It was close to 4.30 pm on a hot Friday evening. Keshav, Priyanka and Shreyas were making plans for the weekend. Shreyas suggested they go to the beach and build castles but Priyanka felt they should watch Shrek 2 once again. Priyanka poked Keshav and asked, “What do you think we should do? Don’t you think we should watch the movie?” Keshav nodded a yes, but seemed a little lost. The bus stopped and all three of them hopped off planning to meet at 6 pm once again. Keshav was very excited that he had two full days free but was a little preoccupied with the question that he had got wrong in ASSET (see picture).

Educational Initiatives (EI) conducts ASSET, a diagnostic test designed to find out how well a student has understood concepts. Since 2001, more than 1 million tests have been taken by students from over 800 schools.
Priyanka and Keshav think the answer is 6 cms while Shreyas thinks it should be 5 cms. Around 5000 students across the country, studying in Class 4, were asked this question and the results were as follows:
A. 4.4%,
B. 10.6%,
C. 79.1%,
D. 2.9%.

There are many students like Priyanka and Keshav who think the answer should be 6 cms.

There are many interesting patterns underlying this data. One of many such interesting patterns relates to misconceptions, where the number of students giving the most common wrong answer far exceeds the number of students giving the correct answer. In such cases, it is likely, though not strictly necessary, that the wrong answer emerges from a false preconception, or a common misconception.

However data and numbers are just indicators and they tell us nothing about what goes on in student’s minds while they select the wrong options. To know and understand the various sources of these false preconceptions or wrong notions, its important that we talk to them and understand the various ideas they have about the question and topic being asked. It is only through such interactions with them that we can know the thought process that operates in their mind.

Measurement is one of the very basic concepts taught since grade 1. This includes measurement of length, weight and time. As far as measurement of length is concerned, students of grade 1 are expected to distinguish between near, far, thin, thick, long, tall etc. They should be able to compare lengths of objects. They should even be able to estimate distance and confirm using non-uniform units such as hand span. By grade 2 they should be able to measure lengths along long and short paths using uniform units. By grade 3 they should know how to use a ruler and estimate and measure lengths using it. And by grade 4 they should be familiar with units of measuring lengths, metre and centimetre and converting metre to centimetre and vice versa.

EI is an Ahmedabad based organisation working at the forefront of driving change in education through research, large-scale assessment and the development of new learning technologies.  

A special team has been formed to conduct student interviews to get insights into the common misconception.
(Read DHEducation of September 27 to know why students think option C is the correct answer and not B, expert views and the causes of these misconceptions.)

Courtesy: Educational Initiatives.