This research aimed to investigate the misconceptions on nuclear physics topics. Misconceptions are defined as ideas whose meaning departs from what is commonly accepted by scientific consensus. A total of 34 high school students of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Sao Paulo (IFSP), Brazil, answered a questionnaire on…

For good science teaching, it is necessary to have knowledge of your students' preconceptions. Numerous studies have been conducted about typical ideas that students bring to the science classroom in science education research. Unfortunately the domains of which we know preconceptions are not distributed evenly and there is a lack of studies about…

Radiation is an important aspect of daily life. We interact with radiation from several sources, both natural and manmade, and in fact life on Earth depends on it. Although the general population, and students in particular, can recognize its importance, it is not clear whether they understand its meaning. Bearing these considerations in mind, a…

We have investigated the conceptual understandings of seventy-eight 16-year-old Australian high school students' and their knowledge about several issues related to nuclear energy. As a result of their study of the physics topic Nuclear Technology, the students learned more about applications of nuclear technology, had better though still…