Abstract:

One of the ways to streamline teaching is to develop the pupil´s ideas. This can be achieved by creation of a situations in where pupils realize their use, possible limitations of the use, or they may need to (re-)construct their own ideas. The specific process of teaching physics varies considerably, depending on whether pupil´s ideas are in accordance with scientific knowledge or not.

The pandemic situation with distant learning affected teaching physics. Everyday experience and informal understanding of natural phenomena have been changed. The aim of the research was to find out the prevailing ideas of lower- and upper-secondary school pupils about heat and thermal processes and their dependence on age. A multiple-choice diagnostic test based on Thermal Concept Evaluation in electronic form was used as a research tool. The research realised from November 2020 till February 2021 involved 764 students from 7 schools. Relative frequency of occurrence of individual alternative ideas depending on year of school attendance and gender was determined.

We found that about half of the students answered questions about equilibrium state while mixing water of different temperature in accordance with scientific knowledge. In the context of cooling, one third of the students answered in accordance with scientific knowledge, but overall, the answers indicating the absence of the idea of thermal balance was most often. When asked about heating objects from different materials, the answers of up to four-fifths of the students indicated the idea about metals having a higher ability to heat up than other materials and the absence of the idea of establishing thermal equilibrium. In the question concerning thermal insulation, about half of the students answered in accordance with the scientific idea, the most often alternative answers indicated undifferentiation of thermal insulation and heat source. This was even more obvious in the context of the use of clothing, when only a third of the students answered in accordance with the scientific idea. Regarding boiling temperature of water, the scientific knowledge and the idea of water-boiling temperature slightly higher than 100 °C were equally frequent. More than half of the students expressed an idea that the temperature of boiling water increases with time of boiling. Regarding boiling water under the reduced pressure, the most frequent alternative answer was that if the pressure is reduced, the boiling temperature may be below 100 °C, but would rise to 100 °C over time. In the question of boiling water at elevated pressure, the most common idea was that elevated pressure would generate more heat. In questions focused on melting ice, the most common answer was in accordance with scientific knowledge. Of the alternative ideas, the prevailing idea was that water could not have a temperature 0 °C or lower.

Statistical evaluation of students’ responses confirmed the positive correlation of the test score and the year of school attendance. The influence of gender was also confirmed. The expected higher success of students in the test supplemented by illustrative pictures was not confirmed.

A summary of the identified alternative student ideas could serve lower and upper secondary school teachers as an overview of the alternative student ideas they can expect from students when thinking about heat and thermal phenomena.

Keywords:

Students' ideas, thermal phenomena, upper secondary education.