Improving conceptual change concerning photosynthesis through text design

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of text design on 5th grade learners comprehension of photosynthesis. The study was theoretically motivated by the recent research on conceptual change and on text comprehension. Two hundred and nine primary school pupils (10-11 yr old) studied either a traditional text version about photosynthesis or a conceptual change text in a classroom situation. The conceptual change text design took common misconceptions about photosynthesis into account and tried to foster metaconceptual awareness. Children who studied the conceptual change text design performed statistically better than the traditional text group on questions which demanded construction of an adequate mental model of photosynthesis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.