The use of a conceptual change model and mixed language strategy for remediating misconceptions on air pressure

Abstract

This paper follows an earlier one which reported the ideas held by African primary school teachers on air and air pressure (Rollnick and Rutherford 1990). It describes an intervention carried out to remediate the misconceptions on air and air pressure held by primary school teacher trainees in Swaziland (N=145). Both language and conceptual change strategies were used in the intervention and it was found that the use of a mixed language strategy was most effective in alleviating misconceptions, but not necessarily in replacing them with scientific conceptions. The use of conceptual change strategies was also found to be effective in some instances.