' conceptual knowledge about electromagnetism.

Results

Applying latent variable modeling, we found that students' representational competence and conceptual knowledge are related yet clearly distinguishable constructs (manifest correlation: r = .54; latent correlation: r = .71). The relation was weaker for female than for male students, which could not be explaine

SUBMITTER: Edelsbrunner PA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10285021 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature