Effect of instruction based on conceptual change activities on students’ understanding of static electricity concepts

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of learning activities based on conceptual change conditions and traditionally designed physics instruction on tenth‐grade students’ understanding of static electricity concepts and their attitudes toward physics as a school subject. Misconceptions related to static electricity concepts were determined by related literature on this subject and interview with teachers who have been teaching static electricity for more than 5 years. Accordingly, the Static Electricity Concepts Test was developed. The data were obtained through 30 students in the experimental group taught with learning activities based on conceptual change conditions, and 30 students in control group followed traditional classroom instruction. Learning activities include analogies related to static electricity. Analyses of covariance showed that learning activities based on conceptual change conditions caused significantly better acquisition of conceptual change of static electricity concepts than the traditional instruction. Furthermore, students’ science process skills were a significant predictor for their understanding of static electricity concepts. On the other hand, treatment difference did not indicate a significant effect on students’ attitudes toward physics as a school subject.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Professor Dr. Donald Simanek (Lock Haven University, Pennsylvania) for his contribution by answering my questions about capacitor misconceptions.

Notes

1. This analogy is developed by Baser and will appear in a of future issue of Physics Teacher.