Abstracts - Earli

Culture differences and cognitive explanations of a natural phenomenon - a case study of IsraeliBedouin Children.Orit Ben Zvi -Assaraf, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, IsraelAlamour Yousif, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, IsraelRecent developments in concept learning and in science-for-all curricula have stimulated ourinterest in comparing children’s culture and cognitive explanation of a natural phenomenon. Thisstudy compares the alternative frameworks regarding the water cycle, of fourth grade children,from a Bedouin settlement and a village in Israel. Sixty four children were asked to draw "whathappens to the water in nature"? Later doing interviews, all students were requested to elaborate ontheir drawings and responses to the Repertory Grid technique regarding the "Water in nature". Theresults substantiated the influence of the Bedouins traditional and religious way of life on students`perceptions. Results revealed some striking similarities and interesting differences betweenattitudes of children towards water natural phenomena. During the elementary grades, childrenbuild understanding of water related concepts through direct and concrete experiences with earthspheres, and their natural environment. These findings are discussed in relation to the respectivechallenges, facing science teachers with regard to teaching science in a science-for-all curricula.Cooperative learning between East and West: culturally appropriate instructional designprinciples for solving cultural conflicts and mismatchesMai Nguyen Phuong, University Utrecht, NetherlandsCees Terlouw, University of Twente, NetherlandsAlbert Pilot, University Utrecht, NetherlandsThe mere application of cooperative learning models in schools in Asian countries with aConfucian Heritage Culture (CHC) background (e.g. Viet Nam) run into serious problems;cooperative learning is in the end not implemented and abandoned. A main reason is the culturalconflict and mismatch between the Western assumptions underlying cooperative learning, and thenorms, values, and educational practices connected with a Confucian Heritage Culture. Based on acomparative analysis of this conflict 26 culturally appropriate instructional design principles wereformulated to foster cooperative learning applied for Asian learners. This research focuses on aformative evaluation of these 26 CHC-principles in a school for secondary education in Viet Nam.A ‘reversed treatment equivalent group design with post-test only’ was applied with anexperimental group (n=48) that executed five cooperative learning tasks based on the culturallyappropriate ID-principles, and a control group (n=48) that executed five comparable cooperativelearning tasks based on Western ID-principles. Various methods of data gathering were employedto make triangulation possible for evaluating the implementation, social en cognitive effects of theapplication of the two series cooperative learning tasks designed. The research concerned twophases: (1) training of teachers and students of experimental and control group with ‘trial tasks’;and (2) teachers’ delivery of the small group cooperative learning tasks to the experimental andcontrol group. Twenty CHC principles could be implemented. The social and cognitive effectswere generally better in the CHC experimental group than in the control group. The ‘culturalcondition’ must be taken into account when designing instruction for cooperative learning in Asiancountries in which the Confucian Heritage Culture is characteristic.– 827 –