Many students associate ‘energy’ with humans and other living things

Energy and Thermal Physics

Misconception RESEARCH REVIEW

They think of energy as something that is needed for life and for activity.

Resources to Address This

  • Words used to describe energy (11-16)

    Ref -  Practical physics; Energy; Introducing energy; Words used to describe energy

    The topic of energy needs to be visited many times with a gradual increase in the sophistication and depth of the teaching. As there is no convenient definition of energy for beginners, the concept needs to develop slowly until students can write about energy without making mistakes; putting the right words into the right places. It benefits from a spiral approach to teaching.

    View Resource

References

  • Svedholm, A. M. and Lindeman, M. () Healing, Mental Energy in the Physics Classroom: Energy Conceptions and Trust in Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Grade 10-12 Students. Science & Education, 22,

    677-694.

    Review sheet

  • M. Louisa, F. C. S. Veiga, D. J. V. Costa Pereira and R. Maskill, () Teachers' language and pupils' ideas in science lessons: Can teachers avoid reinforcing wrong ideas? International Journal of Science Education, 11 (4)

    465-479.

    Review sheet

  • Legett, M. () Lessons that non-scientists can teach us about the concept of energy: a human-centred approach Physics Education, 38,

    130.

    Review sheet

  • Trumper, R. () A Longitudinal Study of Physics Students' Conceptions on Energy in Pre-Service Training for High School Teachers Journal of Science Education and Technology, 7, (4)

    311-318.

    Review sheet

  • Finegold, M. and Trumper, R. () Categorizing pupils' explanatory frameworks in energy as a means to the development of a teaching approach. Research in Science Education, 19,

    97-110.

    Review sheet

  • Trumper, R. () Children's energy concepts: a cross‐age study, International Journal of Science Education, 15, (2) Routledge,

    139-148.

    Review sheet

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