Author(s)

Xi Peng

Corresponding Author

Xi Peng

Abstract

Most developmental psychologists believe that children have three naïve theories: naive physics, naive psychology and naive biology. They can use these theories to look at the world around them logically. The theory has the characteristics of scientific theory, such as abstractness and cohesiveness. It has a set of causal interpretation mechanism and has the function of interpretation and prediction at the same time, and it is a dynamic developing process. Although it has the characteristics of the theory, it is simple, daily, and has a considerable distance from the scientific theory. Therefore, we cannot ignore the construction of the children’ scientific concept in scientific education, and through inquiry teaching to arouse children's naive theory. It also challenges children's naive theory through explanation, prediction and counterexample, so as to achieve the task of scientific education that to promote the transformation of children's naive theory to scientific theory.

Keywords

Naive theory; Science education; Concept; Inquiry learning