Students' Perceptions of a Self-Diagnosis Task

What happens when students are required to engage in a self-diagnosis task; in other words get time and credit for identifying mistakes they made assisted by a sample solution? We examine this question using data collected on 180 high school students in the Arab sector in Israel. Students were able to find significant differences between their solutions and the sample solution. Yet many did not provide self-explanations indicating that they acknowledged a conflict between their mental models and the scientific model. Further, students also addressed non-significant differences. They apparently referred to the sample solution as an ultimate template and identified external deviations from it as flaws or weaknesses. Students reflected on their personal solution process, and the materials used in the task. The findings suggest allocating time for scaffolding "self-diagnosis".