[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-601580-105":59,"doc-detail-601580-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","a-circular-model-of-thinking-processes-as-a-basis-of-technical-understanding","A Circular Model of Thinking Processes as a Basis of Technical Understanding","","Children encounter technology daily, yet German primary (Grundschule) science education provides limited technology-focused research and learning guidance. This study investigates nine- to ten-year-olds’ conceptions of simple machines to explain how experiences with materials shape technological understanding. Findings support a circular progression from intuitive understanding to factual reasoning and finally technical awareness. The resulting model informs teaching modules that extend technology education and align with children’s thinking and prior knowledge.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/a-circular-model-of-thinking-processes-as-a-basis-of-technical-understanding/601580/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/a-circular-model-of-thinking-processes-as-a-basis-of-technical-understanding/601580.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"anakgang17","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why is technology education limited in German primary schools?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The study argues that little emphasis is placed on technology within scientific education in Grundschule, partly due to a lack of research projects clarifying young learners’ conceptions of technical issues.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What did the investigation examine regarding simple machines?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The research analyzed the previous knowledge and reasoning of nine- to ten-year-old children about simple machines and how they explain the transport of a heavy weight.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What does the circular model of thinking processes describe?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It describes a learning progression from intuitive understanding to a factual level and then to technical awareness, based on how children reason and communicate about technical procedures.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},601580,1792171485,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":39,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":46},962090883568,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","A Circular Model of Thinking Processes as a Basis of Technical Understanding  \nJulia Menger, Faculty of Education, University of Oldenburg, Germany  \nRESEARCH  \nAbstract  \nChildren often experience the influence of technology around them, but there is little emphasis placed on technology within a scientific education in Grundschule (primary schools) in Germany. One of the reasons for this could be a lack of research projects that ascertain young learners’ conceptions of technical issues. So there is no basis for creating learning environments that enable and motivate children to actively and purposefully work on questions of technical procedures. An investigation into the previous knowledge held by nine to ten year old children of simple machines has demonstrated children’s reasoning. It shows that experiences handling materials can lead to children’s understanding of technological processes. Starting from the intuitive level of understanding, the children can attain the factual level and finally the level of technical awareness in a circular model. This model of thinking processes provides a basis for creating teaching modules that extend current technological education in German schools.  \nKey words  \nsimple machines, technological thinking processes, technological education, teaching and learning  \nIntroduction  \nChildren’s everyday life and their questions about it are atthe core of technology education in primary schools. Children are surrounded by an immense complexity, both in technical contexts and procedures. The question is how to plan and structure teaching units that help pupils to improve their knowledge and understanding of complex phenomena in everyday life. To answer this question it is necessary to investigate the way pupils deal with complex issues. Unfortunately, however, in the published teaching resources available in Germany, one can only find concepts that ignore the pupils’ previous knowledge; use abstract methods of explaining complex issues; and have little connection with real-life situations.  \nThe following article presents the results ofa research project with third and fourth graders on the complex topic‘Transporting a heavy weight using simple machines’. It focuses on the pupils’ attempts to analyse the functionality of a rolling board, a fixed pulley and a pole. It identifies whether, and how, children are able to formulate and identify important elements ofa meaningful explanation. The findings are presented in a model that suggests a  \ncircular development of thinking processes which is used to develop teaching resources that correlate with the children’s thinking, communication capability and previous knowledge.  \nResearch Context  \nIn the last thirty years knowledge of children’s concepts of scientific topics has increased (Duit, 2009), but there has been far less research concerning technological issues, particularly in Germany. Therefore it was necessary to choose a topic and develop a research design that could generate findings about the children’s capacity to deal with technical procedures as well as about the structure of appropriate knowledge and thinking processes. Simple machines surround children in many transportation processes in their everyday life, so we can assume that they are familiar with this issue. Furthermore this topic is sufficiently open-ended that the findings might be transferable to other contexts in technology education. The investigation does not focus on particular scientific terms or laws, rather on the ways children use simple machines to transport a heavy weight and develop their ideas about the lightening of the load that they could feel during the transportation. Thus the research project is based on four central questions:  \n1. How do primary school children create possible solutions for the transportation of a heavy weight and which simple machines do they use for this purpose?  \n2. What knowledge do children have concerning the mechanical functionalitie","cbCaiufOC4u5sR3C","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiufOC4u5sR3C","pdf",131883,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Research Context\n# Methods and Research Design\n# Circular Model of Thinking Processes\n## Analysis of Content Structure\n## Empirical Investigation of Children’s Pre-knowledge\n## Construction of Instruction","[{\"question\":\"Why is technology education limited in German primary schools?\",\"answer\":\"The study argues that little emphasis is placed on technology within scientific education in Grundschule, partly due to a lack of research projects clarifying young learners’ conceptions of technical issues.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the investigation examine regarding simple machines?\",\"answer\":\"The research analyzed the previous knowledge and reasoning of nine- to ten-year-old children about simple machines and how they explain the transport of a heavy weight.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the circular model of thinking processes describe?\",\"answer\":\"It describes a learning progression from intuitive understanding to a factual level and then to technical awareness, based on how children reason and communicate about technical procedures.\"}]","A Circular Model of Thinking Processes as a Basis of Technical Understanding | PDF",1792092898]