Some students think that air is not a gas

They may say, for example, that air is a combination of oxygen and gas.

References

• Andersson, B., (1990) Pupils' Conceptions of Matter and its Transformations, Studies in Science Education, 18, 53-85.

  This research shows that some of the misconceptions students have about matter are reinforced by the learning materials and approaches used in classrooms. Textbook illustrations can give false impressions about sizes, scales and movement and the limitations of models can give misleading ideas. This paper explains why teachers need to be aware of the misconceptions that can be produced and how to tackle some of them.
  
  Paper digest