Abstracts - Earli

the scientific explanation as a plausible alternative (Hynd, 2003). Indeed, a meta-analysisconducted by Guzzetti, Snyder, Glass, and Gamas (1993) found that refutational texts are moreeffective than expository texts in promoting conceptual change. Researchers have offered possibleexplanations for the refutational text effect, such as the design of the text itself-- misconceptionsare elicited then refuted (Chinn & Brewer, 1993; Hynd, 2003). A second view is that refutationaltexts include persuasive messages (Dole & Sinatra, 1998; Hynd, 2003). What is missing fromthese studies is an examination of how and why the refutation text effect occurs. Severalinternational scholars were invited to report empirical research or make a theoretical contributionto exploring the nature of the refutation text effect. In the first presentation, Irini Skopeliti andStella Vosniadou (University of Athens) look at the nature of the information provided inrefutational texts. Next, Lucia Mason and Alessia Schiocchet (University of Padova) examine theeffect of individual characteristics on text processing and conceptual change. The thirdpresentation by Suzanne Broughton, Gale Sinatra, and Ralph Reynolds (University of Nevada, LasVegas, USA) explores the role of attention and background knowledge in processing refutationaltext information. Finally, Mirjamaija Mikkila-Erdmann, Erkki Anto, and Marjaana Penttinen(University of Turku) use eye-movement methodology to explore text processing and conceptualchange. The discussants (Clark Chinn, Rutgers University, Erno Lehtinen, University of Turku)will provide comments on the papers, including insights for future directions for this line ofresearch.The influence of refutational & categorical information on children’s scientific understandingIrini Skopeliti, University of Athens, GreeceStella Vosniadou, University of Athens, GreeceThe purpose of the present research was to investigate the influence of refutational text and ofcategorical information on changing young children’s earth concept. The term ‘categoricalinformation’ is used to refer to information about the category to which the concept ‘earth’ shouldbelong (e.g., earth is a solar object vs. a physical object). We hypothesized that refutational textswould have a greater effect on children’s text comprehension than the non-refutational texts andthat the texts giving information about the categorization of the earth as a solar object, would havea greater effect on children’s responses than the non-categorical texts. Eighty-four 3rd graderswere randomly assigned to one of the four above mentioned text types. An open-endedquestionnaire about the earth was used as pre and post-test. The results showed main effects forboth refutational and categorical text types. The refutational text with categorical informationimproved children’s responses more than all the other conditions. The results indicate that theeffects of refutational texts can be improved by paying more attention to the selection of the rightkind of information to refute. It also supports previous findings that the shift from categorizing theearth as a solar object and not as a physical object may be a prerequisite for a full understanding ofthe scientific model of the earth as a rotating sphere revolving around the sun.Refutational text, epistemic beliefs and interest: The interplay of instructional and individualcharacteristics in the process of conceptual changeLucia Mason, University of Padova, ItalyThis presentation is aimed at discussing the findings from two studies focused on the interplay ofinstructional and individual variables to extend our understanding of the complex dynamicsunderlying the process of knowledge restructuring. Specifically, we examine the role ofrefutational text in relation to learner epistemic beliefs and interest to try to shed light on why andhow the effect of this type of text occurs. The first study involved 110 8th graders and the topic– 484 –