The Study of Alternative Conceptions on Electricity and Scientific Epistemological Views of the Students at Electricity Engineering Department of Vocational High School

• Main Authors: Sun-Wei Yang, 楊上緯
• Other Authors: Kuo-Hua Wang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/fm38nk

碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 科學教育研究所 === 101 === It is an interested issue that whether students’ scientific epistemological views related to their science concepts learning? This study aims to explore students’ alternative conceptions on electricity, their scientific epistemological views, and relationships between them. The subjects consist of 228 students at electricity engineering department of vocational high school from researcher’s teaching school. Instruments include a two-tier diagnostic test and a questionnaire on scientific epistemological views. Quantitative data are analyzed by the statistical software SPSS, supplementary by qualitative data collected by semi-structured interview. From two-tire diagnostic tests, the students show five common alternative conceptions on electricity respectively: 1. The current is an energy; 2. When the current pass the resistor, it becomes slower and smaller; 3.The circuit is coved with the current, so the back element would not influence front one; 4.In the circuit, when the current exists, the voltage exists; 5. The current will be reduced in the circuit. When it comes back the bottom of the battery, the value of the current is “zero”. From the inverstigation, three formations of alternative conceptions on electricity respectively: 1. Overanaogizing life experiences; 2. Peer groups identification; 3. Environmental culture. The results of the questionnaire on scientific epistemological views indicate that most vocational high school students tend to hold positive scientific epistemological views. In addition, students’ scientific epistemological views vary in student division, grade and gender. Moreover, there is no significant correlation between “the alternative conception on electricity and its formations” and “the scientific epistemological views”. However, ,based on interview transcripts, key words used by the students to explain their alternative conceptions on electricity seem to relate to their scientific epistemological views. Finally, suggestions for teaching and future research are also provided in the study.