A Survey of Biology Students' Conceptions of Force in Pre‐service Training for High School Teachers

Abstract

Do biology students in pre‐service training to be high school teachers hold correct scientific views which will eventually allow them to plan and implement instructional strategies which, in turn, will lead their future students to achieve a correct scientific concept of force? The results of a study dealing with this issue are discussed in this article. The force conceptions of the biology students were analysed by means of a questionnaire which was presented during the first day of class. The most important findings of this study can be summarised as follows. Biology students in pre‐service training for high school teachers: (1) have less difficulties when dealing with forces in static situations than in dynamic ones. Nevertheless, they were rather ambiguous when referring to the necessity of the forces to be balanced in static objects; (2) have great difficulties when dealing with forces acting on objects in different dynamic situations; (3) mostly recognise weight as a force, but have difficulties in knowing the direction of weight. Moreover, most students were inconsistent in identifying the concepts of gravity and weight; (4) are mostly uncertain on the issues concerning the addition of forces; and (5) mostly deny the idea that gravity depends on air or on atmosphere, but think that it depends on a magnetic centre.