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In this study, the instructional influences of the conceptual change model based on the cognitive conflict and the conceptual change model emphasizing the social consensus were investigated. The subjects were 109 7th-graders in a boys' middle school in Seoul, and were taught about the changes of states, density, and dissolution for 8 class periods. The hypotheses provided in the instructions were constructed from the results of a pilot test. Prior to the instructions, three tests regarding the perceptions of discussion, the attitudes toward science instructions, and the perceptions of participation were administered. Two types of the conceptual change instructions and the traditional instruction were used in the treatment groups and the control group, respectively. After the instructions, the students' achievement, the conceptions, the perceptions of discussion, the attitudes toward science instructions, and the perceptions of participation were investigated. ANCOVA results revealed that the scores of the treatment groups were significantly higher than those of the control group in the achievement test. Although the score of the treatment group using the conceptual change model emphasizing social consensus were higher than those of other groups in the conceptions test, the differences were not statistically significant. The perceptions of discussion were significantly more positive in the treatment group using the conceptual change model emphasizing social consensus than in the control group. However, there were no significant differences in the scores of the attitudes toward science class and the perceptions of participation among the three groups. Educational implications are discussed.
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