Relating Metaknowledge and Modeling Practices in Connection to Content Knowledge about the Phenomenon

Modeling is a set of scientific practices learners often struggle with. Modeling practices include ‘constructing models’, ‘predicting with models’, ‘testing models’, and ‘revising models’. Domain-general metaknowledge about modeling is assumed to guide the use of modeling practices. So far, studies have not shown this connection. However, they did not control for content knowledge about the phenomenon, which is crucial for using modeling practices. This study attempts to begin filling this lacuna. We assessed domain-general metaknowledge about modeling and modeling practices of 102 pre-service biology teachers while controlling for content knowledge. We controlled for content knowledge in our assessment of modeling practices. The practices were assessed through modeling tasks about two phenomena: a person’s reddened face, for which the participants had much content knowledge, and the sex change of clownfish, for which they lacked content knowledge. We examined metaknowledge by instructing participants to express their conceptions of modeling in a process diagram. Correlations between metaknowledge and modeling practice abilities were either non-significant or small. However, participants showed higher modeling practice abilities for the reddened face than for the clownfish phenomenon, indicating that content knowledge about the modeled phenomena was closer related to their use of modeling practices than metaknowledge. We infer that, when introducing learners to modeling practices, engaging them in modeling phenomena for which they have prior content knowledge is beneficial.