This study aims to investigate the effect of the teaching model developed for hot conceptual change on middle school 7th-grade students' understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS) aspects. In this qualitative and exploratory study, activities were carried out with 24 students of two classes in a village school in the South Marmara region using a…

In the present article, the context-dependency of student reasoning is studied in a context of optics. We investigated introductory students' explanations about the behavior of light when different light sources, namely a small light bulb and a laser, were used in otherwise identical task assignments. The data was gathered with the aid of pretest…

In this article we propose an activity aimed at introductory students to help them understand the Stefan-Boltzmann and Wien's displacement laws. It only requires simple materials that are available at any school: an incandescent lamp, a variable dc energy supply, and a computer to run an interactive simulation of the blackbody spectrum.…

A thick line drawn on a sheet of paper with a 6B pencil is electrically conductive and its resistance can be roughly estimated using a simple tester made of a light-emitting diode (LED) and a lithium coin-type cell. Using this hand-drawn resistor and the LED tester, we developed teaching materials that help students to understand how electrical…

The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of the conceptual change approach, explicit reflective approach, and the course book by the Ministry of Education on the views toward the nature of science and conceptual change in the Light unit. Three study groups were selected from several seventh grade classes. Two of the three classes,…

Investigates the relationship between knowledge of geometrical optics and the understanding of the phenomenon of colored shadows through adult interviews. Reports that the knowledge of geometrical optics facilitates the pinpointing of the color problem while experience with the mixing of paints may act as a barrier. (Author/YP)