Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 375 de 957
Using Inquiry-Based Activities to Repair Student Misconceptions Related to Heat,
Energy and Temperature
Michael Prince
prince@bucknell.edu
Bucknell University
United States of America
Margot Vigeant
mvigeant@bucknell.edu
Bucknell University
United States of America
Katharyn Nottis
knottis@bucknell.edu
Bucknell University
United States of America
Abstract: This study examines the effectiveness of inquiry-based activities for
addressing student misconceptions related to four concept areas in the thermal
sciences that have been identified as both important and difficult for students to
master: (1) temperature vs. energy, (2) factors that affect the rate vs. the
amount of energy transferred, (3) temperature vs. perceptions of hot and cold
and (4) the effect of surface properties on thermal radiation. Students’
conceptual understanding was assessed using the newly developed Heat and
Energy Concept Inventory (HECI). In the control sample, student performance on
the overall HECI improved from 49.2% correct to a post-instruction performance
of 54.5% correct. Using inquiry-based activities, the mean performance on the
HECI improved from 46.6% correct prior to instruction to a post performance
score of 70.1%. Significant learning gains were found in each of the targeted
concept areas when the activities were used.
Introduction
There is broad recognition that meaningful learning requires that students master
fundamental concepts. Understanding concepts and the connections among concepts is
one of the primary distinctions between experts and novices (Bransford et al., 2000; Chi,
2006;). Conceptual understanding is also a prerequisite for students to transfer what they
have learned in the classroom to new settings, something that is arguably among the most
significant goals of an engineering education.
While there is little disagreement about the importance of conceptual learning, a wealth of
evidence drawn from decades of research in the sciences (Lightman et al., 1993; Laws et
al., 1999; Chi et al., 2005; Reiner et al., 2008) and a growing literature in engineering
(Prince et al., 2010; Prince et al., in review; Krause et al., 2003; Steif et al., 2005; Miller et
al., 2006; and Streveler et al., 2008) demonstrates that students generally enter our
classrooms with misconceptions and that traditional instruction is often ineffective for
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011