The role of anomalous data in restructuring fourth graders' frameworks forunderstanding electric circuits

This is a case study of the nature of fourth grade children's understanding s of electric circuits and how their understandings provided them with fram eworks for interpreting data derived from the observation and manipulation of electric circuits. The findings suggest that (a) children's interpretive frameworks of electric circuits are reflected in the specificity of derail s, consistency and coherence of their understandings; (b) the detail, consi stency and coherence of children's understandings influenced their ability to view data as anomalous, supportive or irrelevant; (c) children whose int erpretive frameworks enabled them to view the electric circuit data as anom alous were challenged to change their understandings of electric circuits; (d) children whose interpretive frameworks enabled them to view the electri c circuit data as supportive evidence weakly restructured their existing un derstandings of electric circuits and (e) children whose interpretive frame works enabled them to view the electric circuit data as irrelevant or isola ted. failed to change their understandings about electric circuits.