Abstracts - Earli

perspective of schema theory, and taking into account the state of the art of research on priorknowledge assessment, an effective approach could be to activate relevant prior conceptualnetworks with a pre-test that is embedded in an instructional design in an interactive digital systemby which all relevant instructional functions could be realized. In an experimental instructionaldesign the effect of pre-test sensitizing embedded in an interactive digital system on learning ofscience concepts is investigated. The content of the experimental instruction concerns besides adigitalized pre-test, a digitalized orientation on science concepts in the joint area of physics,chemistry, biology, applied mathematics, and computer sciences of which concepts were madeoperational. The effects of the experimental instructional design were investigated by applying anextended Solomon Four Group design in which making science concepts operational or not wascombined with a pre-test or not; the pre-test consisted of short-answer questions and multiplechoicequestions. The results showed high learning gains, especially after applying a pre-test;however, also without a pre-test good learning gains were found. The two questions types did notdiffer significantly in learning gain. Applying a pre-test without making the science conceptsoperational had no significant effect.Using multi-modal representations to improve learning in scienceBruce Waldrip, University of Southern Queensland, AustraliaVaughan Prain, La Trobe University, AustraliaJames Carolan, La Trobe University, AustraliaThere is growing recognition that learning science in school entails understanding and linkingverbal, visual and mathematical modes to develop knowledge of scientific concepts and processes.However, students face considerable challenges in using these literacies of science as theyinterpret and construct scientific texts. Our paper reports on two case studies on the topics of theparticle theory of matter in Year 7, and force in Year 8. We aimed to identify (a) students’understandings of, and capacity to link, different representational modes to develop conceptualknowledge, and (b) teachers’ perceptions of, and strategies to support, learning through thisinterlocking modal focus. Analysed qualitative data included work samples, and focus-groupinterviews, as well as observations and interviews with participant teachers. The findings indicatedthat this multi-modal focus posed significant demands on learners, but had the potential to enableeffective learning.Influence of hands-on activities on interestNina Holstermann, Didactics of Biology, GermanyDietmar Grube, Educational and Developmental Psychology, GermanySusanne Bogeholz, Didactics of Biology, GermanyThis paper investigates the influence of typical biological hands-on activities on students’ interest.Findings refer to the activities of experimenting (a), dissecting (b), working with microscopes (c)and classifying flowers (d). Hands-on experience is a situational factor which is assumed to catchstudents’ interest (cf. Bergin, 1999). If activities are experienced as emotionally positive, they canlead to increased interest (Todt, 1995). Hidi and Renninger (2006) emphasize the importance ofpositive feelings in early phases of interest development. Our hypotheses are: i) Students withexperience in specific hands-on activities have more actual interest in that activity than studentswithout such experience. ii) The more positive the hands-on activities are perceived the higher isthe actual interest. The sample of this cross-sectional study consists of 141 students, who attendedthe 11th class of grammar school. 14 classes, that consist of 16 to 18 years old students, weresurveyed. Students were asked in a self-report questionnaire whether they are interested in specific– 78 –