(In this study, the
term ‘context’ will be used to describe the physical features of the task or problem,
as used by Tao and Gunstone 1999). Minstrell (1992) suggested that students’
conceptions could be viewed as being pieces of knowledge, which he called ‘facets’,
which are closely linked to particular problem contexts. For example, one facet
could be ‘the bigger/heavier the object, the more force it will exert’ (p. 115).
Minstrell suggested that a particular problem context would activate a particular
facet, and that each facet would be related in this way to several different contexts.
The context would therefore determine the type of explanation that the student
will give.