Pupils’ ideas concerning energy sources

Energy, one of the most important themes in science education, is also one of the most difficult. Pupils often confuse colloquial vocabulary and everyday ideas with scientific definitions and concepts. The present work uses a combined questionnaire and interview procedure to probe specific ideas about energy sources, and compare their prevalence in pupils of different age groups. Factor analysis of the data shows that apparently diverse ideas can be grouped into various categories, and these groupings draw attention to the conceptual frameworks which may underlie such thinking. It is suggested that an appreciation of the nature of such frameworks will help teachers tackle the unacceptable ‘scientific’ thinking of their pupils.