Abstract:

Physics is one of the primary sciences that explains processes and natural phenomena. Physics is one of the subjects that secondary school students find challenging and unattractive. In the first year of the physics degree programme for prospective primary school physics teachers, students in most subjects study a specific area of physics in depth. Unlike other subjects, they have a Physics Perspective on Nature course which aims to integrate different parts of physics and link knowledge from these areas to selected and diverse topics. The course aims to describe phenomena in nature, with descriptions mostly based on a semi-quantitative level. The focus is on the appropriate description and explanation of selected interesting phenomena and experiments from everyday life, which can be assigned to various areas of physics such as astronomy, meteorology, physics of matter, etc.

The description of laws and natural phenomena requires a high level of understanding and integration of knowledge and concepts. Based on students' descriptions of physics phenomena, a teacher can recognise gaps in knowledge and understanding of basic physics concepts. Appropriate feedback to the student serves as motivation for further study. The main learning objective of the Physics Perspective on Nature course is for students to acquire knowledge that will enable them to inspire future students and bring them closer to physics as a natural science. Therefore, it is very important for prospective physics teachers to acquire the ability to present teaching topics appropriately and to explain phenomena correctly using appropriate terminology. In a survey among 39 first-year students of the Physics Perspective on Nature course in the academic years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, it was investigated how students explain selected natural phenomena and what potential misconceptions in the areas of phase transitions, heat and temperature emerge from the written explanations of the phenomena. A qualitative research approach was chosen. The data was collected through knowledge tests. The results show that first-year physics students have considerable difficulties with the correct formulation of description and explanation of the specific phenomenon. We noticed an inconsistent use of the terms heat and temperature and in many cases an insufficient understanding of the condensation process and the role of thermal insulators in heat transfer.

Keywords:

Education, physics, describing everyday phenomena.