Physics Students’ Conceptual Understanding of Electricity and Magnetism in Nine Years Basic Education in Rwanda
Agnes Mbonyiryivuze
,
Lakhan Lal Yadav
,
Maurice Musasia Amadalo
We investigate students’ misconceptions in electrostatics, direct current (DC) and magnetism which are important in electricity and magnetism. W.
- Pub. date: January 15, 2021
- Pages: 83-101
- 1468 Downloads
- 811 Views
- 5 Citations
We investigate students’ misconceptions in electrostatics, direct current (DC) and magnetism which are important in electricity and magnetism. We developed and administered a multiple-choice questionnaire test to reveal students’ misconceptions related to charged bodies, lightning, electric fields, electric potential, forces, DC resistive electric circuits and magnets. This test aimed at obtaining quantitative information about misconceptions and was administered to 380 senior two students from Nine Year Basic Education (9YBE) Schools. The selected students have some experience with the new Rwandan secondary physics Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) that is currently under implementation. We find that senior two students have several common misconceptions related to these concepts. The data indicate that although students have some backgrounds on the subject matter, they still seem to believe that if the two charges are separated by a distance, a large-charged object exerts a greater force of attraction or repulsion on the small one. Considerable number of participated students held the misconception of considering current consumption in the resistor/bulb or the electrical devices in the circuits. They also believed that the battery was a continuous current source. The findings also revealed that students held a misconception that a bar magnet when broken into pieces, it is demagnetized. Moreover, a considerable number of participants hold the misconception that all metals are attracted by a magnet. Our study also revealed some of the statistically significant differences in terms of either gender or location of schools for some items.
Keywords: Electric current, electricity, electrostatics, magnetism, students’ misconceptions.
References
Afra, N. C., Osta, I., & Zoubeir, W. (2009). Students' alternative concepts about electricity and effect of inquiry-based teaching strategies. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 7(1), 103-132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-007-9106-7
Akarsu, B. (2010). A qualitative study on high school students’ conceptual understandings of electricity and magnetism. Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 2(29), 117-125. https://bit.ly/3nv3oDR
Arnold, M., & Millar, R. (1987). Being constructive: An alternative approach to the teaching of introductory ideas in electricity. International Journal of Science Education, 9(5), 553-563. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069870090505
Arons, A. B. (1990). A guide to introductory physics teaching. John Wiley & Sons.
Azaiza, I., Bar, V., Awad, Y., & Khalil, M. (2012). Pupils' explanations of natural phenomena and their relationship to electricity. Creative Education, 3(8), 1354-1365. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2012.38198
Beichner, R. J. (1994). Testing student interpretation of kinematics graphs. American Journal of Physics, 62(8), 750-762. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.17449
Bilal, E., & Erol, M. (2009). Investigating sudents' conceptions of some electricity concepts. Latin American Journal of Physics Education, 3(2), 193-201.
Bradamante, F., & Viennot, L. (2007). Mapping gravitational and magnetic fields with children 9-11: Relevance, difficulties and prospects. International Journal of Science Education, 29(3), 349-372. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690600718245
Çakır, M. (2008). Constructivist approaches to learning in science and their implications forscience pedagogy: A literature review. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 3(4), 193-206.
Çepni, S., & Keleş, E. (2006). Turkish students' conceptions about the simple electric circuits. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education 4(2), 269–291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-005-9001-z
Chabay, R., & Sherwood, B. (2006). Restructuring the introductory electricity and magnetism course. American Journal of Physics, 74(4), 329-336. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2165249
Chasteen, S., & Pollock, S. (2009). A research-based approach to assessing student learning issues in upper division electricity and magnetism. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1178(1), 7–10. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3266759
Christensen, W. M., Meltzer, D. E., & Nguyen, N.-L. (2011). Student understanding of calorimetry in introductory calculus-based physics. American Journal of Physics, 79(11), 1168-1176. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3630936
Clement, J. (1982). Students’ preconceptions in introductory mechanics. American Journal of Physics, 50(1), 66-71. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.12989
Dega, B. G., Kriek, J., & Mogese, T. F. (2013). Students' conceptual change in electricity and magnetism using simulations: A comparison of cognitive perturbation and cognitive conflict. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 50(6), 677-698. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21096
Demirci, N., & Çirkinoğlu, A. (2004). Determining students’ preconceptions/misconceptions in electricity and magnetism. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 1(2), 51-54.
Ding, L., Chabay, S. R., & Beichner, R. (2006). Evaluating an electricity and magnetism assessment tool: Brief electricity and magnetism assessment. Physical Review Special Topics-Physics education Research, 2(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.010105
diSessa, A. A. (2006). A history of conceptual change research: Threads and fault lines In R. Sawyer (Ed.), Combridge handbook of the learning science (pp. 265-281). Cambridge University Press.
Duit, R., & von Rhönec, C. (1997). Learning and understanding key concepts of electricity. In A. Tiberghien, E. L. Jossem, & J. Barojas (Eds.), Connecting Research in Physics Education with Teacher Education (pp.49-55). International Commission on Physics Education.
Engelhardt, P. V. (1997). Examining students’ understanding of electrical circuits through multiple-choice testing and interviews [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. North Carolina State University.
Fredette, N., & Lochhead, J. (1980). Student conceptions of simple circuits. The Physics Teacher, 18(3), 194-198. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2340470
Goldberg, F. M., & McDermott, L. C. (1987). An investigation of student understanding of the real image formed by a converging lens or concave mirror. American Journal of Physics, 55(2), 108-119. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.15254
Gunstone, R., Mulhall, P., & McKittrick, B. (2009). Physics teachers’ perceptions of the difficulty of teaching electricity. Research in Science Education, 39(4), 515–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-008-9092-y
Halloun, I. A., & Hestenes, D. (1985). The initial knowledge state of college physics students. American Journal of Physics, 53(11), 1043-1055. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.14030.
Heller, P. M., & Finley, F. N. (1992). Variable uses of alternative conceptions: A case study in current electricity. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29(3), 259-275. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660290306
Henderson, R., Stewart, J., & Traxler, A. (2019). Partitioning the gender gap in physics conceptual inventories: Force Concept Inventory, Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation, and Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 15(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.010131
Hermita, N., Suhandi, A., Syaodih, E., Samsudin, A., Isjoni, Johan, H., Rosa, F., Setyaningsi, Sapriadil, R. & Safitri, D. (2017). Constructing and implementing a four tier test about static electricity to diagnose pre-service elementary school teacher' misconceptions. International Conference on Mathematics and Science Education, 895, 1-6. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/895/1/012167
Kaltakci Gurel, D., Eryilmaz, A., & McDermott, L. C. (2015). A review and comparison of diagnostic instruments to identify students’ misconceptions in science. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 11(5), 989-1008. https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2015.1369a
Kim, H. Y. (2017). Statistical notes for clinical researchers: Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test. Restorative dentistry & endodontics, 42(2), 152-155. https://doi.org/10.5395/rde.2017.42.2.152
Lemmer, M., Kriek, J., & Erasmus, B. (2020). Analysis of students' conceptions of basic magnetism from a complex systems perspective. Reserch in Scince Education, 50(1), 375–392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9693-z
Leonard, W. J., Dufresne, R. J., Gerace, W. J., & Mestre, J. P. (2000). Minds-on physics: Complex systems, activities, and reader. Kendall-Hunt Publishing.
Li, J. (2012). Impoving students' understanding of electricity and magnetism. University of Pittsburgh.
Li, J., & Singh, C. (2017). Investigating and improving introductory physics students' understanding of the electric field and superposition principle. European Journal of Physics, 38(5), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6404/aa7618
Lorenzo, M., Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2006). Reducing the gender gap in the physics classroom. American Journal of Physics. 74(2), 118-122. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2162549
Madsen, A., McKagan, S. B., & Sayre, E. C. (2013). Gender gap on concept inventories in physics: What is consistent, what is inconsistent, and what factors influence the gap? Physical Review Special Topics- Physics Education Research, 9(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.9.020121
Maloney, D. P., O’Kuma, T. L., Hieggelke, C. J., & Heuvelen, A. V. (2001). Surveying students' conceptual knowledge of electricity and magnetism. American Journal of Physics, 69(7), S12-S23. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1371296
Masson, S., Potvin, P., Riopel, M., & Brault Foisy, L.-M. (2014). Differences in brain activation between novices and experts in science during a task involving a common misconception in electricity. Mind, Brain and Education, 8(1), 44-55. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12043
Mazur, E. (1997). Peer Instruction: A user's manual (Publisher’s version). Prentice Hall.
Mbonyiryivuze, A., Yadav, L. L., & Amadalo, M. M. (2019, December). Students' conceptual understanding of electricity and magnetism and its implications: A review. African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences, 15(2), 55-67. https://bit.ly/314lJjB
McColgan, M. W., Finn, R. A., Broder, D. L., & Hassel, G. E. (2017). Assessing students’ conceptual knowledge of electricity and magnetism. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 13(2), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.13.020121
McDermott, L., & Shaffer, P. (1992). Research as a guide for curriculum development: An example from introductory electricity. Part I: Investigation of student understanding. American Journal of Physics, 60(11), 994-1003. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.17003
Mioković, Ž., Ganzberger, S., & Radolić, V. (2012). Assessment of the university of Osijek engineering students' conceptual understanding of electricity and magnetism. Technical Gazette / Tehnički vjesnik), 19(3), 563-572. https://bit.ly/3pBkfaD
Moynihan, R. (2018). Developing and assessing student’s conceptual understanding of electrostatics in upper secondary Physics [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Dublin City University.
Mulhall, P., Brian, M., & Gunstone, R. (2001). A perspective on the resolution of confusions in the teaching of electricity. Research in Science Education, 31(4), 575–587. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013154125379
Ndihokubwayo, K., & Nkundabakura, P. (2019). Lightning myths versus science facts: Traditional beliefs on thunderstorm among Rwandans. AFRREV IJAH: An International Journal of Arts and Humanities, 8(2), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.4314/ijah.v8i2.1
Ndihokubwayo, K., Uwamahoro, J., Ndayambaje, I., & Ralph, M. (2020). Light phenomena conceptual assessment: an inventory tool for teachers. Physics Education, 55(3), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ab6f20
Neidorf, T., Arora, A., Erberber, E., & Tsokodayi, Y. (2020). Review of research into misconceptions and misunderstandings in physics and mathematics. In T. Neidorf, A. Arora, E. Erberber, & Y. Tsokodayi (Eds.), Student Misconceptions and Errors in Physics and Mathematics (pp. 11-20). International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.
Pollock, S. J., Finkelstein, N. D., & Kost, L. E. (2007). Reducing the gender gap in the physics classroom: How sufficient is interactive engagement? Physical Review Special Topics-Physics Education Research, 3(1), 1-4. https:///doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.3.010107
Posner, G. J., Strike, K. A., Hewson, P. W., & Gertzog, W. A. (1982). Accommodation of a scientific conception: Toward a theory of conceptual change. Science Education, 66(2), 211-227. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.3730660207
Raduta, C. (n.d.). General students’ misconceptions related to electricity and magnetism. Arxiv. https://bit.ly/3jFoH4B
Redish, E. F., & Burciaga, J. R. (2004). Teaching Physics with the physics suite. American Journal of Physics, 72(3), 414-416. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.1691552
Rwanda Education Board. (2015). Ordinary level physics syllabus. https://bit.ly/3bdgeB2
Samsudin, A., Suhandi, A., Rusdiana, D., Kaniawati, I., & Coştu, B. (2017). Promoting conceptual understanding on magnetic field concept through interactive conceptual instruction (ICI) with PDEODE*E Tasks. Advanced Science Letters, 23(2), 1205-1210. https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2017.7539
Sederberg, D., & Bryan L. (2009, June 24-25). Tracing a prospective learning progression for magnetism with implications at the nanoscale. [Paper presentation]. Learning Progressions in Science (LeaPS) Conference, Iowa City, IA, USA.
Turgut, Ü., Gürbüz, F., & Turgut, G. (2011). An investigation 10th grade students’ misconceptions about electric current. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 15, 1965–1971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.04.036
Uwizeyimana, D., Yadav, L. L., Musengimana, T., & Uwamahoro, J. (2018). The impact of teaching approaches on effective physics learning: an investigation conducted in five secondary schools in Rusizi District, Rwanda. Rwandan Journal of Education, 4(2), 4-14. https://bit.ly/3pHAe78
Williams, C. (2007). Research methods. Journal of Business & Economic Research, 5(3), 65-72. https://doi.org/10.19030/jber.v5i3.2532