i
MISCONCEPTIONS IN ELECTROSTATICS AMONG LEARNERS AT UNIVERSITY ENTRY POINT: A SOUTH AFRICAN
CASE STUDY
by
SUSAMMA THOMAS MUTHIRAPARAMPIL
A mini-dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF EDUCATION (M.Ed) (In Physical Science Education)
at
WALTER SISULU UNIVERSITY
SUPERVISOR: PROF. K. J. MAMMEN
CO-SUPERVISOR: DR. M. CHIRWA
MAY 2012
ii
ABSTRACT
The study explored misconceptions in electrostatics and their origins amongst learners at
entry point in a South African University. Available literature showed misconceptions in
electrostatics amongst High School learners and confirmed textbooks as one of the sources
of misconceptions. It was therefore important to look for misconceptions in electrostatics
amongst first year Bachelor of Science (B.Sc 1) learners in physics courses and their origins
at the start of the academic year. The study also explored educators‘ misconceptions in the
topic to check whether they could also be a source of learners‘ misconceptions. The results
were intended to give guidance on how to eliminate learners‘ misconceptions at school
rather than carrying them to higher education institutions. The study used the ex-post facto
research design and was a case-study. The ex-post facto research design enabled the
researcher to investigate whether one or more pre-existing conditions have possibly caused
the existing problem of misconceptions. The sample consisted of 198 learners from B.Sc 1
physics course and 28 educators from 15 High Schools in one education district in the
Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The data were collected through questionnaires,
analysis of textbooks, and interviews. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS)
version 17 was used for quantitative analysis whereas categorization and coding were used
for qualitative analysis. The study revealed that learners had misconceptions in
electrostatics. The origins of misconceptions were traced to educators, textbooks, intuition,
daily language and lack of hands-on activities. It emerged from the study that educators also
had misconceptions and the cause of their misconceptions were textbooks, websites and
gaps in content knowledge. The recommendations from the study were the following:
identify preliminary knowledge of learners during introduction of the lesson; introduce the
iii
constructivist approach to teaching in the teacher training curriculum so that learners at
school can be taught using the same approach; frequent upgrading of educators through in-
service workshops to reduce educators‘ misconceptions which, in turn, will help to reduce
the misconceptions among learners; introduction of conceptual change textbooks.
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DECLARATION
I, Susamma Thomas Muthiraparampil solemnly declare that this mini-dissertation is original.
This piece of work is the result of my efforts through the professional guidance of the
supervisor(s) whose name and signature appear below. I further declare that this work has
not been accepted in substance for any other degree.
CANDIDATE‟S NAME : SUSAMMA THOMAS MUTHIRAPARAMPIL
SIGNATURE : ………………………………….
SUPERVISOR : PROF. K. J. MAMMEN
SIGNATURE : ………………………………....
CO-SUPERVISOR : DR. M. CHIRWA
SIGNATURE : ………………………………....
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DECLARATION ON PLAGIARISM
(i) I am aware that plagiarism is defined at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) as the
inclusion of another‘s or others‘ ideas, writings, works, discoveries and inventions
from any source in an assignment or research output without the due, correct and
appropriate acknowledgement to the author(s) or source(s) in breach of the
values, conventions, ethics and norms of the different professional, academic and
research disciplines and includes unacknowledged copying from intra- and internet
and fellow students.
(ii) I have duly and appropriately acknowledged all references and conformed to avoid
plagiarism as defined by WSU.
(iii) I have made use of the citation and referencing style stipulated by my supervisor.
(iv) This work is my own.
(v) I did not and will not allow anyone to copy my work and present it as his/ her own.
(vi) I am committed to uphold academic and professional integrity in the academic/
research activity.
(vii) I am aware of the consequences of engaging in plagiarism.
Signature Date
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am indebted to many who have supported and contributed towards the completion of the
study. I do acknowledge and thank each and every person who assisted, guided and
supported me especially the following people in making this possible.
Lord Almighty for His grace and blessings in sheltering me, my family and all who
helped me under His divine wings all through the period of working on this mini-
dissertation. I am indebted to:
My supervisor Prof. K. J. Mammen for the encouragement, patience, constructive
criticisms and untiring guidance to the study even at odd hours.
My Co-supervisor, Dr. M. Cheraw for all the guidance, encouragement and
motivation.
Dr. J. M. Molepo for the guidance, assistance and advice.
Mr. N. O. Sotshangane of Research Lab. and Mr. J. Nasila of the Department of
Statistics for assisting me in statistical analysis of the data.
first year B.Sc 1 Physics learners for their participation and co-operation during the
completion of the questionnaires and interviews.
The educators who have participated in completing the questionnaire and providing
valuable data.
WSU Research Directorate for making funds available for this research.
My friends Dr. M. Mammen and Mr. M. Mathews for the encouragement and support.
Dr. G. E. Okuthe of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology Research
Ethics committee for her directions and assistance to process documents for ethical
clearance.
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Prof. S. Chikwembani for his help to get the data for physics results of B.Sc 1
learners for the years 2006-2008.
Dr. J. T. Parathuvayalil, Mr. G. Kurian and Mr. J. Okyere-Bamfo for their support and
assistance to collect some of the data.
all principals, Registrar of the university, Director of School of Applied and
Environmental Sciences and Director, Department of Education, Mthatha for their co-
operation and assistance.
My husband Kunchayan and children Suby, Sojan, Bobby and Gibby for their
encouragement, support and understanding and my granddaughter Gia for her
inquisitive questions and remarks at times when I failed to give her company while I
was busy with this study.
viii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ii
DECLARATION iii
DECLARATION FOR PLAGIARISM v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS viii
CHAPTER ONE: ORIENTATION AND OVERVIEW 1
1.1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.2 BACKGROUND 1
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 6
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION 6
1.4.1. RESEARCH SUB-QUESTIONS 7
1.5 RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY 7
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 8
1.7 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 9
1.7.1 THEORY OF CONSTRUCTIVISM 9
1.7.1.1 Cognitive constructivism 10
1.7.1.2 Social constructivism 10
1.7.1.3 Experimental constructivism 11
1.7.1.4 Teaching for understanding and learning 11
1.7.2 THEORY OF CONSTRUCTIONISM 12
1.7.3 COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF PIAGET‘S CONSTRUCTIVISM AND PAPERT‘S CONSTRUCTIONISM
13
1.8 METHODOLOGY 15
1.9 LIMITATIONS AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY 15
1.10 DEFINITION OF PERTINENT TERMS 16
1.11 RESEARCH OUTLINE 17
1.12 SUMMARY 18
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 19
2.1 INTRODUCTION 19
2.2 REVIEW OF TEXTBOOKS FROM GRADE 5-12 ON ELECTROSTATICS SYLLABUS IN SOUTH AFRICA
19
2.3 STUDIES ON MISCONCEPTIONS 19
2.3.1 INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ON MISCONCEPTION IN GENERAL 19
2.3.2 NATIONAL STUDIES 21
2.3.3 MISCONCEPTIONS IN ELECTROSTATICS OF THE LEARNERS FOUND FROM THE LITERATURE
22
2.4. ORIGIN OF MISCONCEPTIONS FROM FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING
25
2.4.1. MISCONCEPTIONS FROM INFORMAL LEARNING 26
2.4.2. MISCONCEPTIONS FROM FORMAL LEARNING 28
2.5. SOME POSSIBILITIES TO ELIMINATE MISCONCEPTIONS AND TO INITIATE CONCEPTUAL CHANGE
33
2.5.1 POLICIES AND SCHOOL ACT – PROBLEM WITH 33
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IMPLEMENTATION
2.5.2 REMEDYING MISCONCEPTIONS 35
2.5.3 CONCEPTUAL CHANGE TEXT AND CONCEPTUAL CHANGE 37
2.6. CONCLUSION 38
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
39
3.1 INTRODUCTION 39
3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN 39
3.3 THE POPULATION AND SAMPLE 39
3.3.1 LEARNER SAMPLE 39
3.3.2 EDUCATOR SAMPLE 39
3.4 COMBINATION OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACHES
40
3.5 INSTRUMENTS 41
3.5.1 LEARNER QUESTIONNAIRE 41
3.5.2 EDUCATOR QUESTIONNAIRE 43
3.5.3 LEARNER INTERVIEW SCHEDULE 43
3.6 INSTRUMENT VALIDITY 44
3.6.1 CONSTRUCT VALIDITY 44
3.6.2 CONTENT VALIDITY 44
3.7 INSTRUMENT RELIABILITY 44
3.8 PILOT STUDY 45
3.8.1 IMPROVEMENT BASED ON THE FEEDBACK ON PILOT STUDY 46
3.9 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION AND PERMISSION TO USE THE SAMPLE.
47
3.10 DATA COLLECTION FROM LEARNERS 47
3.10.1 ADMINISTRATION OF LEARNER QUESTIONNAIRE (Appendix B) 47
3.10.2 ADMINISTRATION OF EDUCATORS‘ QUESTIONNAIRE 48
3.10.3 ADMINISTRATION OF LEARNER INTERVIEW SCHEDULE 48
3.11 ITEMS OF THE LEARNER AND EDUCATOR QUESTIONNAIRES AND SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW SCHEDULES
49
3.12 SUMMARY 50
CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 51
4.1. INTRODUCTION 51
4.2. DATA ANALYSIS 51
4.2.1. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS 51
4.2.2. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS 52
4.3. RESULTS 52
4.3.1. GENDER AND AGE OF LEARNERS 52
4.3.2. GENDER, AGE RANGES AND HOME LANGUAGE OF LEARNERS 53
4.3.3. AGE RANGE OF LEARNERS 53
4.3.4. HOME LANGUAGE OF LEARNERS 54
4.4. EDUCATORS‟ TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND RELATED DATA (N=28)
54
4.5. PRELIMINARY RESEARCH RESULTS 55
4.6. LEARNERS‟ AND EDUCATORS‟ VIEWS ON LEARNING ENABLERS
56
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4.7. LEARNERS‟ DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 57
4.7.1. LEARNER RESPONSES (%) TO ITEMS BASED ON CAPACITOR, ELECTRIC FIELD, ELECTRIC FORCE, ELECTRIC POTENTIAL AND CHARGE TRANSFER BETWEEN NEUTRAL AND CHARGED OBJECTS
57
4.7.2.
FREQUENCIES AND PERCENTAGES OF RESPONSES TO MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS IN SECTION B OF THE LEARNER QUESTIONNAIRE AND THEIR DISCUSSIONS.
67
4.7.3. SUMMARY OF MISCONCEPTIONS OF LEARNERS 73
4.8. POSSIBLE ORIGINS OF MISCONCEPTIONS 75
4.8.1. FREQUENCY AND PERCENTAGES OF RESPONSES TO ITEMS IN THE SEMI-STRUCTURED LEARNER INTERVIEW SCHEDULE (LIS) IN COMPARISON WITH THE RESPONSES TO LEARNER QUESTIONNAIRE (LQ).
75
4.8.2. DATA PRESENTATION FOR EDUCATORS FOR POSSIBLE
SOURCE OF MISCONCEPTIONS 84
4.8.2.1. Section A 84
4.8.2.2. Summary of educators‟ misconceptions: level and percentage
86
4.8.3 COMPARISON OF LEARNER RESPONSES WITH EDUCATOR RESPONSES TO VARIOUS CONCEPTS IN SECTION A OF THE LEARNER AND EDUCATOR QUESTIONNAIRES
87
4.8.4. COMPARISON BETWEEN LEARNER AND EDUCATOR RESPONSES TO SECTION B (MCQs) OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE
91
4.9. ELIMINATION OF MISCONCEPTIONS OF LEARNERS AT SCHOOL TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE VIEWS OF LEARNERS, EDUCATORS AND THE LITERATURE REVIEWED
97
4.9.1. PRESENTATION OF LEARNERS‘ AND EDUCATORS‘ REMEDIAL SUGGESTIONS TO MISCONCEPTIONS
98
4.10. THE CORRECT CONCEPTS AND THE EXPLANATIONS NEEDED TO OVERCOME THE IDENTIFIED MISCONCEPTIONS (Table 14)
102
4.11. DISCUSSION ON THE RESEARCH RESULT AGAINST THE LITERATURE REVIEWED
105
4.11.1 LEARNERS AT UNIVERSITY ENTRY POINT GOT MISCONCEPTIONS IN ELECTROSTATICS (REFER TABLE 14).
106
4.11.2. EDUCATORS ARE THE MAJOR SOURCE OF MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE LEARNERS.
107
4.11.3.
MISCONCEPTIONS OF LEARNERS‘ CAN BE ELIMINATED THROUGH PUTTING THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK, CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY, INTO PRACTICE.
108
4.12. CONCLUSION 108
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
110
5.1. INTRODUCTION 110
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5.2. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 110
5.2.1. MISCONCEPTIONS IN ELECTROSTATICS 110
5.2.2. ORIGIN OF MISCONCEPTIONS 111
5.3. CONCLUSION 113
5.4. RECOMMENDATIONS 114
5.5. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH 116
REFERENCES 117
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1: Age distribution of learner sample 53
FIGURE 2: Various response % to ‗charge flow through a capacitor‘ 62
FIGURE 3: Various response% to ‗static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage‘
66
FIGURE 4: Various response % to the term ‗static electricity‘. 70
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A B.SC 1 YEAR END RESULT FOR 4 CONSECUTIVE YEAR 134
APPENDIX B
LEARNER QUESTIONNAIRE MISCONCEPTIONS IN ELECTROSTATICS AMONGST MATRICULANTS AND THEIR ORIGINS
136
APPENDIX C LEARNER CONSENT FORM – INTERVIEW SCHEDULE 140
APPENDIX D LEARNER INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
141
APPENDIX E EDUCATORS‘ QUESTIONNAIRE 142
APPENDIX F
LEARNER‘S PILOT STUDY 147
APPENDIX G
RESEARCH ETHICS 150
APPENDIX H
THE DIRECTOR FOR FACULTY OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
151
APPENDIX I
THE REGISTRAR WSU 152
APPENDIX J
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 153
APPENDIX K
LETTER OF PERMISSION FROM PRINCIPALS OF SCHOOLS 155
APPENDIX L
INFORMED CONSENT FORM
156
LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Summary of item numbers which dealt with research sub-
questions 49
Table 2: Gender, Age and home language of learner sample 53
Table 3: Summary of educator factors 54
Table 4: Electrostatic concepts and the grades in which they were introduced
55
Table 5: Learner's views on learning enablers 56
Table 6: Educators‘ views on learning enablers 56
Table 7: Learners‘ responses to the given item statements in the questionnaire (n=198)
58
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Table 8: Concept of charged body (MCQ 1) 67
Table 9: The characteristics of neutral object (MCQ 2) 68
Table 10: Definition of ―static electricity‖ (MCQ 3) 69
Table 11: Which factor must decrease in order to increase the electric field (MCQ 4)
70
Table 12: Compare the forces exerted on each of the objects S and T (MCQ 5) 71
Table 13: What are the charges on the two spheres X & Y (MCQ 6) 72
Table 14: List of misconceptions identified amongst the learner sample 74
Table 15: Analysis of learner interview data 76
Table 16: Summary of percentage and number of educators‘ responses to various concepts in educator questionnaire (n=28) and levels of misconceptions
85
Table17: Educators‘ misconceptions 87
Table 18: Percentage responses of educators and learners and comparison of their misconceptions (misconception)
88
Table 19: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 1 by educators and learners 92
Table 20: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 2 by educators and learners 93
Table 21: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 3 by educators and learners 94
Table 22: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 4 by educators and learners 95
Table 23: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 5 by educators and learners 96
Table 24: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 6 by educators and learners 97
Table 25: Remedial suggestions of educators‘ and learners‘ 99
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MISCONCEPTIONS IN ELECTROSTATICS AMONG LEARNERS AT
UNIVERSITY ENTRY POINT: A SOUTH AFRICAN CASE STUDY
CHAPTER ONE: ORIENTATION AND OVERVIEW
1.1. INTRODUCTION
The study focused on misconceptions in concepts and principles in electrostatics, their
origins and ways to remedy them. The study was conducted on university learners at entry
point and it was expected to fill the gap in literature on misconceptions among local learners
in electrostatics. This chapter gives an overview of the problem under study by outlining the
international and national background, the theoretical framework, the reason for the study
and its significance. It also defines pertinent terms and points out limitations of the study.
The terms educators and teachers (traditional term) are used interchangeably.
1.2. BACKGROUND
Student drop-out from science-related academic programs in South African universities is a
major challenge. Some studies render support to the above observation (Noël et al. 1985;
Boonzaaier, Vander Merwe & Hall 2002 unpub; Pandor 2004; Edgar 2006; Letseka 2007). A
study found that out of 120 000 learners who registered in 2000 for various higher education
qualifications, only 22% graduated, 50% dropped out and just 28% were still in the system
five years later (Hlehla 2005). Misconceptions of science concepts and principles carried from
high school to universities have been one of the causes of student drop-out from science
related programs (Letseka 2007).
2
Loots (2009) observed the high dropout rate from tertiary institutions in South Africa. This
prompted the researcher to collect the first year Bachelor of Science (B.Sc 1) results for four
consecutive years from a South African university in the years 2005-2008, in order to check
the dropout rate from the degree programs in physics. When analyzed, the results showed a
40% pass rate. The remaining 60% was due to both dropout and failure from the course by
the end of B.Sc 1. Details of the analysis are given in Appendix A.
Misconceptions in science have been the focus of research internationally (White & Glynn
1990; Fischer & Breuer 1995; Tsai 2000; Bryce & McMillan 2005; Baser & Geban 2007). The
researcher came across international studies specifically on misconceptions in electrostatics
also, such as Calilot and Xuan (1993); Rainson, Transtromer & Viennot (1994); Maloney
O‘kuma & Hieggelke (2001); Simanek (2002); Ramaila, Nair & Reddy (2005) and Beaty
(1996, 2007, 2008, 2009).
Nationally, Eaton, Anderson & Smith (1984); Summers, Kruger & Mant (1998); Muwanga-
Zake 2001; Boone & Yilmaz (2004); Helm (2005) and Mji & Makgato (2006) investigated the
misconception in physics among South African learners in high schools and colleges.
Researchers Mji & Makgato investigated factors associated with high school learners‘ poor
performance on mathematics and physical science and the factors they identified were
teaching strategies; content knowledge and understanding; motivation and interest;
laboratory usage and non-completion of syllabus. Muwanga-zake explained some of the
problems of science education in South Africa such as teachers‘ lack of understanding of
science concepts and process and their inability to teach practical were underpinned.
3
Learners‘ concept formation occurs through interaction with several sources and
circumstances, inter alias, home, social interactions including informal interactions, social
networks, web-chats, formal schooling, intuition and other day-to-day experiences. The pre-
conceptions that the learners hold when they first come to school could be scientifically
incorrect or correct. The incorrect pre-conceptions are called misconceptions. Misconceptions
are deeply rooted ideas that are not in harmony, sometimes in stark contrast, with the
scientific views (Pfundt & Duit 2004; Omer 2009). Characteristics of misconceptions are that
they are resistant to change, persistent, well embedded in an individual‘s cognitive ecology
and sometimes difficult to extinguish even with formal instruction (Fisher 1985; Eryilmaz
2002; Baser & Geban 2007). Since new knowledge is linked to the existing conceptions,
learners‘ misconceptions hinder their subsequent learning (Taber 2000; Palmer 2001; Omer
2009).
Misconceptions from informal learning have been attributed to, among others, cultural
backgrounds (Solomon 1983; Engel, Driver & Wood 1987; Rodriguez 2001; Brown 2004;
Tobin 2006; Aikenhead & Ogawa 2007), everyday language used with different meanings
(Coll & Taylor 2001; Gee 2004) and children‘s‘ intuitive knowledge (Gilbert, Osborne & Fen
sham 1982). According to Preece (1984), ideas are not just learned from experience, but
also built into the hardware of the brain. Misconceptions with sources originating from formal
learning of physical science concepts and principles have been illuminated by constructivist
theories of learning. Some of them are over reliance on any one technique (Chinn &
Malhotra 2002), lack of application of science concepts to real life situations (Zusho, Pintrich
& Coppola 2003; Shaffer & Macbeth 2005), errors in textbooks (Myer 1992; Tekkaya 2003;
Beatty 2007; Beatty 2009), educators‘ misconceptions (Benton 1980; Caillot & Xuan 1993;
Duit 2007) and lack of modified hands on activities by introducing fantasy scenarios (Palmer
4
2001). Teaching science lessons practically does not take place in most of the schools in
villages and townships in Eastern Cape. When I first joined a very old well kept township
school with a reasonably equipped laboratory, I found most of the instruments still in the
original packets and never opened. When I started conducting practical some teachers
commended that this new teacher is going to confuse the learners with the practical. Science
teachers of apartheid origin have no practical skills and they are scared to touch the
chemicals and equipments. My experience in other African countries was just opposite.
Developing countries, like India, make use of all the available equipments in teaching science
in lower classes and higher secondary schools got science practical examinations in grade
12. This contributed towards minimizing misconceptions. Learners‘ and educators‘ responded
to the open ended questions that if practical lessons were included learners‘ understanding
of the topic would have been better (Table 25).
Literature review revealed that learners‘ problems with misconceptions in science were not
isolated to those in physics (Galili & Hazen 2000; Niaz & Chacon 2003; Bryce & McMillan
2005; Tsai et al. 2007). For example, Research in science misconceptions could be traced to
those in the areas of physics, chemistry and life sciences among others. Those in chemistry
include the ones on chemical equilibrium (Niaz & Chacon 2003), chemical bonding (Ozmen
2004), solutions (Calik 2005) and other topics. In life sciences they include those on
photosynthesis (Marmaroti & Galanopoulou 2006) and ecosystem (Ola & Gustav 2007).
Areas of research interests in physics include those on work, energy and power (Bryce &
McMillan 2005), electricity (Tsai et al. 2007) and light (Galili & Hazen 2000; Feral 2007).
South Africa‘s higher education system is internationally recognized for its excellence but is
also riddled with inequalities, inaccessibility to most of the population and inability to meet
5
the needs of modernizing the economy (White Paper 3 1997). In response, the draft White
Paper (1997) on Educational Policy proposed rapid but regulated expansion of higher
education through merging universities, technikons and colleges. It was anticipated that this
would allow new ways of funding, including redress money for disadvantaged institutions
and ensure production of graduates that the country needs (White Paper 3 1997).
South Africa has the second most developed economy in Africa, with a highly evolved
economic infrastructure, but it also has huge social inequalities (National Policy Framework
for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa 2006). The most profound and
enduring effect of apartheid was in education, including poor infrastructure and facilities for
poor people, lack of proper amenities and inadequate training for teachers. Social
inequalities during apartheid times had produced ill-trained educators due to ill-equipped
schools with poor infrastructure, Bantu curriculum and unqualified teachers. The National
Education Policy Act 27 of 1996 highlighted specific challenges facing teachers in rural
schools. The report noted a shortage of qualified and competent teachers, problems of
teaching in multigrades and large classes, under-resourced school facilities and limited
access to professional development programs for teachers.
The teachers‘ role has strategic importance for the intellectual, moral and cultural
preparation of our young people. The first-ever national teacher education audit conducted
in 1995 highlighted the fragmented provision of teacher education, a mismatch between
teacher supply and demand and high numbers of unqualified and under qualified teachers.
6
1.3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
According to the prescribed curriculum, the learners ought to have started learning the topic
―Electrostatics‖ in grade 5. The topic is continued in grade 6. The prescribed grade 8
textbook gives a good revision of electrostatics in grades 5 and 6, followed by the addition of
more concepts. Grades 10 and 11 textbooks include all the remaining pertinent concepts and
principles in the topic. In grade 12, though the textbooks do not directly deal with
electrostatics, educators usually revise the topic since it is examinable in Grade 12.
If learners continue to harbor misconceptions even after passing Grade 12, what could be
the reasons? Grade 12 learners with physical science carry on with misconceptions despite
passing it in the final examination. Those who enroll for physics and chemistry enter
universities with those misconceptions. In order to address this challenge the study sought
to expose the major misconceptions in the topic ‗Electrostatics‘ and then investigate the
origins and causes of misconceptions. Possible solutions to the problem had to be probed
and successful ones need to be made available to the educators of the targeted district
through the Circuit Manager so that these misconceptions can be minimized if not completely
eliminated.
The present study investigated whether the learners at university entry point carried
misconceptions in electrostatics even after they had studied and passed Grade 12.
1.4. RESEARCH QUESTION
What are the major misconceptions in electrostatics among learners at university entry
point?
7
1.4.1. RESEARCH SUB-QUESTIONS
In order to answer the above question, the following sub-questions were formulated:
1.4.1.1. What are the major concepts in electrostatics at the school level?
1.4.1.2. What are the misconceptions in electrostatics among learners at university entry
point?
1.4.1.3. How could the misconceptions of learners at school be eliminated considering the
views of learners, educators and the literature reviewed?
1.5. RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY
Misconceptions serve as impediments in gaining scientifically acceptable conceptions in
physics (Baser & Geban 2007). Misconceptions may lead to student drop-out from science
courses. Personal teaching experiences in university showed that first year learners carry
misconceptions in electrostatics from schools, for example, first year learners perceive that
neutral objects contain no charges because they carry no polarity, notwithstanding that,
neutral objects contain charges but in equal number of positive and negative charges.
Learners also think that ‗only opposite charges attract each other‘ whereas a charged object
may attract some neutral objects also by inducing polarity in them. On approaching the
neutral conductor on a building, charged clouds induce a charge opposite to its own on the
neutral lightning conductor. A thorough knowledge of Electrostatics concepts and principles
has been a pre-requisite to the understanding of electricity and magnetism for B.Sc
physics/chemistry undergraduate learners. In the same way, the principles of electrostatic
attraction form the basics of nucleotide pairing in DNA, protein synthesis and action potential
in cell membrane.
8
Owing to the sparseness of literature available on misconceptions in electrostatics and their
origins, there lacks a clear direction to what precautions educators may take to eliminate
them. This study is expected to fill the gap in the literature, to some extent, on
misconceptions in electrostatics among learners. If an assessment of the misconceptions and
their possible origins can be done through research at the time of entry into the University,
directions to remedial action at the school level can be suggested in addition to suggesting
interventions at the university first year level.
The study may assist educators to help learners to correct their misconceptions in
electrostatics. This will also help learners to leave the baggage of misconceptions in
electrostatics behind them before they proceed to tertiary education. Physics teaching in
secondary school should become more concerned with providing a basis for learners to
understand their world better, including its technological and everyday aspects (Osborne &
Wittrock 1983).
1.6. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Today‘s world is one of science and technology. In many western countries there is a
concern that the number of young people pursuing scientific and technological careers was
too small to secure future needs for scientific and technological competence (Jengensen
1998; Drury & Allen 2002). South Africa is not an exception, and is faced and continues to
face a shortage of science professionals, for example engineers, doctors, scientists and
technologists.
Lack of scientifically acceptable knowledge and conceptions make it difficult for learners to
successfully pursue further studies in the science and technology fields. Although studies on
9
misconceptions in electrostatics have been done elsewhere (Guisasola 1995; Barbas & Psillos
2002; Baser & Geban 2007), there have been no specific studies conducted on learners at
the selected university at entry level. As such, the results ought to be beneficial to teachers
in schools which feed the university with learners at entry level, which in turn will benefit to
develop human capital.
1.7. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
1.7.1. THEORY OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
This study was informed by the theory of constructivism. Constructivist theory is a viable
framework for understanding, learning and developing models of effective teaching
(Czerniak, Haney & Lumpe 2003; Sandhya et al. 2009). It recommends a learner-centered
approach. The theory advocates that learning is about making connections between new and
existing knowledge (Cross 1999).
Constructivist models have advocated the use of hands-on science activities to generate
learners‘ ideas (Nussbaum & Novak 1982) and to present learners with real world problems
that can provide a basis for discussion (Nussbaum & Novak 1982; Lee & Brophy 1996). Use
of every day materials rather than specialized scientific equipment increases situational
interest by making the hands-on activities more relevant to real life (Palmer 2001).
Major components of constructivism are cognitive, social and experiential constructivism. The
four essential features of constructivism are eliciting prior knowledge, creating cognitive
dissonance, application of new knowledge with feedback and reflection on learning (Sandhya
10
et al. 2009). These components of constructivism are explained further to make clear the
remedial action one has to take to curb misconceptions of learners.
1.7.1.1. Cognitive constructivism
Cognitive constructivism emphasizes the personal construction of knowledge (Palmer 2005).
A learner with misconceptions needs to face a cognitive conflict in order to support and
accept conceptual change. According to Posner et al. (1982), the four conditions necessary
for conceptual change are:
a learner must become dissatisfied with their existing conceptions;
the problem at hand should be solved by using the new concept;
similar future problems can be solved by using the new concept.
the new concept must be clear and understandable to learners;
Motivation and self-efficacy play major roles in causing cognitive conflict. For example,
challenging tasks give learners intrinsic rewards that come from setting goals and working
strategically to attain them (Deci & Ryan 1991; Bandura 1977; Zimmerman, Bandura &
Martinez-Pons 1992). The belief about their capabilities to accomplish a task, that is self-
efficacy, would play a major role towards cognitive conflict. An educator is a crucial change
agent paving the way for constructivist reform through motivating the learners (National
Education Policy Act 27 of 1996; Czerniak et al. 2003).
1.7.1.2. Social constructivism
According to social constructivism theory, knowledge is socially constructed and that the
collaborative interactions with peers yield the collective construction of knowledge and belief
11
or thinking (Vygotsky 1986; Nuthall 2002 & Traianou 2006). Social constructivist teaching
has been theoretically based on two views (Nuthall 2002):
Learners must construct the knowledge for themselves;
Learning is a by-product of participation in a community.
The theory also emphasizes the importance of culture and context in understanding what is
happening in society, and constructing knowledge based on this understanding (McMahon
1997; Derry 1999; Aikenhead, Calabrese & Chinn 2006; Aikenhead & Ogawa 2007). Social
constructivism views each learner as a unique individual with unique needs, culture and
backgrounds. The learner is seen as complex and multidimensional (Gredler 1997).
Furthermore, the responsibility of learning should reside increasingly with the learner (Von
Glasersfeld 1989). Social constructivist scholars view learning as an active process where
learners should learn to discover principles, concepts and facts for themselves (Gredler
1997; Hirumi 2002; Lazarowitz 2006; Hertz-Lazarowitz 2008).
1.7.1.3. Experimental constructivism
Making connection between experience and new learning is important (Cross 1999).
Learning should lead to improved performance and should be capable of solving problems in
the daily lives. So learners should have opportunities to test their ideas through its
application in order to make their meanings clear. Knowledge constructed should be
understood and concretized through experimenting and reflection. Learners may perceive
the science concepts as relevant and valuable because they help them to understand the
real world (Scanlon et al. 2002; Zusho, Pintrich & Coppola 2003).
12
1.7.1.4. Teaching for understanding and learning
The following conditions would enable us to achieve ‗teaching for understanding‘ (Czerniak
et al. 2003). In other words, the following are some of the steps that could be taken to
minimize misconceptions. The educators:
facilitate, considering learners‘ preconceptions and relevance;
foster higher order thinking in learners through probing questions;
check for student understanding through assessment and evaluation techniques;
promote construction of student understanding by seeking, identifying and solving
inconsistencies or misconceptions;
use instructional approaches consisting of the following four characteristics (Czerniak
et al. 2003):
o activity based hands-on and inquiry based approach;
o using diverse materials, equipments and resources;
o valuing the learner as an individual;
o rich variety of approaches;
who have genuine enthusiasm (passion) or love for their profession (Czerniak et al.
2003) could provide learners with successful learning environment.
are expected to form small groups of learners sharing the same goals, meanings,
understanding and fully participating in the group processing as in constructivism.
1.7.2. THEORY OF CONSTRUCTIONISM
Constructionist learning is inspired by the constructivist theory that individual learners
construct mental models to understand the world around them. In this sense
constructionism is connected with experimental learning and builds on some of the ideas of
13
Piaget (Papert 1980). Constructionist learning involves learners drawing their own
conclusions through creative experimentation. The constructionist educator takes on a
mediational role rather than adopting the instructionist position (Woodruff & Mayer 1997).
Constructionism is richer, multifaceted and very much deeper in its implications than could
be conveyed by a formula (Papert & Harel 1991). Constructionism refers to the context in
which learning occurs by doing in a public, guided and collaborative process including feed-
back from peers and not just from educators.
1.7.3. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF PIAGET‘S CONSTRUCTIVISM AND PAPERT‘S
CONSTRUCTIONISM
According to Ackermann (2010) Piaget‘s constructivism offers a window into what learners
are interested in, and able to achieve, at different stages of their development. The theory
describes how the ways of doing and thinking evolve over time, and under which
circumstances learners are more likely to let go off or hold on to their currently held views.
They have their own very good reasons not to abandon their world views. Ackermann (2010)
states that in Piaget‘s view, it requires more than being exposed to a better theory for a child
to abandon a current working theory or belief system. They have to undergo conceptual
changes. Conceptual changes in learners emerge as a result of people‘s action in the world
or experience in conjunction with a host of hidden processes at play to equilibrate or viably
compensate, for surface perturbations (Carey 1987). Ackermann points out that in Piaget‘s
view, teaching is always indirect and learners don‘t just take in what is being said. Instead,
they interpret what they hear in the light of their own knowledge and experience to
transform the input. He also said, in Piaget‘s view ‗knowledge‘ is experience and it is
acquired through interaction with the world, people and things (Ackermann 2010).
14
Ackermann had the following view on Papert‘s constructionism (Ackermann 2010). Papert‘s
constructionism focuses more on the art of learning and on the significance of making
objects in learning. Papert is interested in how learners engage in a conversation with their
own and other peoples‘ artifacts, and how these conversations boost self-directed learning
and ultimately facilitate the construction of new knowledge. Papert‘s constructionism shares
the constructivist view of learning as ―building knowledge structures‖ through progressive
internalization of actions. Because of its greater focus on learning through making an object
rather than overall cognitive potentials, Papert‘s approach helps us to understand how ideas
get formed and transformed when expressed through different media, when actualized in
particular contexts and when worked out by individual minds (Ackermann 2010). The
emphasis shifts from universal to individual learners‘ conversations with their own favourite
representations, artifacts or objects to think with. According to Ackermann, Papert views that
projecting out our inner feelings and ideas is a key to learning. Expressing ideas makes them
tangible and shareable, which in turn shapes and sharpens these ideas and helps us
communicate with others through our expressions. The cycle of self directed learning is an
iterative process by which learners invent for themselves the tools and mediations that best
support the exploration of what they most care about. To Papert, knowledge remains
essentially grounded in contexts, shaped by uses, the use of external supports and
mediation to expand the potentials of the human mind at any level of their development
(Ackermann 2010).
As discussed in the context of theories as explained above, both constructivism and
constructionism demand hands-on experiences and personal knowledge construction. Social
interaction and working in pairs and groups were advocated by the theories. Motivation and
self efficacy were emphasized. Challenging tasks for the learners were emphasized. The
15
need to know the preconceptions and the knowledge with which learners enter the university
for B.Sc 1 therefore became pertinent. Hence, achievement of conceptual change where
there are misconceptions became a cardinal factor. As such, the theories of constructivism
and constructionism are the cornerstones for the theoretical basis for this study on
misconceptions.
1.8. METHODOLOGY
The research design was a case study. The sample consisted of 198 university first year
learners at entry point. The researcher distributed a questionnaire containing closed ended
items to the above sample. The items were framed in such a way that could explore the
misconceptions in electrostatics. A researcher designed in-depth interview schedule was
used to interview 30 selected learners from the above group. The learners‘ responses were
audio-recorded with their permission and later transcribed. Another questionnaire containing
both closed and open ended items was given to a group of 28 educators to identify their
misconceptions, if any. Science educators from 15 schools surrounding the University were
chosen to check whether their wrong ideas might have influenced the learners. The data
collected from the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS version 17 software and that
from in-depth interviews were transcribed and then analyzed through the systematic process
of coding, categorizing and interpreting data
1.9. LIMITATIONS AND DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This research was done for a mini-dissertation and the depth of the study is pitched
at a level lower than that of dissertation.
The study focused on educators in one education district in one of the provinces of
South Africa.
16
The study focused on first year learners in one of the universities of South Africa.
Though only one university was included in the study, the learners in the first year
B.Sc came from all the provinces of South Africa and it could give some
generalisability to the findings.
Multiple choice questions could be correctly answered for reasons that are not
scientifically valid, for example, by guessing or by random choice of options.
The sample used was university entry level learners though the result was intended to
help grade 12 learners and educators.
There was no guarantee that learners gave truthful answers to the questions.
Though the study focused on the misconceptions in electrostatics and their origins, it could
make the educators aware of the kind of planning they could do in the future before
teaching the topic to the learners of school and first year B.Sc programme in university to
eliminate misconceptions. The theories underpinning the study may inform the educators the
best known approaches to effective teaching.
1.10. DEFINITION OF PERTINENT TERMS
Misconception
Misconceptions are mental representations of concepts, which do not correspond to currently
hold scientific theory (Shelly & Hall 1993).
Constructivist Theory
It is a psychological learning paradigm which asserts that a student constructs new
knowledge based largely on what he/she already knows. The teacher‘s role in the
constructivist paradigm is to create environments that help learners to undertake this
construction accurately and effectively (Tuminaro & Redish 2007).
17
Constructionist Theory
Constructionist learning involves learners drawing their own conclusions through creative
experimentation and the making of social objects (Papert 1980).
Ex post facto design
The purpose of ex-post facto design is to investigate whether one or more pre-existing
conditions have possibly caused the existing problem (McMillan & Schumacher 2001).
Conceptual change
Conceptual change is the process by which people‘s central organizing concepts change from
one set of concepts to another which is incompatible with the first (Posner et al. 1982).
P. 15).
Electrostatics
Electrostatics is the study of electric forces and the electric charges which create those
forces. It is also defined as the study of imbalanced charges in matter, voltage and electric
fields (Beaty 2009).
Pre-conception
Pre-conception refers to the ideas that do not have the status of generalized understandings
that are characteristic of conceptual knowledge (Ausubel, 1968).
1.11. RESEARCH OUTLINE
This report includes five chapters.
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 gives an overview of background of the study, statement of the problem, rationale
and significance of the study, theoretical framework, limitations of the study and operational
definitions.
18
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 provides the literature review.
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 describes the methodology focusing on the research design, instrumentation and
data collection procedures.
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 presents the analysis of data and discussion on the findings.
Chapter 5
Chapter 5 gives the summary of findings, conclusions and recommendations
1.12. SUMMARY
This chapter provided a brief national and international background and placed the study in
context. The research problem, the reasons for and significance of the study were linked.
Role of the theory in setting tone for classroom teaching, eliminating misconceptions and
causing conceptual change were established. Limitations of the study were indicated and
pertinent terms were defined. Chapter 2 which follows provides the literature review.
19
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. INTRODUCTION
The literature review was guided by the research sub-questions. The review of related
literature was done under the following sub-headings drawn from the sub-research
questions. The related literature reviewed were physical Science textbooks from grades 5-12,
research articles on misconceptions of learners in general and electrostatics in particular
among international and national studies, the origins of misconceptions, Implementation of
Policies and School Act and remedying misconceptions.
2.2. REVIEW OF TEXTBOOKS FROM GRADE 5-12 ON ELECTROSTATICS SYLLABUS
IN SOUTH AFRICA
Physical science textbooks from grade 5-12 were reviewed in order to get a clear
understanding of the concepts and principles a grade 12 South African learner should know
from the topic, electrostatics. The concepts and principles taught in each of the classes were
given in table 4 on page 55 in chapter 4.
2.3. STUDIES ON MISCONCEPTIONS
2.3.1. INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ON MISCONCEPTION IN GENERAL
Misconceptions in science concepts and principles have been the focus of research
internationally. According to Clement, Halloun and Hestenes (1989) misconceptions are
deeply seated and likely to remain in the cognitive structure after instruction or may
resurface after learners have displayed some initial understanding immediately following
instruction. Learners cling to their erroneous beliefs tenaciously (Clement 1982). In many
cases learners develop partially correct ideas that have been used as the foundation for
20
further learning. Misconceptions may interfere with subsequent learning among learners who
did not develop an appropriate understanding of fundamental concepts from the beginning
of their studies. According to Brown and Clement (1991) preconceived notions are popular
conceptions rooted in everyday experiences. Research on learners‘ conceptual
misunderstandings of natural phenomena indicates that new concepts cannot be learned if
alternative models that explain the phenomenon exist in the learner‘s mind (Limon 2001).
Prior beliefs can persist as lingering suspicions in a student‘s mind and can hinder further
learning (McDermott 1991). So, it is important that before misconception can be corrected,
pre-conceptions need to be identified. Conceptual tests to identify misconceptions are
helpful. Asking learners to explain their reasoning has been a useful technique for detecting
learners‘ misconceptions (Hake 1992). In order to receive the new information, learners have
to deconstruct and construct their current understanding so as to accommodate the new
information (Gonzalez-Espade 2003). According to Finkelstein (2005), many advanced level
undergraduate physics majors and graduate learners who had passed the introductory
courses with high grades, failed to answer more than one half of the questions correctly on
the basic conceptual survey of the field. The same survey issued to learners taking the
introductory level course yielded results that were yet worse. This situation was not new and
had been reported extensively within the physics community and cognitive psychologists
(Aarons 1976; Hake 1998; Hestene, Wells & Swackhamer 1992; Reiner et al. 2000;
McDermott & Redish 2003). Hake (1998) discussed the difference between traditional
physics classes and interactive engagement classes in terms of learners‘ pre- and post-
instruction performance in ‗force concept inventory‘ test. The test examined learners‘ ability
to apply the Newtonian physics principles to everyday situations. Hake concluded that the
learners‘ ability to apply the concepts to everyday situations brought about through
21
interactive engagement classes was statistically significant when compared to that by
traditional physics classes.
It has been observed that existing conceptual ideas are resistant to change since the process
of ‗accommodation‘ is preceded by the process of ‗‗assimilation‘. Assimilation refers to the
recognition of a physical or mental event or concept fitting into existing conception. When an
event could not be assimilated under existing conceptions, then accommodation occurs
(Baser & Geban 2007). During the process of accommodation, the new knowledge and the
existing knowledge both undergo integration in the brain. When related concepts form
networks between and amongst them, the process of sense-making occurs and this process
is known as ‗accommodation‘.
2.3.2. NATIONAL STUDIES
Misconceptions in science have also been a cause of concern nationally (Taylor & Vinjevold
1999; Bryce & McMillan 2005; Dissessa 2006; Horn 2009; Schumba 2011). According to
Taylor and Vinjevold (1999, P. 139), teachers‘ poor grasp of the knowledge structure of
mathematics, science and geography act as a major inhibition to teaching and learning these
subjects. Strengthening science teachers‘ content knowledge should therefore be an
essential component of any professional development programme. Many investigations
focused on learners‘ widely spread ideas and ways of reasoning. Some of them were
incompatible with accepted physics concepts and resistant to change (Horn 2009). Pre-
instructional concepts act as a foundation on which knowledge is constructed in the mind of
learner (Schumba 2011). Some preconceptions are incorrect and there are great challenges
in substituting these misconceptions with correct concepts. The process of modifying these
naïve misconceptions into scientifically acceptable concepts is called conceptual change
22
(Dissessa 2006). Research in science education that was based on conceptual change ideas,
made an important contribution to the teaching of science by identifying key points in
instructional strategies, which helped learners to overcome their misconceptions (Bryce &
McMillan 2005). Though some researches were conducted in South Africa, the research
results had not reached the teaching community through awareness programs.
2.3.3. MISCONCEPTIONS IN ELECTROSTATICS OF THE LEARNERS FOUND FROM THE
LITERATURE
Internet search assisted in getting a list of misconceptions in electrostatics which was
compiled by Beaty (2009).
There cannot be any electric field at a point where charge cannot move (Viennot &
Rainson 1992).
It is not necessary for charge to be present in an electric field. Learners may
erroneously think that electric field is the path of electrons. Electric field is the region
around a charged object where force due to that charge arises. A test charge placed
in that region would experience a force in the direction of the field. The field lines
represent the direction of the field.
There is no transfer of charge between two metal objects with charges of the
same sign (Guruswamy et al. 1997).
Metal objects with the same sign are not enough to stop the charge transfer. The size
and the sign of charge on both the metal objects must be the same to stop the
charge transfer. If the metal objects have charges with the same sign and different
size, electron transfer will take place. It is because the charges of different size make
one of them more negative than the other. For example, if both objects are negatively
23
charged, electrons will flow from the one with more negative charge to the one with
less negative.
Charge transfer between opposite charged metal objects occurs until one of the
objects is neutral (Guruswamy et al. 1997).
When two metal objects which are oppositely charged and kept in contact, charge
transfer will occur until the charge size and sign of the objects become equal.
A charged body contains only one type of charge (either electrons or protons)
(Siegel & Lee 2001).
A charged body contains both positive and negative particles but unequal in number.
If positive charges are more than negative charges, the body is said to be positively
charged. If negative charges are more than positive charges, the body said to be
negatively charged.
Field lines can begin and end anywhere and there are a finite number of field lines
(Rainson, Transtromer & Viennot 1994; Maloney, O‘kuma & Hieggelke 2001).
Field lines flow from positive to negative end. Field lines are conventional lines used
to represent an electric field. It won‘t emerge from anywhere and there are infinite
number of field lines.
Parallel plate capacitors store voltage (Beatty 1996; Simanek 2002).
Parallel plate capacitors do not store voltage. It stores energy in the electric field
between the plates.
Neutral atoms contain no charged particles (Baser & Geban 2007).
Neutral atoms contain charged particles. Since there are equal number of positively
charged protons and negatively charged electrons, they neutralize each other.
Opposite charges only could attract each other and it seems that charged objects
have nothing to do with neutral objects (Baser & Geban 2007);
24
There can be attraction between the charged object and the neutral object.
A charged object (positive or negative) may induce polarity (an unlike charge on the
nearer end and like charge at the farther end) on a neutral object when a charged
object comes or brought near a neutral object and hence, they attract each other.
Charges jump from one plate to the other plate of a capacitor (Baser & Geban
2007).
There is no jumping of charges from one plate to the other plate of the capacitor.
When we ‗charge‘ a capacitor the extra electrons added on to one plate, produce a
field which reaches across the gap between the plates, force an equal number of
electrons to leave the other plate of the capacitor (Beaty 1996).
Parallel plate capacitor stores a net charge (Baser & Geban 2007).
Before charging a capacitor, the capacitor remained neutral. After charging the
capacitor, the capacitor remained neutral as well. No matter how much charge you
put in, one plate is positive and the other plate is equally negative before and after
charging the capacitor. So there is no net charge stored in a charged and uncharged
capacitor.
Charging a capacitor is filling it with charge (Beaty 2007)
In a capacitor, for every electron you remove from one plate, you inject an electron
on the other plate. So none are gained or lost from the device. So charging capacitor
is not at all filling the capacitor with charge.
Static electricity is a build-up of electrons (Beaty 2008).
―Static electricity is a build-up of electrons (Beaty 2008)‖ is a misconception. Static
electricity is brought about by an imbalance of positive and negative charges. It is an
‗uncancelling,‘ event which occurs between the large unequal quantities of opposite
charges.
25
Electrostatics is the study of electricity at rest (Beaty 2009).
According to Beaty, electrostatics is the study of electric charges and the forces they
create. It has nothing to do with the static nature of the charges. Charges which are
separated or imbalanced can sometimes flow along. So ―electrostatics is the study of
electricity at rest‖ is a misconception (Beaty 2009).
Static electricity is caused by friction (Beaty 2009).
―Static electricity is caused by friction (Beaty 2009)‖ is a misconception. Static
electricity appears whenever two dissimilar insulating materials are placed into
intimate contact and then separated again. When they are in contact chemical bonds
are formed between the two surfaces. If the atoms in one of the surfaces tend to hold
electrons more tightly, that surface will tend to steal electrons from the other surface.
This causes the surfaces to gain imbalances of opposite polarity and hence, static
electricity results as we separate them.
2.4. ORIGIN OF MISCONCEPTIONS FROM FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING
Literature review showed that misconceptions of children accrued from formal and informal
learning. My personal experiences showed that most of the learners living in villages came
from backgrounds devoid of educational toys and technological gadgets. Their experiences
of the scientific and technological world are very limited. They virtually depended on school
teaching with very limited laboratory activities to experience most of the physics concepts
and principles. Under such conditions, proper understanding of physics concepts may be
impaired and misconceptions may arise among learners. Research by Ivowi (1984) showed
that this is not uncommon. Ivowi (1984) also observed that very closely related to this
problem is the inherent beliefs and superstition which may appear logical and are at variance
with scientific concepts. The association of thunder and lightning with electrical charges
26
derivable from merely rubbing neutral substances becomes a reflection of superstition (Ivowi
1986a).
2.4.1. MISCONCEPTIONS FROM INFORMAL LEARNING
Misconceptions from informal learning have been attributed to, among others, cultural
backgrounds (Solomon 1983; Engel, Driver & Wood 1987; Rodriguez 2001; Brown 2004;
Tobin 2006; Aikenhead & Ogawa 2007), every day language used with different meanings
(Venuti 2000; Coll & Taylor 2001; Sankey 2002; Gee 2004; Larry et al. 2006; Gaigher, Rogan
& Braun 2007) and intuitive knowledge (Gilbert, Osborne & Fen sham 1982; Shaffer &
McBeath 2005).
Tobin (2006) viewed that effective teaching necessitated an alignment between teacher and
student as well as student and student that values and shares the culture of each.
Stakeholders in a classroom need to develop shared understanding of what teaching and
learning is. Aikenhead and Ogawa (2007) have corroborated this view. According to these
researchers, learners should negotiate their learning, interact with each other and
incorporate their knowledge in further learning. So, all the misconceptions attached to the
cultural background could be discussed in the open which will help to iron out the
differences.
According to Venuti (2000) some translation theories have assumed an instrumental concept
of language as communication expressive of thought and meaning where meanings are
either based on reference to an empirical reality or derived from a context. In South African
context, languages of various regions have got different meaning of the scientific terms. For
27
example, electrostatics is explained in relation to friction between objects and lightning
among others.
From the earliest days of a child‘s life, s/he develops beliefs about what happens in her/his
surrounding (Driver 1983). As the child grows older, these beliefs become integrated into a
coherent explanatory model of the world, so that by the time the child starts formal science
education s/he already has a well developed view of ‗naïve physics‘. Feher‘s (1990) research
showed that children do not necessarily confront their own misconceptions when learning
from exhibits and may instead construct models which build on these misconceptions.
Physics-naive learners have a large collection of these phenomenological-primitives in terms
of which they see the world and to which they appeal as self-contained explanations for
what they see.
A number of studies (Siegel, Butterworth & Newcombe 2004; Vosniadou, Skopeliti &
Ikospentaki 2004; Vosniadou & Brewer 1994) showed that children develop naive mental
models. According to Vosniadou and Brewer (1994), children‘s ideas differ from culture to
culture. For example, while in one culture, the earth is considered flat or flattened with
people on top and in another, hollow with people inside and yet in another, dual with one
flat earth on which we live and another spherical one in the sky. These researchers claimed
that children must have strong intuitions that lead them to construct theories or mental
models such as the flat, hollow or dual earth. The mental model view proposed that children
form naïve, theory-like mental models before they acquire the scientific view (Vosniadou &
Ioannidis 1998). This mental model could be scientifically correct at times depending on the
timing of culturally transmitted information. For example, Siegel, Butterworth & Newcombe
(2004) investigated children‘s knowledge of cosmology in relation to the shape of earth and
28
the day-night cycle. A comparison of understanding of the children aged 4-9 years living in
Australia and England on the above topics were carried out. Children from both countries
produced responses compatible with a conception of round earth on which people can live all
over without falling off. Australian children who have early instruction in this domain were
significantly in advance of their English counterparts. Before any exposure to instruction,
children form an ‗‗initial‖ mental model that is gradually replaced by ‗‗synthetic‖ models.
Synthetic models results from the combination of children‘s intuitive beliefs (e.g., the earth is
flat and supported) and counter intuitive scientific facts transmitted by the culture. Children
construct naive theories that enable them to explain and predict phenomena in the physical
and psychological worlds (Wellman & Gelman 1998; Inagaki & Hatano 2002; Jaakkola &
Slaughter 2003; Gopnik 2005; Spelke & Kinzler 2007). During conceptual development, they
encounter new evidence that contradicts their initial conceptions which presents them with
theoretical anomalies (Driver 1985). Only during late childhood the synthetic models are
superseded by the scientific view, for example, spherical earth (Georgia, Gavin & Anita
2008).
2.4.2. MISCONCEPTIONS FROM FORMAL LEARNING
Misconceptions in Physical science concepts and principles have been illuminated by
constructivist theories of learning such as over reliance on any one technique (Chinn &
Malhotra 2002), lack of modified hands-on activities by introducing fantasy scenarios (Palmer
2001), lack of application of science concepts to real life situations (Zusho, Pintrich &
Coppola 2003), errors in textbooks (Myer 1992; Tekkaya 2003; Beatty 2009) and teachers‘
misconceptions (Bento 1980; Caillot & Xuan 1993).
29
Some other origins of formal misconceptions are confusion about analogies, use of
metaphors (Head 1986) and teachers‘ language. Teachers, who understand the ideas,
cannot easily pass on the knowledge since the language they use in order to communicate
contains an implicit and serious barrier to learning (Austin & Howson 1979).
Another reason for formal misconception among high school learners is that they perceive
school physics as difficult, unenjoyable, mathematical and of limited application (Zhu 2007).
Personal experiences show that some study physics only because it is a prerequisite for
careers and other subject areas. Formal misconceptions are further discussed below. The
causes of formal misconceptions and the discussions based on them are given below. Taking
care of these factors could solve the problem of misconceptions from formal learning.
Motivation
Motivation has been recognized as an important factor in the construction of knowledge and
the process of conceptual change (David 2005). Motivation can be extrinsic or intrinsic.
Intrinsic motivation refers to something enjoyable and extrinsic motivation focuses on factors
external to the individual such as rewards, praise, privileges or attention. Intrinsic motivation
could be enhanced by providing challenge, curiosity, fantasy and control (Hodell 1989). The
President‘s Education Initiative Research Project (1999) concluded that the most critical
challenge for teacher education in South Africa was the limited conceptual knowledge of
many teachers. Factors such as lack of motivation and lack of hands-on activities are due to
the inefficiency of the educators in organizing appropriate learning situations. Lack of
seriousness or capacity on the part of schools and government in equipping classroom and
laboratory and reskill educators‘ to handle new curricula with the new approach in teaching
are other factors. All these factors contributed to learner misconceptions.
30
Novelty and Hands-on activity
Novelty is very important in gaining learners‘ initial attention for a task (Man et al. 2004).
―It has been suggested that a variety of different types of activities are desirable, so
as to provide relevance to the full range of learners in a class and to avoid over
reliance on any one technique. As many tasks as possible facilitate the creation of
diverse participation structures such as working individually or collaboratively, active
movement and production of artifacts and allow social interaction among learners,
whether they collaborate or not (Keplan & Maehr 1999, p. 30)‖.
Situational interest
Through a process of scaffolding, an educator can gradually guide learners to develop
knowledge and skills while making connections with learners‘ existing schema (Vygotsky
1978; Lemke 2001). Situational interest is a short term interest that is aroused by aspects of
a specific situation. For example, spectacular demonstrations could arouse transient interest
even in learners who are not particularly interested in a science subject (Hidi 1990).
Correctly presented practicals and demonstrations eliminate misconceptions and could cause
conceptual change.
Textbooks
Textbooks are another source of misconception (Beatty 2009). Language and analogies in
those textbooks have been cited as sources of misconceptions (Head 1986). The language in
which the text is written causes problems of understanding particularly where it is not the
learners‘ mother tongue. In some cases when the concept itself is explained using improper
analogy, it confuses the learner. Analogical reasoning in creative processes usually leads to
31
inconsistencies. The analogy itself never provides reasons for accepting the solution (Meheus
2006). It points towards the need for improved textbook writing by taking care of both
language and concept clarity. Weak analogies by the teachers are due to following examples
from the textbook. For example, to teach internal structure of atoms one may select the
analogy of solar system. The analogy allows one to hypothesize that electrons
move around the nucleus in the same way as planets move around the sun. The mere fact
that planets move around the sun was not considered as a sufficient reason to believe that
electrons move around the nucleus. In the case of internal structure of atoms, inferences are
made not only from the analogy between atoms and solar system, but also from the relevant
theoretical and observational findings about atoms. It follows from the analogy between the
solar system and the internal structure of atoms that electrons never jump. This conclusion
is rejected because one could establish deductively that electrons do jump which results in
inconsistencies. When analogy fails, the logic inhibits the applications of specific rules
(Meheus 2006, p. 29).
Educators
Educators themselves have also been found to exhibit some misconceptions in physics (Ivowi
1986b; Bento 1980; Caillot & Xuan 1993). Teachers were once learners and any
misconception formed then persists unless some effort was made to erase it. The situation
has been worsened by employing unqualified teachers, especially in primary school (National
Teacher Education Audit 1995; Report on Ministerial Committee on Rural Education (2005).
The language used by the teacher for teaching is another cause of misconception due to
poor understanding by the pupil. Government is very well convinced of lack of pedagogical
content knowledge (PCK) and teaching skills of most of the teachers as well as the language
problem (President‘s Education Initiative 1999; Report on Ministerial Committee on Rural
32
Education 2005). Hence the formulation of National Education Policy Act (NEPA), 1996,
South African School Act (SASA), 84 of 1996, and National Policy Framework for Teacher
Education and Development of South Africa 2006 need to be implemented with full force.
It is evident that many teachers hold limited views of the teaching and learning process and
of the nature of science (Shymansky, Yore & Anderson 2004; Duit 2007). Teachers tend to
teach the way they were taught, and breaking this cycle requires different emphasis on
pedagogy in teacher education (Rose 2006). As Stofflett (1994) observed that changing
pedagogical knowledge, like scientific knowledge, will not occur through replication but
rather through reconstruction. If teachers have to change their views of science teaching,
they themselves must undergo a process of conceptual change (Stofflett 1994; Osborne &
Collins 2001; Sadler & Tai 2001). Basically the same conceptual change frameworks for
addressing learners‘ conceptions have proven valuable to develop teachers‘ views of science
concepts (Hewson et al. 1999; Duit & Treagust 2003). As noted by Anderson (2007) in his
recent overview of research about science learning, there is a large gap between what is
known in the research domain of conceptual change about more efficient teaching and
learning and what may be set into practice in normal classes. Policies have been formulated
to cater for the need, to implement the National Curriculum Statement (Physical Science
2003, Chap. 1), which is an outcomes-based education with the ammunition to eliminate
misconceptions. The South African Schools Act (1996) was intended to equip the school
managers, School Governing bodies Bodies (SGBs) and School administration to do all the
background work to implement OBE teaching in full force. On the other hand National Policy
of Framework for Teacher Development in South Africa (2006) did set the scene to train the
educators to handle the new curriculum. The document, Norms and Standards for Teacher
Education, Training and Development (1997) was expected to make the teachers‘ aware of
33
their roles and associated competencies required to facilitate learning the new curriculum.
The Council on Higher Education, CHE (2001) provides equal opportunity for all its citizens to
make use of the available facilities with all the support systems for their transformation to fit
in to the new environment. It aims to reduce the dropout rate in tertiary education.
Teacher absenteeism
A study conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on behalf of the
Education Labour Relations Council (ELRC), entitled ‗Educator Supply and Demand‘, cited in
National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development of South Africa 2006
indicated that the poor health of educators, especially in regard to HIV and AIDS, resulted in
increased absenteeism and retirement of educators (National Policy Framework for Teacher
Education and Development of South Africa 2006). This has contributed to poor grasp of
science subjects and low levels of learner achievement (President‘s Education Initiative
1999). Low levels of grasp in the subject results in misconceptions and it becomes a
stumbling block to new knowledge conception in university, resulting in increased drop-out
rates from the courses. In turn, this leads to poor production of graduates from tertiary
institutions and hence the shortage of staff in the fields of science and technology needed to
compete in the world market (National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and
Development of South Africa 2006).
2.5. SOME POSSIBILITIES TO ELIMINATE MISCONCEPTIONS AND TO INITIATE
CONCEPTUAL CHANGE
2.5.1. POLICIES AND SCHOOL ACT – PROBLEM WITH IMPLEMENTATION
South Africa has world class education policies and teacher education and development
policies, but lacks expertise in implementing those policies. The present National Policy
34
Framework for Teacher Education and Development of South Africa 2006 once implemented
could produce better teachers who could handle the present curriculum provided the schools
are equipped to teach the new curriculum. This would, in one way or on other, reduce
misconceptions in physics among learners.
Educators face learners with varying capabilities and needs in a particular class. Learners‘
needs vary for many reasons. These include preconceptions held about certain topics, slow
understanding, poor background or upbringing and demotivation due to some other reason.
To handle such a group of learners, the educators need sound pedagogical content
knowledge, appropriate resources, right approach and appropriately contextualized content
to inspire all the learners in the class. The introduction of new curricula emphasized greater
professional autonomy and that required teachers to have knowledge and applied
competences, including the use of new technologies in order to cope with radical changes in
student demographics, and cultural and linguistic composition of classrooms (National Policy
Framework for Teacher Education and Development of South Africa 2006).
National Education Policy Act 27 (1996) is underpinned by the belief that teachers are the
essential drivers of a quality education system. It is clear that teachers need to enhance
their skills, not necessarily only qualifications, for the delivery of the new curriculum to be
effective. A large majority of educators need to strengthen their subject knowledge base,
PCK and teaching skills. Many need to revive their enthusiasm and commitment to their
calling (President‘s Education Initiative 1999)
35
2.5.2. REMEDYING MISCONCEPTIONS
An interest in misconceptions of learners is generated because it is believed that learners
could not be seen as ‗blank slates‘. To make teaching more effective and learning more
useful, it is essential that a student‘s preconceived ideas are taken into account while
planning the lessons. A number of research studies have indicated that learners come to
class with pre-conceived ideas (Stella et al. 2001; Sinatra & Pintrich 2003; Kinchin & Alias
2005; Rose 2006; Duit 2007). Learners‘ pre-conceptions are not always in harmony with
science concepts (Kinchin & Alias 2005; Duit 2007). Hence misconceptions stand as a
stumbling block to new knowledge conception. So the consideration of alternative
perspectives of the learners helps teachers to recognize this mismatch and restructure
teaching accordingly (Kinchin & Alias 2005). Some studies suggest that instructional
strategies leading to conceptual change can be employed to eliminate learners‘
misconceptions (Sinatra & Pintrich 2003; Duit 2007). Knowledge acquisition and conceptual
change take place through a process of formulation, reformulation, and reinterpretation of
knowledge, where the learners are constantly evaluating relevance, contrasting different
points of view, and testing their validity (Stella et al. 2001; Rose 2006).
The construction and the reconstruction of meanings by learners require that they actively
seek to integrate new knowledge with knowledge already in their cognitive structure (Novak
2002). Piaget calls this as assimilation followed by accommodation. Meaningful learning
involves learners in constructing integrated knowledge structures, which contain their prior
knowledge, experiences, new concepts and other relevant knowledge (Tsai 2000).
Consequently attempts have been made to formulate strategies to deal with misconceptions
that exist among learners (Clement 1987) to make accommodation possible.
36
A number of studies have suggested that instructional strategies leading to conceptual
change could be employed to eliminate student‘s misconceptions (Yanowitz 2001; Heywood
2002; Tekkaya 2003; Sinatra & Pintrich 2003; Abd-El-Khalick and Ackerson 2004; Dhindsa
and Anderson 2004; Rule and Furletti 2004; Luera, Otto & Zitzewitz 2005). Conceptual
change implies that a learner actively and rationally replaces existing pre scientific
conceptions with scientifically acceptable explanations as new propositional linkages are
formed in his/her conceptual framework. Many constructivist science educators have chosen
the use of conceptual change approaches in science education (Abd-El-Khalick & Ackerson
2004; Dhindsa & Anderson 2004; Luera, Otto & Zitzewitz 2005). Studies reveal that
analogies provide the learners‘ opportunities to work with their existing concepts and
construct their knowledge (Yanowitz 2001; Rule & Furletti 2004). Moreover, the linkage
between new understanding and the real world motivates learners‘ to learn better (Heywood
2002). Conceptual change text is another effective tool to promote meaningful learning
(Tekkaya 2003).
A theory that guides the remedial action of misconception has been the ‗constructionism‘
referred to in chapter 1 which allows learners to develop their own reasoned interpretations
of their interactions with the world. Perhaps more important, constructionist learning
environments allow learners to share and collaboratively reflect on these cognitive artifacts
(Kenneth & Sasha 2001). According to Hanze and Berger (2007), promoting feelings of
competence through cooperative grouping benefited learners with low academic self-
confidence because stronger feelings of competence lead to more motivation toward physics
and subsequently higher achievement.
37
2.5.3. CONCEPTUAL CHANGE TEXT AND CONCEPTUAL CHANGE
Conceptual change texts are designed to change student‘s misconception and focus on
strategies to promote conceptual change by challenging learners‘ misconceptions, producing
dissatisfaction followed by a correct explanation which is both understandable and plausible
to the learners. Learners are given texts which identify common misconceptions. Learners‘
misconceptions are activated by presenting them with situations that are designed to elicit a
prediction or when they are challenged by introducing common misconceptions followed by
evidence that is incorrect. Finally, the instruction should present the correct scientific
explanation (Yurdagul & Petek 2002).
One of the strategies to invoke conceptual change is through creating cognitive conflict
(Nussbaum & Novak 1982). Cognitive conflict alone is not sufficient to induce conceptual
change; it has to be grounded on a more challenging context that creates learning
awareness (Gilbert, Osborne & Fen sham 1982). According to Zusho, Pintrich and Coppola
(2003) when learners are aware of the conflict between existing knowledge and the
scientifically accepted information, conceptual change is most probable to happen. Gilbert,
Osborne and Fen sham (1982) argued that learning abstract and complex chemistry
concepts require conceptual change. One way to induce conceptual change when learning
science is through engaging learners in learning situations that will necessarily challenge
learners‘ naïve thinking and leading them to reorganize their existing naïve knowledge
structure and moving towards a scientifically conceptual framework. Learners should
experience that the new conception enable them to solve problems and have the opportunity
to apply, test and evaluate their new conception. In most South Africa school situation, there
lacks the opportunity to apply science knowledge in solving everyday life problem. This
38
situation resulted in the science learning became boring, uninteresting and difficult to the
learners and hence arose problem of misconceptions in science.
2.6. CONCLUSION
This chapter gave the details of pertinent literature related to this study. Literature showed
that not only learners but also educators need conceptual change to achieve the correct
learning of correct science principles in general and physics concepts in particular. Active
learning and practicing of constructivist theories and principles could help to bring about
conceptual change. Educators being the essential drivers to quality education are responsible
for causing conceptual change through motivation of learners, creating situational interest,
diverse teaching modes and hands-on-activity. Successful implementation of Education
Policies and School Act could revive educators‘ enthusiasm and commitment to their calling.
39
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
3.1. INTRODUCTION
This chapter provides the research design and methodology followed in this study.
3.2. RESEARCH DESIGN
This study used the ex-post facto research design. According to Brigg and Coleman (2007), a
research design ought to achieve the objectives of the research. This study attempted to
take note of the above. Thus, the ex-post facto design was used to find out the major
misconceptions in electrostatics that were carried from the schools by the first year B.Sc 1
learners.
3.3. THE POPULATION AND SAMPLE
There were two samples, namely, the learner and educator samples.
3.3.1. LEARNER SAMPLE
The learner population consisted of 198 first year B.Sc physics and chemistry learners from
the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology at a historically disadvantaged
University. The sample belonged to the same university where the researcher taught. The
target population also constituted the sample in this study. That is, all 198 learners (109
females and 89 males) participated in the study.
3.3.2. EDUCATOR SAMPLE
Another sample consisted of 28 educators: 10 males and 18 females. All the members in the
educator population formed the sample. The female science educators were more
40
represented since they were in majority in those selected high schools. They were selected
from 15 High Schools in the nearby surroundings of the university, from where most of the
learners came from, through convenient sampling considering easy accessibility of the
principals and educators. Some schools had two science educators each and others had one
each who completed the questionnaire. The educators were included in the research to
check whether they could be one of the sources of learners‘ misconceptions in electrostatics.
3.4. COMBINATION OF QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACHES
This study adopted the mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) approach. The rationale
of mixed approach was that the quantitative data gave a general picture of the research
problem while the qualitative data refined, explained or extended the general picture
(Creswell, Clark, Gutmann & Hanson 2003; Ivankova, Creswell & Stick 2006). The use of
quantitative and qualitative approaches in combination provided a better understanding of
the research problems than would have been the case using a single approach (Creswell &
Clark 2007; Masitsa 2008).
The quantitative view is described as being ―realist‖ or sometimes positivist. Realist means
that the researcher needs to be detached from the research as much as possible, and use
methods that maximize objectivity and minimize the involvement of the researcher (Daniel
2004, p.3-6). So, the researcher got detached from the participants while administering the
questionnaire. The strength of quantitative method included stating the research problem in
very specific and set terms (McMillan & Schumacher 2006). In quantitative research, the
researcher relied on numerical data to test the relationship between the variables (Charles &
Mertler 2002).
41
3.5. INSTRUMENTS
According to Maree and Pietersen (2008), questionnaire construction is an extremely
important part of the research process to generate required data. When the questionnaire
was designed, the researcher had to keep in mind what type of data had to be generated by
the questionnaire and the statistical technique that had to be used to analyze the data. The
items in the instruments were intended to answer the research sub-questions. Data
collection instruments were questionnaires for learners‘ and educators‘ (Appendix B & E) and
a semi-structured interview schedule for learners (Appendix D).
3.5.1. LEARNER QUESTIONNAIRE
Multiple choice questions (MCQs) were used in quantitative analysis. Gyeke (2008) reported
that they were useful in the investigation of misconceptions. Although, MCQs do not exclude
the possibility of guessing, Gyeke (2008) refers to Merrill (1970) who observed that multiple
choice tests can be used to identify and locate misconceptions because:
they confirmed construct validity, content validity and hence face validity of multiple
choice items;
they covered a wide range of the syllabus;
respondents were given a wide range of options to make a choice.
In addition Merrill observed that some of the drawbacks of MCQs are that:
they demand extensive reading of the topic;
possibilities of guess work in answering it;
distracters may not be plausible.
In this study the researcher tried to overcome the above through careful selection of
distracters and phrasing of questions. The questionnaire was given for correction twice to
two experts for review in content and language.
42
The questionnaire (Appendix B) was intended to survey misconceptions in electrostatics
amongst learners. For section A, model of a questionnaire in the article ―Effects of instruction
based on conceptual change activities on learners‘ understanding of static electricity
concepts‖ by Baser and Geban (2007) was followed. It was then redesigned to answer the
research sub-questions in this research. The items in the questionnaire covered all the
important concepts and principles in the topic. The questionnaire comprised sections A & B.
Section A had 22 items and section B had 6 MCQs.
SECTION A
Items 1-3 gathered demographic data: learners‘ gender, language and age range. Items 4-
10 measured effects of motivation from the educators, hands-on activities and group work.
Items 11-22 were content based to check the misconceptions. Items 4-22 were Likert‘s scale
items, each with five options such as strongly agree (SA), agree (A), neutral (N), disagree
(D) and strongly disagree (SD) (see Appendix B).
SECTION B
The content area which was not covered through the Likerts‘ scale mode was covered with
six MCQs, each with one out of five options as the correct option in Section B. One among
the four other options was a misconception and the other three were distracters (Appendix
B).
Multiple choice questions were used to assess misconceptions by assessing how many
learners chose incorrect options in order to gain clues to misconceptions. If a number of
learners had chosen a particular incorrect option, then it could be a pointer to a
misconception.
43
3.5.2. EDUCATOR QUESTIONNAIRE
The Educator questionnaire (Appendix E) consisted of the 20 Likert‘s scale items (of which 3
items on demographic data), 6 multiple choice questions and 9 open-ended items. Likert‘s
scale items (except for the demographic ones) and MCQs were similar to the ones in the
learner questionnaire. Closed-ended questions were intended to expose educators‘
misconceptions. Whereas open-ended questions were intended to find out what precautions
the educators took to eliminate/reduce the misconceptions of learners‘ and their
recommendations.
3.5.3. LEARNER INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
From the quantitative analysis of the responses to the learner questionnaire, the researcher
tried to locate the learners‘ misconceptions. The results from the quantitative analysis guided
the researcher to prepare the semi-structured interview schedule (Appendix D) to generate
data which were later qualitatively analyzed.
The interview schedule consisted of 20 semi-structured questions. Questions in the interview
schedule were re-structured forms of the items in the questionnaire for learners. This was
done to incorporate the same content as was in the questionnaire previously given.
Learners were encouraged to put forward their views, concerns and ideas about how they
arrived at their respective chosen answers. The items were framed in such a way that their
answers could guide the researcher with possibilities to trace the origins of the
misconceptions.
44
3.6. INSTRUMENT VALIDITY
Validity is the extent to which an instrument measures what it is supposed to measure
(Maree & Pietersen 2008, p. 216).
3.6.1. CONSTRUCT VALIDITY
To create a test with construct validity, first the domain of interest is defined and the
instrument which measures that domain is designed (Mathew 2008). Fundamentally and by
way of definition construct validity transcends all other forms of validity (Imenda &
Muyangwa 1996) as cited by Mathew (2008). The construct validity of the questionnaires for
the main study was improved with the help of a pilot study.
3.6.2. CONTENT VALIDITY
The content validity of the instrument is assured through cruising it by experts in the subject
(Pietersen & Maree 2008, p.217). An instrument with content validity has face validity. To
ensure content validity of an instrument, the researcher presented provisional versions to
two experts (one subject and one education expert) in the field for their comments before
finalizing the instrument. The content validity of the instrument was again tested through
the pilot study, and it was found to be necessary to rephrase some of the items. One item
was replaced by another which would answer the research questions better.
3.7. INSTRUMENT RELIABILITY
Reliability is the extent to which a measuring instrument is repeatable and consistent
(Pietersen & Maree 2008, p. 216). It means that the same instrument when administered to
different subjects at different times from the same population, the finding would be similar.
The next section would engage in showing how the instrument succeeded in reaching the
45
objectives of this research. This was done through drawing the items from the questionnaire
which answered each of the sub- research questions (Table 1)
3.8. PILOT STUDY
According to White (2002), a pilot study is aimed to make necessary changes in the
instrument to ascertain the feasibility, reliability and validity of the instrument. Gyeke (2008)
refers to Peat, et al. (2002) who explained the advantages of undertaking a pilot study as
follows: It
is an essential precursor to many research projects and improves the internal validity
of the questionnaire;
identifies ambiguities, difficult questions and other irregularities in the questionnaire;
gives feedback from the pilot study to discard unnecessary and difficult questions and
reword the questions that were not answered as expected;
assists in gauging the time needed for completing the questionnaire;
helps to assess whether each question gave an adequate number of responses.
The pilot study assisted the researcher to identify ambiguities, difficult questions and other
irregularities. For the pilot study 22 learners from the B.Sc 1 learners of another class (14
male and 8 female) volunteered to complete the questionnaire during orientation week held
at the beginning of the academic year. This class was not involved in the main study. The
gender ratio was not deliberately made to be biased towards males but it so happened that
more males volunteered. The researcher explained all the ethical considerations to the group
and then they signed the informed consent form. The researcher supervised the completion
of the learner questionnaire in the pilot study. This approach gave the researcher an
opportunity to clear the doubts and other problems of the members of the sample and the
46
problem were noted to improve the instrument. The completed questionnaires were
collected after 90 minutes. The data collected were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS
version 17. The pilot study results (Appendix F) from the analyzed data showed elements of
misconceptions and hence validity of the instrument was confirmed. It meant that the
instrument was capable of measuring what it was intended to measure. The feedback from
the pilot study showed that the items were capable of attracting answers to the research
sub-questions. Two educators were used to pilot study the educator questionnaire. It
enabled the researcher to remove difficult questions and rectify irregularities. Semi-
structured interview schedule was also pilot studied through interviewing a learner from the
interview sample to make necessary adjustments and modifications. Interviews were
conducted only for learners and not for educators.
3.8.1. IMPROVEMENT BASED ON THE FEEDBACK ON PILOT STUDY
Feedback on pilot study gave an opportunity to adjust the data collection instruments. The
following changes were made in the learner and educator questionnaires:
Some of the items were reworded since 3 learners asked for clarification on those
questions.
Two items were merged since they gave almost the same answer.
An item was replaced by another one since it didn‘t provide intended information.
Sections A and B of the educator questionnaire contained the same questions as in sections
A and B of the learner questionnaire which were previously corrected. The additional section
C of the educator questionnaire necessitated clarity in questioning. Semi-structured interview
schedule had one of the difficult questions removed.
47
3.9. ETHICAL CONSIDERATION AND PERMISSION TO USE THE SAMPLE.
Permission to use the learners to conduct the research was granted by the Research Ethics
Committee (Appendix G), Director of Applied and Environmental Sciences in Faculty of
Science, Engineering and Technology (Appendix H), Registrar of the selected university
(Appendix I), the Department of Education (Appendix J) and Principals of the selected
schools (Appendix K)
The informed consent forms (Appendix L) were distributed to the learners followed by an
explanation of the research. They had an opportunity to terminate their participation at any
time with no penalty. The learners were briefed on the confidentiality of their statements,
their anonymity and no harm to them. Informed consent forms were signed by learners and
educators after they had read it.
3.10. DATA COLLECTION FROM LEARNERS
The researcher collected data in two phases such as quantitative (questionnaires) and
qualitative data (interview schedule).
3.10.1. ADMINISTRATION OF LEARNER QUESTIONNAIRE (Appendix B)
The questionnaires were administered to 198 B.Sc 1 learners during the first week of the
academic year. It took place in two venues under normal classroom conditions under the
supervision of two lecturers in each class. The researcher used group administration of
questionnaires. The researcher made herself available to clarify learners‘ doubts and
questions. It took approximately 90 minutes for the learners to complete the questionnaire.
The researcher waited while whole groups of respondents completed the questionnaire as
48
suggested by Maree and Pietersen (2008). The completed questionnaires were collected and
marked before data analysis.
3.10.2. ADMINISTRATION OF EDUCATORS‘ QUESTIONNAIRE
Educators in the sample were given the Educator Questionnaire to check whether they might
be a source of misconception. A mixture of closed and open-ended items made the design a
good blend of quantitative and qualitative methods. Educators were also given informed
consent forms (Appendix L) to read and then sign. They were all co-operative enough to
return the completed questionnaire during the same week.
3.10.3. ADMINISTRATION OF LEARNER INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
In the second phase of qualitative data collection, 30 learners out of the sample were
selected for interviews. They were selected on the basis of their score for the items in the
questionnaire: 10 learners from each of the three levels, namely below average, average and
above average. This qualitative phase of the semi-structured interview schedule was
intended to deduce the possible origins of the misconceptions (Nieuwenhuis 2008).
Each learner was interviewed for 40-60 minutes in the physics laboratory and responses
were audio-recorded with their permission. Learners were encouraged to put forward their
views, concerns, ideas about why and how they had arrived at the answers indicated in their
questionnaire.
The researcher took six days to interview 30 learners. The selected learners were happy to
attend the interview sessions. The ethical considerations were explained to them and then
49
they were requested to sign informed consent forms (Appendix C). The semi-structured
interviews were expected to give a deeper insight into the origins of misconceptions.
3.11. ITEMS OF THE LEARNER AND EDUCATOR QUESTIONNAIRES AND SEMI-
STRUCTURED INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
The items were carefully selected to answer the relevant research sub-questions. This was
done to make a clear link between the data gathering tool and the questions solicited by the
study in an attempt to ensure that the gathering tools really collected data relevant to the
answering of the set research sub-questions (Maphosa 2010). The Table 1 showed that
there was a close link between the data collection instruments and the research questions
sought.
Table 1: Summary of item numbers which dealt with research sub-questions
RESEARCH SUB-QUESTIONS
ITEM NO: IN LQ/LIS/EQ
EXPLANATION/Purpose
1. Major electrostatic conceptions up to grade 12
This was answered through the preliminary research by reviewing various textbooks from grade 1-12.
2. Major misconceptions in Electrostatics among B.Sc 1 learners
LQ: 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24. Section B: 1-5. EQ: 13-15, 18, 22, 23. Section B: 3, 4, 5. Section C: 2, 3, 8. LIS: 9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 20.
To identify misconceptions. The items on the left also attempted to expose the origin of misconceptions.
3. How could educators eliminate each of these misconceptions from the learners; Possible ways by which educators address the challenge of misconceptions in learning Electrostatics
LQ: 8. LIS: 3. EQ: 4-8. EQ: Section B: 4, 5, 6. EQ: Section C: 9 LIS: 3
The methods made use of in order to eliminate misconceptions. The questions on the left have addressed the possible ways of challenging the misconception.
Key to table: LQ: Learner questionnaire; EQ: Educator questionnaire; LIS: Learner Interview Schedule.
50
3.12. SUMMARY
This chapter has provided details of research design and methodological processes for
collecting data for the study. The two phases of the study were quantitative survey
qualitative interviews. The steps taken in collecting the data were as follows;
Main study with 198 first year B.Sc learners at university entry point had been
administered with learners‘ questionnaire to check misconceptions in Electrostatics
(Appendix B).
An in-depth interview with 30 selected learners from the above group was
administered with semi-structured interview schedule in an attempt to find the
possible origin of misconceptions (Appendix D).
Educators‘ questionnaire was administered to 28 educators from various high
schools in Mthatha District from Eastern Cape Province in South Africa
(Appendix E).
All the instruments were formulated with the purpose of finding answers to the main
research question. In the next chapter the researcher presents, analyses and discusses the
data collected.
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CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter the researcher provided a description of the research design and
methodological procedures followed during data gathering. In this chapter the researcher
presents the data analysis and the discussions based on the results. Descriptive statistics
was used to summarize, organize and reduce a large number of observations. It transforms
a set of numbers or observations into indices that describe the data (McMillan & Schumacher
2010). The next section depicts the biographical variables for learners and educators who
responded to the questionnaire.
4.2. DATA ANALYSIS
Data analysis is the process of gathering, modeling and transforming data with the goal of
highlighting useful information, drawing conclusions, suggesting solutions and supporting
decision making (Mathews 2008).
4.2.1. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
The information collected was captured on computer as numbers called raw data. The
analysis process started with descriptive statistics in numerical and graphical way to organize
and summarize data in a meaningful way. This served to enhance the understanding of the
properties of the data (Pietersen & Maree 2008, p. 183). In this study, data analysis was
done using SPSS version 17 software.
52
4.2.2. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
As observed by Nieuwenhuis (2008, p. 104), organizing audio-recorded data had required
intensive examination, understanding and reading. The data collected by electronic means
were transcribed by the researcher by replaying the tape several times. Each participant was
given a number and the data transcribed for each learner was recorded under that number.
The data were sorted and typed. In order to get to know the data inside out, the researcher
read and reread it to do good analysis. Thereafter, the data were coded.
Coding was defined as ‗marking the segments of the data with symbols, descriptive words or
unique identifying names‘ (Nieuwenhuis 2008, p. 105). It was the process of reading
carefully through the transcribed data, line by line, and dividing it into meaningful analytical
units. Once meaningful segments were located, they were coded. In this study, the
researcher coded the transcribed data into several meaningful units and noted how many
learners fell in a specific category.
4.3. RESULTS
4.3.1. GENDER AND AGE OF LEARNERS
Out of the 198 respondents, 55 % were female and 45 % were male. The majority of 54%
respondents were in the 18-20 age groups. It shows that learners had straight passes in all
the grades up to Grade 12 and wasted no time before enrolment considering the entry age
for Grade 1 is 7 years. This age range of (18-20) years is important for this study since the
researcher wants learners to complete the questionnaire before they forget the concepts
learned in grade 12. The age distribution is portrayed in Fig. 1.
53
4.3.2. GENDER, AGE RANGES AND HOME LANGUAGE OF LEARNERS
Table 2: Gender, Age and home language of learner sample
Biographical variables Variable descriptions RN Rp (%) Gender Female 109 55
Male 89 45
Age (in years)
18 24 12 19 44 22 20 40 20 21 30 15 22 10 5
23 50 25
Home language IsiXhosa 174 87 IsiZulu 17 9 Others 7 4
Key: RN = Number of responses; RP = Percentage response
4.3.3. AGE RANGE OF LEARNERS
Figure 1: Age distribution of learner sample (n = 198)
54
4.3.4. HOME LANGUAGE OF LEARNERS
A large majority (87%) of the learners had IsiXhosa as their home language which is the
dominant language of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Higher representation of sample from
various parts of the Eastern Cape would increase validity and generalisability of the result.
4.4. EDUCATORS‟ TEACHING EXPERIENCE AND RELATED DATA (N=28)
Table 3 given below shows data on two educator factors, namely, their major subject
specializations and lengths of teaching experience.
Table 3: Summary of educator factors
Educator factor RN Rp (rounded off %)
Major teaching subject Biology
Physics
Chemistry
Mathematics
1 04
10 36
9 32
8 29
Teaching experience 1-5 years
5-10 years
10-15 years
15-20 years
20-25 year
13 48
4 15
2 07
3 11
5 19
Key: RN = Number of responses; Rp= Percentage response.
As per the data in Table 3, although 68% (19 out of 28) of educators had qualifications
majoring in the physical sciences, only 36% of the sample had physics as their major. One
could see that the majority (52% or 15 out of 28) of the educators were in the 5-25 years of
teaching experience group. Also, all the educators falling in the 1-5 years of teaching
experience were 48%, all may not be in the first year of teaching. It is then safe to assume
that a good proportion of educators had crossed their first years in the teaching profession.
55
4.5. PRELIMINARY RESEARCH RESULTS
As part of preliminary study, syllabus for Electrostatics was reviewed followed by Physical
science textbooks from various authors (Van Zyl et al. 2001; Arendse et al. 2004). The
preliminary study enabled the researcher to come up with the major electrostatic
conceptions up to grade 12 before the main study. Table 4 below presents the major
concepts in electrostatics at the school level.
Table 4: Electrostatic concepts and the grades in which they were introduced
ELECTROSTATIC CONCEPTS GRADE
1. The electric charges can neither be created nor be destroyed but can be transferred from one object to the other. For example, when Perspex and wool are rubbed together, Perspex loses electrons to wool
5 & 10
2. Material in which electric charges are free to move are electric conductors and material in which electric charges are not free to move are electric insulators.
5 & 10
3. Sparks are electrical discharge due to difference in potential. For example potential difference between a cloud and earth or between clouds produce lightning.
6 & 8
4. Atoms are electrically neutral. This means that an atom contains equal number of positive and negative charges. 8
5. Like charges repel and unlike charges attract 10
6. An uncharged object becomes polarized in the presence of a charged object. Then there is a temporary separation of charge inside the neutral object. That is why uncharged objects are attracted to both positively and negatively charged objects.
10
7. Electrostatic force of attraction or repulsion between two charges is directly proportional to product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
11
8. An electric field in a region in space is created by a charge. A small positive charge experiences a force in the direction of the field.
11
9. A uniform electric field is produced between oppositely charged parallel plates. A test positive charge released in a uniform field moves towards negative plate and a negative charge released moves towards the positive plate.
11
10. Electric field strength and potential difference are properties of an electric field, where electric field strength is force per unit charge at any point in the field and potential difference is the amount of work done per unit charge to move a positive charge from a point of low potential to high potential.
11
11. Capacitors store energy. When the plates of the capacitor are charged, the electron distribution of molecules of the dielectric between the plate shifts and the molecules become polarized. The electric field due to the charged plate and the polarized dielectrics superimpose to form a smaller resultant field and hence an increased capacitance.
11
12. Two identical spherical conductors of different charges when brought in contact will transfer charges from one conductor to the other until their charges are equal. 11
56
The preliminary review showed that Electrostatics was first introduced in Grade 5 and
continued in Grades 8, 10 and 11, consistently increasing in level of difficulty. Table 4
showed the electrostatic concepts up to Grade 12 and the corresponding grade/s in which
each of the concepts was introduced (Brooke et al. 2006; De Fontaine et al. 2005; Grayson
et al. 2005; Karin, Derrick and Jagathesan 2007).
4.6. LEARNERS‟ AND EDUCATORS‟ VIEWS ON LEARNING ENABLERS
The researcher investigated the learners‘ views on their experiences of teacher motivation,
social factors and experiential factors in school teaching (Table 5). The educators‘ view on
learning enablers were also sought (Table 6). In order to facilitate triangulation, both
learners and educators responded to the same questions except for the supervision of group
discussions of learners which was sought only from the educators.
Table 5: Learner's views on learning enablers
Factors RN Rp
Teacher motivation 131 68
Teacher welcoming learner questions 153 77
Availability of demonstration lessons 107 55
Availability of at least monthly group practical 134 68
Group discussion well supervised 144 72
Provision for study groups 175 88
Key: RN = Number of responses; Rp= Percentage response.
Table 6: Educators‟ views on learning enablers
Factors RN Rp
Teacher motivation 28 100
Teacher welcoming learner questions 28 100
Availability of Demonstration lessons 24 86
Availability of at least monthly group practical 16 59
Provision for study groups 27 96
Key: RP = percentage response; RN = Number of responses
57
The consensus between educators‘ and learners‘ views was more on some factors than on
others. For example, on teacher motivation, all educators (100%) and about 68% of learners
concurred. However, more learners (77%) concurred with the educators‘ claim (100%) on
welcoming learners‘ questions. Furthermore, 96% of educators and 88% of learners
concurred on provisions for study groups. Based on the data, it appears safe to assume that
the above three factors (motivation, educators welcoming learners‘ questions and the
provision for study groups) were common in the schools as learning enablers. Nevertheless,
both the educators‘ and learners‘ responses indicated that availability of demonstration
lessons and availability of at least monthly practicals were in place but not as common as
they ought to have been. In general, despite weaknesses on some factors such as infrequent
demonstration lessons, the school experiences facilitated learning and teaching to a large
extent.
4.7. LEARNERS‟ DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
In the next section the researcher presents and analyses data collected in line with the
research sub-questions which in turn guided the study into answering the main research
questions.
4.7.1. LEARNER RESPONSES (%) TO ITEMS BASED ON CAPACITOR, ELECTRIC FIELD,
ELECTRIC FORCE, ELECTRIC POTENTIAL AND CHARGE TRANSFER BETWEEN NEUTRAL AND
CHARGED OBJECTS.
SECTION A
This section consisted of Likert scale items. The responses to the items were strongly agree
(SA), agree (A), neutral (N), disagree (D) to strongly disagree (SD). The options SA and A
58
were collapsed and options SD and D were collapsed to get agreement and disagreement
respectively with the given statement. No conclusion could be drawn from neutral responses.
Table 7: Learners‟ responses to the given item statements in the questionnaire (n=198)
LEARNER RESPONSES
A N D TOTAL
RN RP %
RN RP %
RN RP %
RN RP %
1. There is an electric field between the plates of a capacitor
147 75 14 7 36 18 197 100
2. There is no relationship between electric potential and electric field.
16 8 34 18 142 74 192 100
3. No work is done while charging a capacitor
43 21 30 15 126 63 198 100
4. Charges flow through a capacitor
135 69 22 11 38 19 195 100
5. Capacitors are sources of charges
98 50 42 22 55 28 195 100
6. There are excess charges in a charged capacitor
103 52 54 27 40 20 197 100
7. Electric forces are always along the field lines.
143 73 26 13 27 14 196 100
8. Field lines are real 86 44 51 26 59 30 196 100
9. The concept of electric field and force are the same
29 15 32 16 137 69 198 100
10. There are a finite number of field lines around a charged object
112
57
38
19
60
24
198
100
11. Static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage
70 28 39 21 98 52 189 100
12. Charged object will lose or gain electron when kept in contact with an uncharged object until neutral
137 72 17 9 36 19 190 100
Key: A=Agree; N=Neutral; D=Disagree; RP=percentage response; RN=Number of responses
59
Results based on the data analysis presented in Table 7.
This classification given below is based on a subjective categorization by the researcher
which made use of the percentage of learners who showed deviation from the acceptable
scientific explanations to assign low, medium and high levels of misconceptions among
learners:
(20/<20) % = Low level of misconception
(20 to <40) % = Medium level of misconception
(40/>40) % = High level of misconception
Baser and Geban (2007: 252) states as follows, ―… misconceptions would lead to an
incorrect prediction.‖ The above quote renders support to the position that incorrect
answers may be indicative of misconceptions. The present researcher has relied on incorrect
answers as originating from misconceptions similar to Baser and Geban‘s observation but
acknowledge that giving a wrong answer may not always lead to the conclusion that it arises
from misconception but that could be one of the strong possibilities. As such, the
categorization is done relying on incorrect responses as a lead to the strong possibility of
misconception as a cause.
1. There is an electric field between the plates of a charged capacitor.
This item was asked with the intention of understanding the learners‘ knowledge about the
existence of an electric field between the two plates of a charged capacitor. According to
principles of physics, when the plates of a capacitor are connected to the terminals of the
battery (to form a complete circuit), electrons flow from the negative of the source to the
plate connected to it (plate B of the capacitor) making it negative. This negative plate B
repels electrons from plate A to the positive of the source making plate A positive. The
60
negative plate B and the positive plate A attract each other and make the charges on plate A
and B stay the same way. This results in the creation of uniform electrostatic field (Brookes
et al. 2006) between the oppositely charged parallel plates A and B.
The correct options to this item were SA and A. When the two answers were combined they
constituted 75% of the responses. Similarly, the combined options of SD and D constituted
18% of the responses and they formed the incorrect response (Refer Table 7).
From the analysis we can conclude that 18% of the learners in this study didn‘t agree with
the given correct concept. This is much lower compared to the 75% agreeing with the
correct answer. So the level of misconception on this concept is low among learners.
2. There is no relationship between electric potential and electric field.
The researcher presented this item with the view to testing learners‘ understanding of the
terms electric potential and electric field and their relationship. According to principles of
physics, electric potential is described as the amount of energy divided by the charge and it
is a scalar. That is, the electric work done per unit charge in moving a charged object from
infinity to the point of interest is the electric potential.
The electric field is the force per unit charge experienced by an object and it is a vector. The
work is done by an electric force on an object when it is displaced. Thus electric field and
electric potential are closely related (Sears, Zemansky & Young 1987, P. 556).
61
The statement given was incorrect. The correct responses (options) to this item were SD &
D. This constituted 74% of learner responses. The incorrect options to this item were SA &
A. This constituted 8% of learner responses. From the analysis we can conclude that
majority of the learner respondents understood the concept, meaning the educators
managed to make the learners understand the concept. This level of misconception is very
low.
3. No work is done while charging a capacitor
This item was expected to view learners‘ understanding of the work involved in charging a
capacitor. According to principles of physics charging a capacitor require an electric current
through the circuit in which the capacitor is connected. So a battery or source of current is
an important constituent of the circuit to supply energy to the charges to move around in the
circuit. This means work is required to charge a capacitor (Young 2000).
The given statement is incorrect. The correct responses to the item were SD & D and
incorrect ones were SA & A. The correct answers constituted 63% of learner responses. The
incorrect answers constituted 22% of the learner responses. So there is a medium level of
misconception.
4. Charges flow through a capacitor
The item statement above tested the understanding of the learners on the charge flow
between the plates of a charged capacitor. The above statement is incorrect
(Becker 2009). According to principles of physics, no charges flow through a capacitor.
While charging a capacitor, electrons from the negative terminal of the battery flow to one of
the plates and they accumulate to make it a negatively charged plate. These negative
62
charges pushes the electrons on the other plate and make the plate positive. In other words
the negative plate induces opposite charges on the other plate. When we connect the
capacitor to an electric appliance the capacitor discharges from the negative plate through
the appliance. In either case (during charging and discharging) there is no charge flow
through the capacitor.
The options SD & D became the correct answer and it constituted 19% of the learner
responses. The options SA & A became the incorrect answer and it constituted 69% of the
responses. There is high level of misconception in this regard among the learners (Figure.2).
FIGURE 2: Various response % to „charge flow through a capacitor‟
63
5. Parallel plate capacitors are sources of charges
The researcher presented this item with the view to understanding the learners‘ knowledge
about the role of the capacitor in a circuit. According to principles in physics a capacitor store
energy and not charge (Becker 2009). Most of the textbooks said that capacitors store
charges. But some textbooks said it stores charge and energy. The fact is that the energy
stored in the field is the one responsible for keeping the opposite charges apart.
The given statement was incorrect. The correct responses to the item were SD and D and it
constituted 28 % of the responses. The incorrect responses to the item were A and SA which
received 50% of the responses. From the analysis it can be concluded that 50% of the
learners under this study program had misconceptions on this concept.
6. There are excess charges in a charged capacitor
The researcher presented this item in an attempt to understand the knowledge of the
learner about the net charges in a charged capacitor. The statement given was incorrect.
According to principles of physics, a charged capacitor has zero net charge since the amount
of negative charges on one plate is equal to the amount of positive charges on the other
plate (Becker 2009).
The correct responses were SD and D, which came from 20% of the responses. The
incorrect responses were SA and A which constituted 52% of the responses. When majority
of learner respondents agreed with the scientifically incorrect statement ―charged capacitors
have an excess number of charges‖, it confirmed a high level of misconception in this
regard.
64
7. Electric forces are always along field lines around a charged object.
The researcher presented this item to test learners‘ understanding of electric forces in
relation to the field lines. According to principles of physics a unit positive charge (test
charge) placed in an electric field around a charged object will experience a force in the
direction of the field. If there are no other forces, the test charge moves in the direction of
the electric force. The field lines are assumed to be the path of the test charge in a field. So
we could say that electric forces are always along the field lines around a charged object
(Brookes et al. 2006)
The given statement was correct. The correct responses to the item were SA and A. They
constituted 73% of the learner responses. The incorrect responses were SD and D which
constituted 14% of the learner responses. So the level of misconception is low.
8. Field lines are real
The given statement was incorrect. Field lines are imaginary lines used to represent the
electric field and hence it is unreal. The lines of force are a convention that allows us to
visualize the field.
The correct responses to this item were SD and D and it constituted 30% of the learner
responses. The incorrect responses to the items were A and SA which constituted 44 % of
the responses. The level of misconception here is reasonably high because 44% supported
the incorrect answer.
65
9. The concepts electric field and electric force represent the same.
The statement given was not in line with the scientific principle. Electric field is the force per
unit charge experienced by an object due to its location in space. So the correct responses
to the item were SD and D and it came from 69% of the responses. The incorrect responses
were SA and A which constituted 15% of the responses. From the analysis it can be
concluded that the level of misconception is low.
10. There are a finite number of field lines around a charged object
There is no finite number of field lines around a charged object since the field line itself is
unreal. The correct responses to this item were SD and D and it was supported by 24% of
the learner responses. The incorrect responses to this item were SA and A which constituted
57% of the learner responses. So there is high level of misconception among the learners.
11. Static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage
This item was intended to measure the learners‘ knowledge on the relationship between
static electricity and high voltage. The above statement was scientifically incorrect. High
voltage has all the characteristics of ―static electricity‖. Static electricity is more visible when
there is a high voltage such as lightning in clouds and sparks when woolen clothes are pulled
out. The cause of static electricity itself has been the existence of high voltage at certain
space or region (Beaty 1999 & 2005).
66
FIGURE 3: Various response% to „static electricity has nothing to do with high
voltage‟
The correct responses (options) to this item were SD and D. This was supported by 52%
learner respondents. 28 % respondents chose the incorrect responses SA and A (Figure.3).
There is medium level of misconception among the learners.
12. Loss or gain of electrons when one charged object is in contact with an
uncharged object until neutral.
The above statement was incorrect. According to principles of physics, the charged object
when kept in contact with a neutral object can‘t be neutral because the net charge stays the
same and it is not zero.
67
The correct answers to the item were SD and D, which was supported by 19% of the learner
responses. The incorrect answers to the item were SA and A. They constituted 72% of the
responses. Learners‘ have high level of misconception.
4.7.2. Frequencies and percentages of responses to multiple choice items in
section B of the learner questionnaire and their discussions.
The section B checked learners‘ knowledge based on Characteristics of electrically positive
and neutral objects and static electricity, factors on which electric field depends, force
between charged objects and movement of charges by induction .
Each of the tables 8 to 13 presented below represents the learner responses to each of the
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ).
The researcher presented this item to test learners‘ understanding of various charge levels in
a positively charged body. The correct option was B. According to principles of
Table 8: Concept of charged body (MCQ 1)
Various
options
Contains only
positive charges
[Misconception]
A
Contains more
positive charges
than negative
[Correct concept]
B
Is rubbed
with another
material
C
Contains equal
number of
positive and
negative charges
D
Could
attract
all
other
objects.
E
Learner %
support
31 42 7 8 11
Number 61 83 14 16 22
Electrostatics a positively charged body contains more positive charges than negative
charges (Ron & Neil 2005). It was supported by 42 % of the learners (Table.8) whereas
68
31% of learners thought that positively charged body contains only positive charges. The
analysis indicated that A was a misconception. Another misconception was option E where
learners thought that a charged body could attract all objects such as positively charged,
negatively charged and neutral objects. This misconception was supported by 11% of the
responses.
Table 9: The characteristics of a neutral object (MCQ 2)
Various
options
They
have no
charges
A
They
contain
only
neutral
particles.
B
They contain
equal numbers
of protons and
electrons.
C
They
cannot
conduct
electricity
D
They could neither
attract nor be
attracted by a
charged object
E
Learner %
support
13 13 65 6 4
Number 26 25 130 11 7
This item was given with the view to understanding the learners‘ knowledge about neutral
objects. According to principles of physics a neutral object has equal number of protons and
electrons. Neutral objects could attract other neutral object, and be attracted by charged
objects (Summer 2006).
The correct answer to this item was option C. That is, neutral objects contained equal
number of protons and electrons, and 65% of learners selected it. The various incorrect
answers were chosen by the rest of the learners (Table 9). Options A and B were
misconceptions and were supported by 13% each.
69
Table 10: Definition of “static electricity” (MCQ 3)
Various conceptions
Non moving charges make
up static electricity
A
Friction causes static electricity [Misconception]
B
Opposite charges which are separated and prevented from moving freely to each other [correct
concept] C
It is a buildup of charges
D
It is opposite to current electricity
E
Learner % support
17 38 28 14 4
Number 32 73 54 27 8
The correct concept C was narrowly supported by 28 % of learner respondents (Table 10).
According to principles of physics static electricity is due to opposite charges which are
separated and prevented from moving freely to each other.
The major misconception, friction causes static electricity (Option B), was chosen by 38 %
learners, followed by 17 % support for ―static electricity as nonmoving charge‖ (Option A).
Another misconception was that it was build up of charges (Option D) and it constituted
14% responses (Fig.4). From the analysis we could conclude that there were various
misconceptions around static electricity as follows:
Friction causes static electricity (38%);
Non moving charges make up static electricity (17%);
Static electricity is a build-up of charges (14%);
(Beaty 2005, 2007)
70
FIG 4: Various response % to the term „static electricity‟.
Table 11: Which factor must decrease in order to increase the electric field?
(MCQ 4)
Various concepts
The charges on each
plate A
The distance between
the plates B
The potential difference
between the plates
C
The area of each plate
D
The thickness
of the plates
E
Percentage response
10 54 18 8 10
Number 20 107 35 15 20
This item was asked to test learners‘ understanding of the effect of decrease of distance on
the increase of electric field (intensity). According to principles of physics the distance
between the plates must decrease in order to increase the electric field. So the correct
71
option was B. Since the plates are oppositely charged there exists a potential difference of V
volts between the plates. If ‗d‘ is the distance between the plates the field strength, E can be
calculated using the formula, E = V/d. As‗d‘ decreases, E increases (Brink & Jones 1985).
The correct answer constituted 54% of learner responses. One of the incorrect answers to
the item was ―the potential difference between the plates‖ (Option C) and it constituted 18%
of responses (Table 11).
From the analysis it could be concluded that there were misconceptions as follows.
The magnitude of ―potential difference between the plates‖ must decrease in order to
increase the electric field (18%).
The magnitude of the charges on each plate must decrease in order to increase the
electric field (10 %)
Table 12: Compare the forces exerted on each of the objects S and T (MCQ 5)
Various concepts
S exerts on T a smaller force than
T exerts on S [misconception]
A
S exerts on T a greater force than
T exerts on S
B
S exerts on T a force equal to that exerted
by T on S [correct concept]
C
Answers A, B and C are
correct
D
Answers A, B and
C are incorrect
E
Learner % support
51 19 14 8 9
Number 100 37 27 16 17
The correct concept was that S exerts on T a force equal to that exerted by T on S (Option
C). According to principles in physics the force of attraction or repulsion exerted by one
charge on another charge is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely
72
proportional to the square of the distance between them by Coulombs‘ law (Grayson et al.
2005).
From the analysis it can be concluded that Learners demonstrated misconceptions on the
Coulombs‘ law, as follows:
In the event of attraction/repulsion between small and large charged objects, small
object exerts a smaller force on the large one than the large exerts on the small one
(Option A). A majority of 51 % responses were in support of this misconception.
The reverse statement (another misconception), small object exerts a large force on
the large object than the large one exerts on the small one (Option B), was supported
by 19% responses (Table. 12).
The support for the correct concept was only 14 % (Option C). This is too low compared to
the support for misconceptions. So there are some difficulties concerning this concept among
the learners.
Table 13: What are the charges on the two spheres X & Y (MCQ 6)?
Various
concepts
X is positive
and Y is negative
[correct concept]
A
X negative
and Y
positive
B
Both
positive
C
Both
negative
D
Both
neutral
[misconcep
t]
E
Learner %
support
19 23 10 21 27
Number 38 45 20 41 52
According to principles of physics the correct answer to the item was option A and had 19%
learner responses. The processes that occur behind are the following:
73
The negative rod induces a positive charge on the sphere X near the rod and pushes the
negative charges towards the far end of sphere Y. When Y is moved away from X, Y has
excess negative charges and X has excess positive charges. That means X is positive and Y
is negative.
Three other options which were not in line with scientific concept were better supported
than the correct option. The misconception ―both neutral‖ was supported by 27%. The other
misconceptions ―X negative and Y positive‖ was supported by 23% and ―both negative‖ by
21% learners.
4.7.3. Summary of misconceptions of learners
The study found out that the learners at university entry point had misconceptions in the
topic ‗Electrostatics‘ as summarized in table 14.
The major misconceptions identified and their corresponding correct concepts are given
below:
74
Table 14: List of misconceptions identified amongst the learner sample
No Identified misconception % of learners‘
response/support
Scientifically accepted
conception 1 Charges flow through the
capacitor
69% No charge flows inside
capacitor across the gap 2 Parallel plate capacitors are
sources of charges
50% Capacitors store energy
3 There is excess number of
charges in a charged capacitor
52% The net charge in a capacitor is
zero
4 Field lines are real
44% They are imaginary lines.
5 There are a finite number of field lines around charged object
57% Field lines are not countable
6 Static electricity has nothing to do
with high voltage
28% Static electricity is more
noticeable when there is a high voltage.
7 Charged object will lose or gain electrons when kept in contact
with an uncharged object until neutral
72% It can‘t be neutral because the net charge stays the same and
it is not zero.
8 Charged body is one which contains only one type of charges
31% Positively charged body contains more positive than
negative charges. 9 Friction causes static electricity 38% Opposite charges which are
separated and prevented from
moving freely to each other 10 Small and large charged objects
when separated by a distance (a) small object exerts a smaller
force on the large object than
large object exerts on the small object.
(b) small object exerts a large force on the large object than the
large object exerts on the small object.
51%
19%
Small and large charged objects exert equal force on
each other.
11 Two metal spheres, X and Y,
each on an insulating stand, were brought into contact. A negatively
charged rod is held near X
without touching it. Sphere Y is now moved away from X followed
by the rod. The charges on the two spheres will now be
(a) X negative and Y
positive.
(b) both negative
(c) both neutral
23%
21%
27%
X positive and y negative
75
4.8. POSSIBLE ORIGINS OF MISCONCEPTIONS
In the next section the researcher presents and discusses the analyzed data from the semi-
structured interview schedule in an attempt to confirm the identified misconceptions and
their source. The data collected from the semi-structured interview schedule and their
analysis is summarized in Table 15.
4.8.1 FREQUENCY AND PERCENTAGES OF RESPONSES TO ITEMS IN THE SEMI-
STRUCTURED LEARNER INTERVIEW SCHEDULE (LIS) IN COMPARISON WITH THE
RESPONSES TO LEARNER QUESTIONNAIRE (LQ).
Responses to semi-structured interview items summarized below in Table 15 were intended
to attempt to establish some possible origins of misconceptions amongst some members of
the sample. For some of the questions (concepts tested) learners said they didn‘t know the
answer. Hence, the total number of learners reflected was not always 30 for LIS and not
always 198 for LQ.
Presentation and discussion of the LIS result in comparison with LQ result
Learners (30) were named from A to Z and the remaining learners from A1 to A4. As such, a
letter or a number preceded by A (tags) always refer to the same person. Some of their
answers to LIS are quoted below. Responses of learners with designated tags during the
interviews are quoted verbatim at the end of each of possible misconception to illustrate the
basis from which inferences were drawn.
76
Table 15: Analysis of learner interview data
Concepts tested LIS Response
(N=30)
LQ(N=198)
Response
Possible source of
misconception
(Conclusions arrived below are from their
conversations during interviews)
A D A D
RN RP
%
RN RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
1. There is an electric field between the
plates of a capacitor
24 80 3 10 75 18 Misconception is very low;
Possible source is experience .
2. There is no relationship between
electric potential and electric field.
7 23 23 77 8 74 Misconception is moderate or
medium level.
Source is intuition.
3. No work is required to charge a
capacitor
3 10 26 87 22 63 Daily life experience-don‘t see
any physical work by battery
4. Charges flow through a capacitor 13 43 14 47 69 19 1. Daily language because of
the word ‗charged capacitor‘- 2.Intuition -Charges jump
across the gap
5. Capacitors are sources of charges 22 73 6 20 50 28 1. Intuition because both
plates got charges 2. Daily language –capacitors
are charged 3. Textbooks
6. There is excess number of charges in a charged capacitor
9 30 21 70 52 20 1. Intuition because of the word ‗charged capacitor‘-
2. Educator because learners said ―that is what we were
taught‖.
7. Electric forces are always along the
field lines.
16 53 5 17 73 14 Low misconception:
Source is intuition.
8. Field lines are real 13 43 16 53 44 30 1. Intuition - Unexplained
observation tempted learners
to guess 2. Educator because learners
said ―we were taught like that‖.
9. Electric field and force are same thing 5 17 17 57 15 69 Educator-we were taught.
10. There is finite number of field lines around a charged object.
2 7 25 83 57 24 1. Educator– we were taught 2. Intuition-field lines they see
are countable
11. Static electricity has nothing to do
with high voltage
12 40 13 43 28 52 1. daily experience
2. Educator-we were taught.
12. Charged object will lose or gain
electron when kept in contact with an Uncharged object until neutral
12 40 10 33 72 19 1. Intuition- Charge flows from
charged body to neutral body 2. Educator- we were taught
Key: A = Agree; D = Disagree; Rp = Percentage response; RN = Number of responses
77
1. There is an electric field between the plates of a capacitor (Item 5 of
interview schedule)
This was a correct statement and 80% learner responses were in favor of the statement.
There were 10% responses against the statement (Column 2 & 3 under LIS). These
percentage responses are very close to the results obtained from the quantitative data
analysis of 75% agreement and 18% disagreement (column 6 & 7 under LQ) in Table 15. So
only a few learners had misconceptions regarding the above concept.
Learner P said, ―I agree there was an electric field between the plates because there is field
around charge‖. Learner Y said, ―I agree there is an electric field between the plates of the
capacitor since the plates are charged‖. Learner W said, ―There is an electric field between
the capacitor plates if there is insulator (dielectric) between the plates and no field if
vacuum‖. Learner P & Y answered and reasoned correctly. Though the learner W agreed
that there is an electric field between the plates, the conditions attached to it shows a sign
of misconception.
2. There is no relationship between electric potential and electric field (Item 14
of interview schedule)
This was an incorrect statement. The qualitative analysis result (LIQ) showed a 23%
agreement and 77% disagreement with the statement. The quantitative analysis result (LQ)
gave 8% agreement and 74% disagreement. Though more people agreed with the incorrect
statement during the interview, disagreement percentages were very close. So we could
conclude that the percentage of misconceptions regarding this concept was low.
78
P said, ―There is no relationship between electric potential and electric field‖. Y said,
―Electrical potential is controlled by electric field. In order to have electric potential there
must be electric field‖. Both the learners displayed misconception.
3. No work is required to charge a capacitor (Item 11 of interview schedule)
The statement given was incorrect. So the correct answer was ‗disagree‘. The result from
qualitative analysis revealed 10% agreement and 87% disagreement with the above
statement. On the other hand, the results from the quantitative analysis showed 22%
agreement and 63% disagreement. These results confirmed low level of misconception on
the above concept.
Though there were some differences in the percentage agreement and disagreement
between the qualitative and quantitative results, the majority of the learner respondents said
there was work done in charging a capacitor. The high percentage disagreement in
qualitative result was because of the time they got to reflect on their reasoning for the
answers they chose to the items in the questionnaire.
Y said, ―Agree that no work is done because electron flows from battery to the capacitor‖. T
said, ―Disagree because the flow of electron is from negative plate to positive plate‖. These
are misconceptions. Work is done.
4. Charges flow through a charged parallel plate capacitor (Item 9 of interview
schedule)
During the interviews, 43% respondents agreed with the incorrect statement and 47%
79
respondents disagreed. On the other hand, 69% agreed and 19% disagreed with the
incorrect statement in the LQ. So the misconception identified through the questionnaire was
confirmed through the interview schedule. Some learners thought that charging a capacitor
was like pumping charge through the capacitor between the plates. So it was their intuition
and the daily language ‗charged‘ that caused this misconception. This was revealed through
the interview.
P said, ―Yes, there is flow of electrons because electricity needs to go around‖. Y said,
―Agree because electrons flow from battery to the capacitor‖. This showed the
misconceptions of learners. There is no charges flow between the plates of a capacitor.
5. Parallel plate capacitors are sources of charges (Item 11 of interview schedule)
This scientifically incorrect statement ―capacitors are sources of charges‖ was agreed by
73% and disagreed by 20% (Table.15) during LIS. On the other hand 50% of the learner
responses agreed and 28% disagreed with the given statement in the LQ. In the interview
more learners than in LQ said that the capacitors are sources of charges because of the net
charge on each of the plates. It would appear that the language ―charge‖ made them think
that charge is pumped into the capacitor and hence space between the plates are filled with
charge. During interview some said the field between the plates constituted field lines which
are path of electrons. According to principles of physics capacitors are sources of energy.
The high percentage response to incorrect answer confirmed that they demonstrated a high
level of misconception. So the sources of misconception were daily language used, textbooks
and learners‘ intuition.
80
W said, ―Agree that parallel plate capacitors are sources of charges because plate A is
negative and plate B is positive‖. Y said, ―Agree because we charge the capacitor using
energy from the cell‘‘. Capacitors are sources of energy not charges.
6. There is excess number of charges in a charged capacitor (Item 10 of interview
schedule)
According to principle of physics the above statement was incorrect. A charged capacitor got
excess positive charges on one plate and an equal number of excess negative charges on
the other plate, meaning no excess charge in the capacitor.
The qualitative result (LIS) showed 30% support to the incorrect statement and 70%
disagreement to the statement. Even though majority of learner respondents disagreed with
the incorrect statement, misconceptions of 30% could not be ignored. Moreover, the
quantitative result constituted 52% support for the incorrect statement and 20%
disagreement with the statement. This change in percentage disagreement to the incorrect
answer from 20% to 70% was due to the opportunity received by learners to reflect on the
reasoning during the interview. The purpose of the interview was to get to what was on their
minds. The source of misconception could possibly have been their intuition that capacitor
has two plates with net charge on each of them. It could have made them believe that
capacitors have excess charges.
P said, ―I say there is excess because if electron come from A, then it pass to B. I think there
is excess‖. S said, ―Agree, because plates of the capacitor are charged‖. Both ‗P‘ and ‗S‘ got
misconceptions because a capacitor got no excess charges.
81
7. Electric forces are always along the field lines (Item 12 of interview schedule)
The above statement was correct and in line with scientific principle. Electric force when
exerted on a test charge shall follow the path of field line. This meant that the electric forces
are always along the field lines. The results from qualitative analysis presented 53%
agreement and 17% disagreement to the correct statement. On the other hand results from
quantitative analysis presented 73% agreement and 14% disagreement to the correct given
statement. This showed that learners were not sure of their answers and hence many said
that they do not know when interviewed. Though the agreement percentage was in
majority, a decrease in agreement percentage from 73% to 53% shows that they were not
convinced of the correct concept from the teaching.
J said, ―Electric force enables electric field to move to B‖. H said, ―Electric force can give a
field line. Electric field lines indicate the force‖. U said, ―Electric force depends on the power
of electric field lines‖. The above statements by the learners are not in line with correct
scientific concept. In fact electric forces are always along the field lines.
8. Field lines are real (Item 5 of Interview schedule)
According to principles of electrostatics, field lines are imaginary lines and hence the above
statement is incorrect. The incorrect statement was supported by 53% learner respondents
and opposed by 43 %. Some learners said that they have observed the iron filings lined up
in an electric field during demonstration and they were convinced that field lines are real. A
thorough explanation of the concepts based on what learners observed, if not followed up
and explained soon after the practical or demonstration, they will end up guessing to
completion. The results from quantitative analysis showed 44% agreement and 30%
82
disagreement to the incorrect statement. So the misconception regarding this concept was
confirmed through the interview and the origin of it was intuition.
T said, ―Disagree, we don‘t see it. They look like real.‖ U said, ―Agree, because I saw iron
filing lining around the charge‖. The learners have misconceptions because of the lining up
of iron filings around the charge due to the polarization of the iron dust in the direction of
the force. So the direction of the force is conventionally represented by the field lines.
9. Electric field and force are the same (Item 12 LIS)
This statement was incorrect. In the qualitative result 17% agreed and 57% disagreed with
the incorrect statement whereas in the quantitative result 15% agreed and 69% disagreed.
There was a decrease in percentage of disagreement from 69% to 57% indicating incorrect
choice. This pointed to their misconception that electric field and force are the same.
U said, ―Electric force depends on power of electric field line‖. On the other hand, V said,
―Electric force is proportional to the field‖. Field and force are not the same. They co-exist in
the region around a charge. In other words, electric force is the characteristic of an electric
field.
10. There are a finite number of field lines around a charged object (Item 5 of
LIS)
This is a scientifically incorrect statement. The results from qualitative analysis (interview)
showed 7% agreement and 83% disagreement to the incorrect answer. The results from
quantitative analysis (LQ) showed 57% agreement and 24% disagreement to incorrect
answer. This meant that the learners had realized their mistakes and corrected themselves
83
during the interview. The possible sources of this misconception could have been intuition
and educators as reflected in Table 15-17 (Table 16-17 are to follow).
L said, ―Agree, If not real repulsion and attraction will not take place‖. Learner ‗I‘ said,
―Agree, because this is what is taught‖. There is some misconception. There is no definite
number of field lines and lines are just representative of the field and its direction.
11. Static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage (Item 15 & 16 of LIS)
This was a scientifically incorrect statement. The results from the qualitative analysis showed
40% agreement and 43% disagreement to the incorrect statement. The results from the
quantitative analysis showed 28% agreement and 52% disagreement to the incorrect
statement. There was a decrease in disagreement percentage from 52% to 43%. This
showed that during the interview some learners moved away from the correct answer. So
there is misconception among the learners about this concept. The possible source of
misconception is educator as reflected in Table 16-17.
H said, ―It needs friction to start of static electricity. It doesn‘t need a source‖. Y said, ―Yes
agree, because cell has voltage and capacitor is connected to the cell‖. Both ‗H‘ and ‗Y‘ got
misconceptions because in reality static electricity has every thing to do with high voltage as
explained in the above paragraph.
12. Charged object will lose or gain electrons when kept in contact with an
Uncharged object until neutral (Item 17 of LIS)
This was a scientifically incorrect statement. When it came to charge transfer problems,
84
though they knew that like charges repel and unlike charges attract, they couldn‘t explain
the effect of a neutral object in contact with a charged object.
In the qualitative result 40% learner respondents agreed and 33% disagreed with the
incorrect statement. On the other hand, from the quantitative result, 72% agreed and 19%
disagreed with the incorrect statement. Though there was a dramatic decrease in agreement
percentage from 72% to 40%, 40% misconception was still high. At the same time an
increase in disagreement percentage from 19% to 33% is too low to exclude
misconceptions. The sources of misconceptions could have been among others, intuition and
partially educators as per data in Tables 15-17.
V said, ―There are no attraction and repulsion and no transfer of charges‖. A2 said, ―Positive
attract neutral and negative repel neutral‖. Both ‗V‘ and ‗A2‘ got misconceptions. Both the
objects in contact will gain a charge equal to the algebraic sum of the individual charges.
4.8.2. DATA PRESENTATION FOR EDUCATORS FOR POSSIBLE SOURCE OF
MISCONCEPTIONS
The sub-research question, ―Finding the origins of misconceptions‖, is continued through
presenting educators‘ data.
4.8.2.1. Section A
The analyzed data for educators‘ are given below in Table 16 for various concepts in section
A of educator questionnaire (Appendix E). Options strongly agree (SA) and agree (A) were
collided to get the answer agree (A) and options strongly disagree (SD) and disagree (D)
were collided to give the answer disagree (D). So the table 16 shows answers agree (A),
85
neutral (N) and disagree (D). Some of the educators didn‘t answer all the questions. So
number of respondents (RN) under the column ‗Total‘ was less than 28.
Table 16: Summary of percentage and number of educators‟ responses to various
concepts in educator questionnaire (N=28) and levels of misconceptions
Rp = Percentage response; RN = Number of response
Various concepts A N D TOTAL
RN RP
%
RN RP
%
RN RP
%
RN RP %
Level of
misconceptions
1. There is an electric field between the
plates of a capacitor
23 89 - - 3 11 26 100 Low
2. There is no relationship between
electric potential and electric field.
4 15 1 4 22 81 27 100 Low
3. No work is required to charge a
capacitor
4 15 1 4 21 81 26 100 Low
4. Charges flow through a charged
capacitor
13 50 - - 13 50 26 100 High
5. Capacitors are sources of charges 17 65 - - 9 35 26 100 High
6. There is excess number of charges
in a charged capacitor
11 48 1 4 11 48 23 100 High
7. Electric Forces are always along the
field lines around a charged object
20 77 1 4 5 19 26 100 Low
8. Field lines are real 8 31 2 8 16 62 26 100 Medium
9. Electric field and force are same
thing
7 28 - - 18 72 25 100 Medium
10. There is a finite number of field
lines around a charged object
10 39 1 4 15 58 26 100 Medium
11. Static electricity has nothing to do
with high voltage
16 62 2 8 8 31 26 100 High
12. Charged object will lose or gain
electron when kept in contact with an
uncharged object until neutral
19 70 1 4 7 26 27 100 High
86
4.8.2.2. Summary of educators‟ misconceptions: level and percentage The study further found out the origin of learners misconceptions. Each of the
misconceptions identified were found to originate from learners‘ intuition, daily language,
textbooks and educators. This was revealed through the responses to the items in the semi-
structured interview. The results from the data analysis of educators showed that they too
held misconceptions. Most of the misconceptions of learners‘ were found among educators‘.
Refer to Table 16 & 17.
The Table 17 below is a summary of misconceptions of educators from Table 16. Table 17
included misconceptions that were found among more than 15% of educators except the
13% in the last row where the response was ―both negative‖. Those choices ‗X negative and
y positive‘ with 17% support and ‗both negative‘ with 13% support are too close and those
two together make up 30% misconceptions.
87
Table 17: Educators‟ misconceptions
No.
Identified misconceptions % of educator response
Level of misconception
1 Charges flow through a charged capacitor 50% High
2 Capacitors are sources of charges 65% High 3
.
There is excess number of charges in a charged capacitor 48% High
4
.
There is a charge flow across the space between the plates of a
charged capacitor
82% High
5
.
Field lines are real 31% Medium
6. Electric field and force are same thing 28% Medium
7 There is a finite number of field lines around a charged object 39% Medium 8
.
Static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage 62% High
9 Charged object will lose or gain electron when kept in contact with an uncharged object until neutral
70% High
10 Charged body is one which contains only one type of charges 18% Low
11
(a) Non moving charges make up static electricity (b) Friction causes static electricity
41% 41%
High High
1
2
Small charged object exerts a smaller force on the large charged
object than large object exerts on the small object when separated by a distance.
27% Low
13 Two metal spheres, X and Y, each on an insulating stand, were brought into contact. A negatively charged rod is held near X
without touching it. Sphere Y is now moved away from X followed
by the rod. The charges on the two spheres will now be (a) X negative and Y positive
(b) Both negative
17% 13%
Low Low
4.8.3. COMPARISON OF LEARNER RESPONSES WITH EDUCATOR RESPONSES TO VARIOUS CONCEPTS IN SECTION A OF THE LEARNER AND EDUCATOR QUESTIONNAIRES
The Table 18 compared the agreement, disagreement and neutral responses of the learner
and educator responses. It also presented the correct answer to each of the items, origin of
those misconceptions and level of misconceptions as percentage of educators compared to
those of the learners in terms of low, medium and high as described earlier.
88
Table 18: Percentage responses of educators and learners and comparison of their misconceptions (miscon)
Statement given Educator Responses (N=28) Learner Responses (N=198) Correct concept Origin of
Learners‟ miscon
Level of educators‟
misconception compared to learners‟
RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
RN RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
RN RP
%
A D N Tot Tot A D N Tot Tot
1. There is an electric field
between the plates of a capacitor
89 11 - 26 100 75 18 7 197 100 Given concept was
correct.
Educators
-Low level of
misconception for both
2. There is no relationship between electric potential and
electric field.
15 81 4 27 100 8 74 18 192 100 E.potential: Work done in moving a
charge back from
infinity.E.Field:Work done by E.force to
displace an object with unit charge.
They are related.
Educators
-Low level of misconception-
for both.
3. No work done while charging
a capacitor
15 81 4 26 100 55 34 11 195 100 Work is done to
charge a capacitor
Intuition and
partially educators
-Low level of
miscon for educators‟.
–Medium level for learners‟.
4. Charges flow through a charged capacitor
50 50 - 26 100 22 63 15 199 100 No charge flows inside capacitor
across the gap
Educators
-High level for educators‟ and
medium level for learners.
89
Statement given Educator Responses (N=28) Learner responses (N=198) Correct concept Correct concept
Origin of Learners‟
misconception
Level of educators‟ misconception
compared to learners‟
RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
RN RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
RN RP
%
A D N Tot Tot A D N Tot Tot
5. Capacitors are store charges
65 35 - 26 100 69 19 11 195 100 Capacitors store energy
Educators
Both got high level of miscon
6. There are excess charges in a charged capacitor
48 48 4 23 100 50 28 22 195 100 The net charge in a capacitor is zero
Educators .
Both got high level of misconception
7. Electric Forces are always along the field lines around a
charged object
77 19 4 26 100 73 14 13 196 100 Given concept is Correct.
Educators Low level of miscon for both
8. Field lines are real 31 62 8 26 100 44 30 26 196 100 Field lines are
imaginary Lines.
Educators
and intuition
-Medium level for
educators‟. -High level for
learners‟.
9. The concepts of electric
field and force are the same.
28 72 - 25 100 15 69 16 198 100 Electric field is the
force per unit charge experienced
by an object due to
its location in space. They are not the
same.
Educators
-Medium level for
educators‟ -Low level of
misconception for
learners‟
10. There are finite number
of field lines around a
charged object
39
58
4
26
100
57
24
19
198
100
They are not
countable
Educators
and
intuition
-Medium level for
educators‟.
-High level for learners‟.
90
Key: Rp = Fractional percentage; RN = Number of responses; SD = strongly disagree; D = Disagree; SA = strongly agree; A = Agree; N = Neutral
Statement given Educator Responses (N=28) Learner responses (N=198) Correct concept Correct concept
Origin of Learners‟
misconception
Level of educators‟
misconception compared to
learners‟
RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
RN RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
RP
%
RN RP
%
A D N Tot Tot A D N Tot Tot
11. Static electricity has
nothing to do with high voltage
62
31
8
26
100
28
52
21
189
100
Static electricity is
more noticeable when there is
a high voltage.
Educators
-High level for
Educators‟
-Medium level of miscon for
learners‟
12. Charged object will lose
or gain electron when kept
in contact with an uncharged object until
neutral
70
26
4
27
100
72
19
9
190
100
It can‟t be neutral because the net
charge stays the
same and it is not zero.
Educators
Both educators and learners
got high level of miscon.
91
The Table 18 shows the percentage agreement and disagreement responses to
items of educator & learner questionnaires. By organizing the table as above enabled
the researcher to identify educators‘ misconceptions and compare them with the
misconceptions of the learners. Whatever misconceptions learners had they were
also found among educators. For example, in the concepts 4, 5, 6, 11 and 12, there
were very high levels of misconceptions among educators as well as learners.
Special attention to concept 11 showed the misconceptions of educators were higher
than the misconceptions of learners‘. In concepts 8, 9 and 10, medium level of
misconceptions were found among educators‘ as well as learners‘. Concept 9 showed
misconceptions of educators‘. Misconceptions of educators‘, though medium level,
had caused a higher level of misconceptions in learners‘. Concepts 1, 2, 3 and 7
showed low levels of misconceptions among educators as well as learners with
educators‘ misconceptions higher in concepts 2 & 7 and less in concept 3 than
learners‘. So the researcher was able to conclude that misconceptions held by
educators were a major source of misconceptions of the learners.
4.8.4. COMPARISON BETWEEN LEARNER AND EDUCATOR RESPONSES TO SECTION
B (MCQs) OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE
Percentage responses to various concepts under MCQ of section B are given in Table
19 for educators and learners. In Table 19 correct concepts as well as
misconceptions of educators and learners are compared and their origins identified.
92
Table 19: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 1 by educators and learners VARIOUS CONCEPTS
EDUCATOR SUPPORT
%
LEARNER SUPPORT
%
SOURCE & LEVEL OF LEARNERS‟ (LRS‟) MISCONCEPTIONS (miscon.)
Source Level of LRS‘ miscon. in relation to educators‘
1. A charged body contains only one type of charge [incorrect concept](A)
18 31 Educator Medium, but more than educators‘.
A charged body is one which contains both types of charges but unequal in number (Correct concept) (B)
64 42 Experience & Educator
Very high 42<64<100 LRS‘ miscon. is more than educators‘.
A charged body is one which is rubbed with another material (incorrect concept) (C)
11 8 Educator Low, but LRS‘ is less than educators‘.
Contains equal number of positive and negative charges (incorrect concept) (D)
4 8 Educator (Ignored)
Low, but more than educators‘.
Could attract all other objects (incorrect concept) (E)
3 11 Educator
Low, but more than educators‘.
TOTAL % 100 100
Concept 1 of charged body was not understood by the learners. The educators‘
responses to the correct answer, B, was 64% and the learners‘ responses to correct
answer was 42%. The misconception A was supported by 18% educator responses
and 31% learner responses. It was found that misconceptions of educators and daily
experience have caused the misconception of the learners.
MCQ 2
The second concept tested under section B was that of neutral body. The
percentage response of educators to the correct answer C was 89%. The learners‘
93
responded with 65% support to the correct answer C. Misconception A was
supported by 11% educator responses whereas learner response was 13%. The
misconceptions of educators and learners were low. So one of the sources of
misconceptions held by learners could be the educators (Table 20). Since the rest of
the responses of learners were for various misconceptions, such as 12% for answer
B, 6% for answer D and 4% for answer E which educators did not have, the sources
of misconceptions cannot be pin-pointed. So the misconceptions of learners were
due to educators‘ and other sources, especially daily language used by the learners
in their community. Another source was intuition. Learners make sense out of the
word ‗Neutral‘ without fully listening the teaching. They think they know the word
since they use it often. Moreover, responses to item 18 of LIS revealed the learners‘
understanding of the word ‗Neutral‘.
Table 20: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 2 by educators and learners VARIOUS CONCEPTS EDUCATOR
SUPPORT %
LEARNER SUPPORT
%
SOURCE & LEVEL OF LEARNERS‟ (LRS‟) MISCONCEPTIONS (miscon.) Source Level of LRS‟
miscon. in relation to educators‟
2. Neutral objects have no charges (Incorrect ) (A)
11 13 Educator Language
Low, More than educators‟.
They contain only neutral particles (incorrect ) (B)
- 12 Intuition Language used
Low, but no misconception of educators‟.
Neutral objects have number of protons and electrons equal. (Correct) (C)
89 65 Educator & Intuition
65<89<100 Medium miscon. more than educators‟.
They cannot conduct electricity (incorrect ) (D)
- 6 Intuition Low, but no miscon. for educators‟
They could neither attract nor be attracted by a charged object (incorrect) (E)
- 4 Intuition Low, but no miscon. for educators‟.
TOTAL % 100 100
94
MCQ 3
The third concept tested under section B was that of definition of static electricity.
The educators responded to the correct answer with 11% and the learners‘
responded with 28%. The rest of the responses of learners‘ were for various
misconceptions such as 17% for answer A, 38% for answer B, 14% for answer D
and 3% for answer E. On the other hand the educator response to misconceptions A
and B were 41% each. Here, misconceptions held by educators were higher than
those of learners (Table 21). The source of misconceptions of learners was the
educators.
Table 21: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 3 by educators and learners
VARIOUS CONCEPTS EDUCATOR SUPPORT
%
LEARNER SUPPORT
%
SOURCE & LEVEL OF LEARNERS‟ (LRS‟) MISCONCEPTIONS
(miscon.) Source Level of LRS‟
miscon. in relation to educators‟
3. Non moving charges make up static electricity
(incorrect ) (A)
41 17 Educator Medium, LRS‟ miscon. less than
educators‟.
Friction causes static electricity (incorrect )
(B)
41 38 Educator Medium high, LRS‟ misconceptions less
than educators‟.
Static electricity is interaction of opposite
charges which are separated and prevented
from moving freely to each other (Correct) (C)
11 28 Educator Very high, LRS‟ misconceptions less
than educators‟.
Static electricity is build up of charges (Incorrect )
(D)
7 14 Educator Low, but more than educators‟.
It is opposite to current electricity (Incorrect )
(E)
-
3 Intuition Low, but no miscon. of educators‟.
TOTAL % 100 100
95
MCQ 4
The fourth concept tested was electric field intensity. The educators responded to
the correct answer B with 74% support. The learners responded with 54% to the
correct answer B. The rest of the responses of learners‘ to various misconceptions
were 10% for answer A, 18% for answer C, 8% for answer D and 10% for answer
E. Responses of educators‘ to misconceptions A and C are 11% and 15%
respectively (Table 22). The source of misconceptions of learners‘ is partially due to
educators‘.
Table 22: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 4 by educators and learners
VARIOUS CONCEPTS EDUCATOR
SUPPORT %
LEARNER
SUPPORT %
SOURCE & LEVEL OF LEARNERS‟
(LRS‟) MISCONCEPTIONS (miscon.)
Source Level of LRS‟ miscon.
in relation to
educators‟ The electric field intensity
increases as the charge on each of the plates decreases
(Incorrect ) (A)
11 10 Educator Low, but LRS‟ miscon.
is equal to educators‟.
The electric field intensity
increases as the distance
between the plates decreases (Correct) (B)
74 54 Educator High, more than
educators‟.
The electric field intensity increases as the potential
difference between the plates
decreases (Incorrect ) (C)
15 18 Educator Low, Learners‟ and educators
misconceptions are
close to each other.
The electric field intensity
increases as the area of each
of the plates decreases (Incorrect ) (D)
- 8 - Low, No
misconceptions for
educators‟.
The electric field intensity increases as the thickness of
the plates decreases.
(Incorrect ) (E)
- 10 - Low, No misconceptions for
educators‟.
TOTAL % 100 100
MCQ 5
The fifth concept tested was Coulomb‘s law. Educators‘ response to the correct
answer C was 73%. Only 14% of learner response was for the correct answer C.
The rest of the learner responses to various misconceptions were 51% for answer A,
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19% for answer B, 7% for answer D and 9% for answer E. On the other hand, the
educator response to misconception A was 27% which was quite high to be a source
of misconceptions in learners (Table 23). The sources of misconceptions were
educators and intuition of learners‘.
Table 23: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 5 by educators and learners
VARIOUS CONCEPTS EDUCATOR
SUPPORT %
LEARNER SUPPOR
T %
SOURCE & LEVEL OF LEARNERS‟ (LRS‟) MISCONCEPTIONS (miscon.)
Source Level of LRS‘ miscon. in relation to educators‘
S exerts on T a smaller force than T exerts on S (Incorrect ) (A)
27 51 Educator High, Learners‘ miscon. is more than educators‘.
S exerts on T a greater force than that T exerts on S (B)
- 19 Intuition Medium, No misconception for educators‘.
S exerts on T a force equal to that exerted by T on S. [correct concept] (C)
73 14 Educator & intuition
Very high, Learners‘ is much higher than educators‘.
Answers A, B and C are correct (Incorrect ) (D)
- 7 - Very low, no misconceptions for educators
Answers A, B and C are incorrect (Incorrect ) (E)
- 9 - Low, no misconceptions for educators
TOTAL % 100 100
MCQ 6
The last concept tested was charge transfer by induction. The correct answer was A
with 63% educator responses and 19% learner responses. The rest of the learners‘
responses were for various misconceptions such as 23% for answer B, 10% for
answer C, 21% for answer D and 27% for answer E. Educators‘ responses to the
misconceptions B and D were 17% and 12% (Table 24), respectively, which is low
compared to the learners‘ 23% and 27% for B and D, respectively. The possible
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sources of misconceptions were educators and intuition of learners‘. This was
evident from their responses to item 20 of LIS.
Table 24: Comparison of % responses to MCQ 6 by educators and learners
VARIOUS CONCEPTS EDUCATOR
SUPPORT %
LEARNER SUPPOR
T %
SOURCE & LEVEL OF LEARNERS‟ (LRS‟) MISCONCEPTIONS (miscon.)
Source Level of LRS‘ miscon. in relation to educators‘
6. X is positive and Y is negative [correct concept] (A)
63 19 Educators & intuition
Very high, Learners‘ misconceptions are higher than educators‘.
X negative and Y positive (Incorrect ) (B)
17 23 Educator Medium, learners‘ misconception is more than educators‘.
Both positive (Incorrect ) (C) 4 10 Educator Low, Learners‘ misconception is more than educators‘.
Both negative (Incorrect ) (D) 12 21 Educator Medium, Learners‘ misconceptions are more than educators‘.
Both neutral (Incorrect ) (E) 4 27 Educator Medium, Learners‘ misconceptions are more than educators‘.
TOTAL % 100 100
4.9. ELIMINATION OF MISCONCEPTIONS OF LEARNERS AT SCHOOL
CONSIDERING THE VIEWS OF LEARNERS, EDUCATORS AND THE
LITERATURE REVIEWED
The study enabled the researcher to suggest some of the steps educators could take
to reduce, if not eliminate, each of these misconceptions from learners‘ conceptual
framework. The learners‘ themselves suggested their opinion on what change in
teaching would improve their understanding. The responses to item 3 of the semi-
structured interview schedule of learners allowed the learners to bring up their views
on expected changes in teaching to improve their understanding in the topic.
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4.9.1. PRESENTATION OF LEARNERS‘ AND EDUCATORS‘ REMEDIAL SUGGESTIONS
TO MISCONCEPTIONS
In the learners‘ view, relating the topic to everyday problems in life inculcates
interest and curiosity to learn more. Forming study groups where they discuss their
work and make changes through interaction under supervision. Then they should
present the work in front of the class group by group in presence of educators.
Educators must provide learners with extra classes and materials, texts and more
drill work in the form of homework and class work, well equipped library and
laboratory. Hands–on activities such as practical and demonstrations would help
learners to improve their understanding of the topic.
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Table 25: Remedial suggestions of educators‟ and learners‟
Item Learners‘ response (N= 30)
No. of learner support
Educators‘ response (N= 28)
Number of educator support
1 More drill in the form of tutorials or class activities or home works, practicals
14 Encourage discovery learning with Practicals, exercises, demonstrations and hands-on activity
14
2 Form study groups to discuss and make changes under supervision
10 Form study groups and encourage discussions
4
3 Give topic earlier and Present the work in the class by each group in presence of the educator.
6 Encourage learners to ask questions, clarify doubts and pay attention to their responses: atmosphere conducive to learning
5
4 Educator has to have passion for teaching so that they will have patience to deal with learners‘ problems and all the above programs
6 Encourage to read more. Use authorized textbooks, educational TV channels, websites and provide learning materials.
11
5 Relate teaching to problems daily experience in life.
2 Apply science knowledge to solve daily life problem
6
6 Provide extra materials, texts, extra classes, equipped library and laboratory.
4 Get to know learners‘ primary knowledge and teach from known to unknown
3
9 Educators should be dedicated and well prepared for teaching with proper introduction.
4
10 Teachers should be given seminars and teacher in-service workshops.
1
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During interview the following conversation took place between the researcher and
learners.
Researcher: What changes in teaching would have improved your understanding of
electrostatics?
Learner G: ―They must understand that we are not the same. We are unique
because everybody has his IQ to understand. Some are studying. The teacher needs
to be passionate and explain. It doesn‘t matter if the learner is slowly learned. But
she must consult her, make her to understand and be passionate with her and try to
give her some questions, some exercise to do more per day for that topic she is
trying to explain, so that we can go and then allow us to give questions that we
don‘t…. and that we don‘t understand here and explain more‖.
Learner R: ―Mh‘….The thing starts with improve understanding. First, we taught may
be twice in a week and then the other period per teacher give us student to study
on our own…mh‘….may be we share with the students or else …….well….study on
his/her own‖.
Learner A1: ―Mh‘…I think if the teacher was more active and gave in more energy
and interest and ask the student like…. to go solve the question on
board….something like that…..mh‘. Ask more questions…and also..mh‘…if we are in
a group we could also discuss what happening in the book and… Yah‘….and to be
more practical; more practical in and mh‘…and to be like when you teaching you
should take it on like everyday experience in life. So we don‘t forget or you always
remember the something that happens in our life. Something practical that everyone
knows that will be more easier for us to understand‖.
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Learner F: ―Response of teacher was shocking when asked for help. I think it is that
intercommunication between teacher and student and not caring students whether
they understand or not. A teacher must be in a position to accommodate learners
and also be willing to see and try to make us to understand as much as possible.
Teaching and nurturing learners are understanding what you are teaching them. It is
worth, I think‖.
Learner A3: ―Solving lots of problems helps. Just writing notes on the board doesn‘t
help much. Have a good teacher but loud. Some times teachers come to school and
they stressed out and….Yah…so….Yah…Sometimes you don‘t understand what is
wrong. Some other teachers have favorites. They concentrate only on favorites and
not the whole class‖.
In summary, all the learners when interviewed voiced one or the other problem
mentioned below. That is, their teachers were seldom available at school, don‘t care
attitude towards learners and lack of passion for the job they do. One student went
to an extent to say that educators have to have passion for their profession so that
they would be approachable, listen to the learners and solve their problems. More
than 50% of the learners hoped and wished to have the topics given to them in
advance and then after self preparation and group discussion they present it to the
class in presence of the educator.
Educators viewed (Table 25 from responses to section C of educator questionnaire)
as follows. Proper communication with the learners while correcting their work is an
important factor in understanding them. Get to know learners‘ previous knowledge
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and correct them before a topic is introduced to them. Language barrier was another
stumbling block in communicating. So educators should encourage learners to ask
questions. Application of science concepts should be related to solving daily life
problems to make teaching and learning more interesting. Educators should watch
out for learners‘ misconceptions and correct them as early as possible. Educators
have suggested discovery learning in which (learner centered) learners learn through
doing things. Educators should be well prepared with their lessons and have to be
taught from known to unknown after giving a proper introduction which would
stimulate the learners to get interested in the lesson. Educators should be upgraded
through frequent teacher in-service workshops.
4.10. THE CORRECT CONCEPTS AND THE EXPLANATIONS NEEDED TO
OVERCOME THE IDENTIFIED MISCONCEPTIONS (Table 14)
Misconception 1: Charges flow through the capacitor
There is no charge flow through a capacitor between the plates. While charging a
capacitor, electrons from the negative terminal of the battery flow to one of the
plates and accumulate there make it the negative plate. These negative charges
push the electrons on the other plate and make that plate positive. When we
connect such a capacitor to an electric appliance the charge flow is from the
negative plate through the appliance and to the initially positive plate.
Misconception 2: Parallel plate capacitors are sources of charges
Parallel plate capacitors are sources of energy. Electrical Potential energy is stored in
the electric field between the plates.
Misconception 3: There is excess number of charges in a charged capacitor
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There is no excess number of charges in a capacitor because the number of negative
charges on one of the plates is equal to the positive charges on the other plate.
So the net charge on the capacitor plates is zero.
Misconception 4: Field lines are real
Electric field lines are not real. They are useful as an aid to visualizing electric fields.
Field lines are imaginary lines used to represent the electric field and hence it is
unreal (Sears, Zemansky & Young 1987, P. 556).
Misconception 5: There are a finite number of field lines around charged
object
There could not be a finite number of field lines around a charged object since the
field line itself is unreal (Becker 2009).
Misconception 6: Static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage
Static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage is an incorrect statement
Static electricity is another word for high voltage. Whenever we have high voltage,
then we also have electrostatic attraction and repulsion. With high voltage we also
get long sparks, crackling noises, and blue glows and flashes which are caused by
intense electric fields. Intense electric fields are another way of saying "high voltage‖
(Beaty 2005).
Misconception 7: Charged object will lose or gain electrons when kept in
contact with an uncharged object until neutral
A Charged object will lose or gain electrons when kept in contact with an uncharged
object until neutral is an incorrect statement. According to principles of physics, the
charged object when kept in contact with a neutral object can‘t be neutral because
the net charge stays the same and it is not zero.
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Misconception 8: Charged body is one which contains only one type of
charges
A charged body contains only one type of charges‘ is an incorrect statement. The
correct way of defining a charged body is that it contains unequal amounts of
positive and negative charges.
Misconception 9: Friction causes static electricity
Friction causes static electricity is scientifically incorrect. Friction could add to or
remove charges from an object and make it either positively or negatively charged. An
object which is charged could attract neutral objects and opposite charges. Conditions
required for producing static electricity is explained under misconception 6.
Misconception 10: Small and large charged objects when separated by a
distance
(a) small object exerts a smaller force on the large object than large
object exerts on the small object.
(b) small object exerts a large force on the large object than the large
object exerts on the small object.
Two charged objects S and T are kept a distance r apart. Charge on T was ten times
greater than that on S. The force exerted by S on T was smaller than that exerted
by T on S. This is a misconception and it can be cleared to the learners with the
following explanation.
According to Coulomb‘s law force between a small charge and a large charge could
be calculated using the formula F=KQsQT/r2. Interchanging the value of Qs and QT
does not change the force. That is, the forces on either object are the same in
magnitude but opposite in direction.
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Misconception 11: Two metal spheres, X and Y, each on an insulating stand,
were brought into contact. A negatively charged rod is held near X without
touching it. Sphere Y is now moved away from X followed by the rod. The
charges on the two spheres will now be
(d) X negative and Y positive.
(e) both negative
(f) both neutral
Two misconceptions derived from MCQ 6 are that a charged body kept near a
neutral object:
Induces the same charge on the neutral object as that of the charged body
at the nearer end and opposite charge at the farther end.
Has no effect on the neutral object and hence the neutral object/objects
remains/remain neutral.
According to statistical principles of physics, a charged body held near an uncharged
body induces an opposite charge at the nearer end and a like charge at the farther
end.
The traditional method of teaching has to give way to constructivist mode of
teaching. In the constructivist mode of teaching, the educator takes the role of a
facilitator. Learners themselves generate knowledge through the active participation
of the learner in the group discussion, hands-on activities and challenging ideas.
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4.11. DISCUSSION ON THE RESEARCH RESULT AGAINST THE LITERATURE
REVIEWED
The following are the research findings.
4.11.1. LEARNERS AT UNIVERSITY ENTRY POINT GOT MISCONCEPTIONS IN
ELECTROSTATICS (REFER TABLE 14).
Misconceptions 1, 4 & 5 emanated from the research study agreed with the
misconception ―Charges jump from one plate to the other plate of a capacitor (Baser
& Geban 2007)‖ found in the article ―Effect of instruction based on conceptual
change activities on students‘ understanding of static electricity concepts‖. Learners
think that electrons flow between the plates of a capacitor and the field lines
between the plates are the path of electrons. Misconception 5 from the study
findings was also found in the articles, ‗Surveying students‘ conceptual knowledge of
electricity and magnetism‘ by Maloney, O‘kuma & Hieggelke (2001) and ‗Students‘
understanding of superposition of electric fields‘ by Rainson, Transtromer & Viennot
(1994). According to the learners field lines are real and there is a definite number
of field lines.
Misconceptions 2 & 3 from the study result were also found in the article by
Baser & Geban (2007) mentioned above. Learners believe that charging a capacitor
is like filling it with (storing) charges. So there is excess charge in it and hence,
could be used as a source of electricity.
Misconceptions 6 & 9 emanated from the study was also found in the
literature reviewed (Beaty 2005, 2009). Learners said friction caused static electricity
and it has nothing to do with high voltage.
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Misconceptions 7 & 8 from the study result was also found in the article
―But electricity isn‘t static‘: science discussion, identification of learning issues, and
use of resources in a problem-based learning education course‖ by Siegel & Lee
(2001). Learners were confused with charge transfer concepts. According to the
learners a positively charged object contained only positive charges, negatively
charged object contained only negative charges and neutral object contained only
neutral particles. Learners also thought that a charged object when kept in contact
with an uncharged object would transfer all its charges to the uncharged until the
charged object became neutral.
Misconceptions 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b and 11c from the study finding were not
found among the literature reviewed. Learners misunderstood the Coulomb‘s law.
Learners said ―the force of attraction or repulsion a small charged object exerted on
the large one was smaller than the large one exerted on the small one When a small
and a large charges are separated by a distance‖ and vice versa. Learners also had
problems with the concepts of charge induction. Learners said that a negative
charged object kept near a neutral object induced a negative on the neutral object.
Some other learners said that neutral object will remain neutral since it is not
touching the charged object.
4.11.2. EDUCATORS ARE THE MAJOR SOURCE OF MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE
LEARNERS.
This is an important outcome of the research study carried out by the researcher to
answer the sub-research question 3. Educators as the source of misconceptions
were also appeared in the literature review (Benton 1980; Caillot & Xuan 1993)
which was not proved. This study was able to prove the above. According to Myer
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(1992), Tekkaya (2003) and Beatty (2009), errors in the textbooks as another
source of misconceptions were proved in their research articles.
4.11.3. MISCONCEPTIONS OF LEARNERS‘ CAN BE ELIMINATED THROUGH
PUTTING THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK, CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY, INTO
PRACTICE.
Knowing learners‘ preliminary knowledge in the topic and correcting their wrong
concepts, peer interaction and interaction of the learners with educators are some of
the steps involved in the constructivist approach. Conceptual change text is another
tool to correct misconceptions. The chapter 2 dwelled a lot on constructivist theory
which could guide educators to eliminate misconceptions in electrostatics among
learners.
4.12. CONCLUSION
The learner questionnaire helped the researcher in identifying learners‘
misconception. The semi-structured interview enabled the researcher in getting
clarity on the choices they made in the quantitative data. It also gave clue on why
they selected a particular option. The responses to items in semi-structured
interview schedule confirmed learners‘ misconceptions and some of the possible
sources of their misconceptions such as intuition, educators‘ misconceptions,
textbooks and daily language. The responses to items in the educators‘
questionnaire helped to identify educators‘ misconceptions. The educators‘
misconceptions came out as one of the major sources of misconception of learners.
Learners‘ responses to item 3 of semi-structured interview schedule suggested some
changes in teaching that would enable learners to improve their understanding.
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Analysis of qualitative data from the educator questionnaire (section C Question 9)
helped the researcher to suggest remedial actions to reduce misconception of
learners.
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CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1. INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter the researcher presented the analyzed data, results and
their discussions. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the findings by linking
various aspects in a meaningful way, conclude and then make recommendations.
The learner sample consisted of 45% male and 55% female which is close to the
gender ratio of the country (GeoHive 2009). The 54% of the learners were in the
age group 18-20 years. Since the school going age was 7, they were expected to
have straight passes in all the grades from 1-12 (National Education Policy Act No.
27 of 1996). The learners with IsiXhosa as their home language were 87% of the
sample, and they were expected to be from Eastern Cape. The educator sample,
63% had with 1 - 10 years of teaching experience and 37% with physics major,
could positively impact on learning physics. Learner enablers such as 68%
motivation, 77 % welcoming questions and 88 % provision for group study had been
in place in most schools at a moderate rate though not as much as the expectation
of educators‘ 100% motivation, 100% welcoming questions and 96 % provision for
study group.
5.2. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
5.2.1. MISCONCEPTIONS IN ELECTROSTATICS
The learners at university entry point had misconceptions in Electrostatics. The
major misconceptions identified were the following:
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1. Charges flow through the gap between the plates of a capacitor.
2. Parallel plate capacitors store charge.
3. There is excess amount of charges in a charged capacitor.
4. Field lines are real.
5. There are finite numbers of field lines around a charged object.
6. Static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage.
7. Charged object will lose or gain electrons when kept in contact with an uncharged
object until neutral.
8. Positively charged body is one which contains only positive charges.
9. Friction causes static electricity.
10. A small charged object exerts a small electrostatic force on a large charged
object than the force large charged object exerts on the small charged object and
vice versa when the two are separated by a distance.
11. A charged rod held near two neutral objects in contact and on insulated stands
gain the following charges when the charged object is moved away.
(a) Neutral object nearer to the charged rod gained negative and the farther one
gained positive charge.
(b) Both gain negative charge.
(c) Both neutral.
5.2.2. ORIGIN OF MISCONCEPTIONS
The origins of the identified misconceptions were investigated with the help of
learner interview schedule. An educator questionnaire sought to establish the
misconceptions of educators to check whether they were one of the sources of
misconceptions of learners. The researcher found that one of the sources of
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misconceptions of learners could possibly be misconceptions of educators. One of
the sources of educators‘ misconceptions was the textbooks. The Other sources of
learners‘ misconceptions were intuition, daily language, textbooks and experience.
The study revealed major misconceptions in electrostatics among the learners at
university entry point and their origins. This showed that matriculants carried
misconceptions from schools to universities. The findings if brought to the attention
of the educators through the district education office, with all misconceptions, their
corrections and suggestions on how to implement them will enable the educators to
eliminate this problem of misconception among the learners. It will help the learners
not to carry their electrostatics misconceptions forward to university and interfere
with the thought process required in learning deeper concepts in the field. In this
way the student dropout rate from science courses in universities can be reduced.
The study could also open avenues to finding solutions to misconceptions in various
other subjects and the ways to implement them in classroom teaching.
This study was able to expose educators‘ misconceptions as well. If the educators‘
misconceptions are alleviated through interventions, it could stop them from passing
those misconceptions to the learners.
Beaty (2005) in his article ―high voltage misconceptions: static electricity‖ said that
some elementary science textbooks contain subtle errors which pose barriers to
learners‘ understanding. So far the researcher hasn‘t come across any literature on
misconceptions in electrostatics locally and any effort taken internationally in proving
113
educators‘ misconceptions as one of the origin of learner‘s misconception. So this
study bridges that gap in knowledge.
The study could add more to the pool of electrostatic knowledge. Basic
understanding of electrostatics is essential for better understanding of electricity,
which is the central learning area in physics (Ganiel 1999). Correct electrostatic
conception lays foundation for the successful handling of spark explosion hazards in
industries, electrostatic precipitators in reduction of pollution and electrostatic
generators to produce millions of volts for accelerating sub-atomic particles in
nuclear physics research (Tom 1987, P. 250) among others.
5.3. CONCLUSIONS
This study has contributed towards exposing the electrostatic misconceptions of
learners as well as educators, and has suggested some of the steps to reduce
misconceptions. Since most of learners‘ misconceptions tallied with those of the
educators, the major source of misconceptions was confirmed to be educators. So
once the educators‘ misconceptions are rectified, we can reduce/eliminate
misconceptions of learners. The study gave all possible steps to reduce if not
eliminate electrostatic misconceptions among matriculants by the time they start
university, which will give them correct foundation to carry on with science courses
successfully. The findings made from the study would guide the Department of Basic
Education to provide schools with equipped laboratories and educators with the skill
and knowledge in handling learners‘ misconceptions. The proper implementation of
the findings and suggestions for solution could provide proper guidance to educators
114
in eliminating or reducing misconceptions of the learners at school level which in
turn will lay a better foundation to their tertiary education.
5.4. RECOMMENDATIONS
A number of recommendations were made from the research findings and findings
from the literature. They were made in line with the sub-research questions with
the view to eliminate and prevent misconceptions in electrostatics among learners in
schools.
The researcher made the following recommendations:
STEP 1: Identification and clarification of electrostatic misconceptions of learners
Step 1 attempted to eliminate misconceptions accrued from informal sources such as
friends, culture, experience and daily language. Educators should collect learners‘
preliminary knowledge in the topic through a questionnaire. With the help of a
proper introduction at the start of each lesson educators could instill interest in the
topic among the learners. This is the time the educators would bring up the
misconceptions from their answers to the items in the questionnaire. Explain clearly
and with correct reasoning to get rid of those misconceptions. This requires
educators with good content knowledge in the topic, well equipped laboratory and
library. So constant upgrading of both primary and secondary teachers through
teacher in-service workshops is very important.
STEP 2: Introduction of conceptual change text
Conceptual change textbooks could also be used to reduce misconceptions.
Conceptual change textbooks are printed with misconceptions and their correct
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explanations in the margin. It is self explanatory and helps the learners being aware
of possible misconceptions and their corrections.
STEP 3: Educator exchange programme is another important activity that could
reduce misconceptions from formal source. This is like summarizing all the topics
learnt so far with a different approach of the exchanged teacher in the allotted time.
This attempted to make up for whatever points the educator missed out or ill-
explained as well as for the one the learners failed to understand.
In order to eliminate misconceptions from formal learning such as educators, the
teacher training colleges have to introduce the possible misconceptions and their
corrections in all the topics in the subject in the curriculum (syllabus). Student
teachers have to be taught how to clarify the corrections to those misconceptions.
Methodology of teaching has to stress the importance of collecting preliminary
knowledge of learners in the topic. A successful lesson is one which is well
introduced. So student teachers should be taught how to give a proper introduction
at the start of the lesson followed by discussion and clarification of learners‘
misconceptions identified from preliminary knowledge. Clarifying the misconceptions
from previous knowledge could eliminate misconceptions from both informal and
formal learning whereas the successful introduction of the topic would inspire
learners and instill interest in the topic
The supervision of student teachers by their lecturers should be compulsory to see
whether they follow the instructions given to them. At the moment, lecturers‘ pay
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only one or two visits to the schools to check the student teachers. This is not
enough and it has to change.
5.5. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
A similar study could be conducted with primary school learners and their educators
to find misconceptions in electrostatic as well as other topics. A solution to their
misconception shall provide the high school educators an opportunity to build on to
learners with good foundation.
The study can be carried out with learners in the high school. Here learners would
be given a pre-test on the topic followed by intervention and then post-test. This will
enable the researcher to see how effective the intervention was in eliminating
electrostatic misconceptions.
The same study could be carried out with learners in tertiary institutions in the
beginning of first year in South Africa and abroad.
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134
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
B.Sc 1 year end result for 4 consecutive years
135
136
APPENDIX B
LEARNER QUESTIONNAIRE
MISCONCEPTIONS IN ELECTROSTATICS AMONGST
MATRICULANTS AND THEIR ORIGINS
This questionnaire aims to identify the misconceptions in Electrostatics
among the matriculants. YOU ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE THE
QUESTIONNAIRE. Your contribution is invaluable to this research. Your
identity will be required to conduct the interviews. However, in the mini-dissertation,
you will be described by a code for anonymity.
INSTRUCTIONS
Answer all the questions in the space provided in the questionnaire.
Follow the directions under each section.
SECTION A
Tick one of the options that you think is applicable.
PERSONAL PURTICULARS
1. Gender
Male Female
2. Age
<18 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 >25
3. Home language
English IsiZulu IsiXhosa Sesotho Afrikaans Others
LEARNING AND TEACHING STRATEGIES IN THE HIGH SCHOOL
4. I was well motivated in physics by my teacher
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
5. My physics teacher always welcomed our questions.
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
6. We always have demonstration lessons in the subject.
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
137
7. We did physics practical in groups, at least once in a month.
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
8. Availability of group learning in physics made me think better.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
9. Group discussion in the subject is well supervised.
strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
10. There were provision for study groups and we respected the contributions from
each other.
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
ELECTROSTATICS CONTENT
Questions from 11- 18 are based on a capacitor which is connected with a
battery for 2minutes and then disconnected.
Battery
capacitor resistor
A B
11. There is an electric field between the plates of a capacitor
strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
12. There is no relationship between electric potential and electric field
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
13. No work is while charging a capacitor.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
14. Charges flow through a capacitor
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
15. Parallel plate capacitors are the sources of charges
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
16. There are an excess number of charges in a charged capacitor
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
17. Electric forces are always along field lines around a charged object.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
18. Field lines are real
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
19. The concepts of electric field and force are same thing
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
138
20. There are a finite number of field lines around a charged object.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
21. Static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
22. A charged object will lose or gain electrons when kept in contact with an
uncharged object until it becomes neutral.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
SECTION B
STATIC ELECTRICITY CONCEPT TEST
Multiple Choices of answers are given for each of the following questions.
Tick one of the options A, B, C, D OR E that is applicable
1. A positively charged body is one which
A. Contains only positive charges.
B. Contains more positive charges than the negative charges.
C. Is rubbed with another material.
D. Contains equal number of positive and negative charges.
E. Could attract all other objects.
A B C D E
2. An object is said to be electrically neutral if
A. It contains neither positive nor negative charges.
B. It contains only neutral particles.
C. It contains equal number of protons and electrons.
D. It could not conduct electricity.
E. It could not be attracted by a charged object.
A B C D E
3. Which of the following can define the term “static electricity”?
A. Non moving charges make up static electricity.
B. Friction causes static electricity.
C. Opposite charges which are separated and prevented from moving freely to each other.
C. It is a buildup of charges.
D. It is opposite to current electricity.
A B C D E
4. Which of the following magnitudes must decrease in order to increase the electric field
intensity between two oppositely charged parallel plates?
A. The charge on each plate
B. The distance between the plates
C. The potential difference between the plates.
D. The area of each plate.
E. Thickness of the plates
A B C D E
139
5. Two charged objects S and T are kept a distance r apart. Charge on T is ten times
greater than S. The force exerted on each other is as follows.
A. S exerts on T a smaller force than T exerts on S.
B. S exerts on T a greater force than T exerts on S.
C. S exerts on T a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to that exerted by T
on S.
D. Answers A, B and C are correct. S T
E. Answers A, B and C are incorrect.
r
A B C D E
6. Two metal spheres, X and Y, each on an insulating stand are brought into contact. A
negatively charged rod is held near X without touching it. Sphere Y is now moved away from
X followed by the rod. The charges on the two spheres will now be…..
A. X positive and Y negative.
B. X negative and Y positive
C. Both positive Y X
D. Both negative
E. Both neutral
rod
A B C D E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
140
APPENDIX C
LEARNER CONSENT FORM – INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
PURPOSE OF SEMI-STUCTURED INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
AND INSTRUCTIONS
The purpose of the study and the extent to which you will be involved in this study were
explained to you in person, and you have consented to this interview. The purpose of this
research is to gather data on your understanding and the difficulties on the topic
Electrostatics. I would like to assess the understanding of the concepts and principles on
Electrostatics. The data elicited will be confidentially dealt with and will be used only for the
purpose of this research. Your name and identity will not be revealed to anyone. Thus
guarantee your anonymity. You have the freedom to withdraw from the research at any time
you wish. This interview will be approximately for 30mins. About 30 students will attend the
interview. The interview would last for 4 days. We also include the use of their answers to
the questionnaire which is previously distributed and completed by them. Do you have any
questions before we start the interview?
I would also like to audio record the interview, as it would help me to listen to it again later
and to transcribe the interview for data analysis. If you consent to the above, kindly sign the
consent form. However, if you need further clarification before signing the consent form,
please feel free to do so.
INTERVIEWEE‟S CONSENT
The researcher, Mrs. S.T. Muthiraparampil, has explained to me the purpose and instructions,
anonymity of the participants and confidentiality of the information I give. I do/do not object
to audio-recording of my responses.
Student signature student name student number date
…………………. ………………. …………….. ……………
141
APPENDIX D
LEARNER INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
1. Tell me about one memorable experience in your physics class when you were
studying at high school?
2. On how many occasions did you sit around different tables as small groups in physics
class?
3. What changes in the teaching would have improved your understanding of
Electrostatics?
4. What is an electric field?
5. Can you explain your answers to questions 20, 22 and 11 in that order from the
questionnaire?
6. What are the charges on plates A & B of the capacitor?
7. If a positive charge is put between A & B, what would happen to it?
8. If a negative charge is put between A & B, what would happen to it?
9. Elaborate on your answers to question 13 and 16?
10. Explain your answers to questions 15 & 18?
11. Explain a little more about your answers to questions 14 & 17?
12. How do you relate or differentiate between the terms electric field lines and electric
forces?
13. What do you understand by the term electric potential?
14. What is the relationship between electric field and electric potential?
15. What is static electricity?
16. Does a capacitor store voltage? Explain your answer.
17. What change do you expect to happen in a charged object and in a neutral object
when they are in contact?
18. What do you mean by an electrically neutral object?
19. From where did you get that information?
20. Refer to question 8 of section B. Explain the series of events that occurred before and
after moving the metal sphere, Y, away?
142
APPENDIX E
EDUCATORS’ QUESTIONNAIRE This questionnaire aims to identify the misconceptions in Electrostatics among the
matriculants. YOU ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE THE QUESTIONNAIRE.
Your contribution is invaluable to this research.
INSTRUCTIONS
Answer all the questions in the space provided in the questionnaire.
Follow the directions under each section.
SECTION A
Tick one/more of the options that you think is applicable. PERSONAL PURTICULARS
1. What grades do you currently teach?
8 9 10 11 12
2. How long have you been teaching these grades?
1-5 years 6-10 years 10-15 years 15-20 years 20-25 years
3. What are your major science subjects during your teacher training?
1. Biology 2. physics 3. chemistry 4. mathematics 5. physiology
TEACHING STRATEGIES
4. I do appreciate, acknowledge and encourage the students when they accomplish a
difficult task.
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
5. I always welcomed questions from learners.
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
6. I often gave demonstration lessons in physics.
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
7. I conduct physics practical fortnightly.
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
8. Learning physics in groups make students think better.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
Questions from 9-17 are based on a capacitor which has its plates separated
by a vacuum space is connected to a battery for 2minutes and then disconnected.
B A
battery
C R
143
9. There is an electric field between the plates of a capacitor
strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
10. There is no relationship between potential difference and electric field between
plates.
Strongly agree agree neutral disagree Strongly disagree
11. No work is required to charge a capacitor.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
12. Charges flow through a charged capacitor.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
13. Capacitors are the sources of charges.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
14. There is an excess number of charges in a charged capacitor
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
15. Electric forces are always along field lines around a charged object.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
16. Field lines are real.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
17. Electric field and force are same thing
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
18. There are a finite number of field lines around a charged object.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
19. Static electricity has nothing to do with high voltage
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
20. A charged object will lose or gain electrons when kept in contact with an uncharged
object until it becomes neutral.
Strongly agree agree Neutral disagree Strongly disagree
SECTION B
STATIC ELECTRICITY CONCEPT TEST
Multiple Choices of answers are given for each of the following questions.
Tick one of the options A, B, C, D OR E that is applicable
1. A charged body is one which
A. Contains only one type of charges.
B. Contains both types of charges but unequal in number.
C. Is rubbed with another material.
D. Contains equal number of positive and negative charges.
E. Could attract all other objects.
A B C D E
144
2. An object is said to be neutral if
A. They have no charges.
B. They contain only neutral particles.
C. They contain equal number of protons and electrons.
D. They cannot conduct electricity.
F. They could neither attract nor be attracted by a charged object.
A B C D E
3. Which of the following can define the term “static electricity”?
A. Non moving charges make up static electricity.
B. Friction causes static electricity.
C. Interaction of separated and pressurized charges causes static electricity.
D. It is a buildup of charges.
E. It is opposite to current electricity.
A B C D E
4. Which of the following magnitudes must decrease in order to increase the electric field
intensity between two oppositely charged parallel plates?
A. The charge on each plate
B. The distance between the plates
C. The potential difference between the plates.
D. The area of each plate.
E. Thickness of the plates
A B C D E
5. Two charged objects S and T are kept a distance r apart. Charge on T is ten times greater
than S. The force exerted on each other is as follows.
A. S exerts on T a smaller force than T exerts on S.
B. S exerts on T a greater force than T exerts on S.
C. S exerts on T a force equal to that exerted by T on S.
D. Answers A, B and C is correct. S T
E. Answers A, B and C is incorrect.
r
A B C D E
6. Two metal spheres, X and Y, each on an insulating stand are brought into contact. A
negatively charged rod is held near X without touching it. Sphere Y is now moved away from
X and then the rod is removed. The charges on the two spheres will now be…..
A. X positive and Y negative.
B. X negative and Y positive
C. Both positive Y X rod
D. Both negative
E. Both neutral
A B C D E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
145
SECTION C
What do you mean by “misconception”?
How do learners get science misconceptions? Where do they come from?
What are the common misconceptions your learners have in Electrostatics?
If the learners have got misconceptions, how are those misconceptions going to affect them?
How do their misconceptions affect the success of your teaching?
How much do you think about misconception while you are planning a science lesson before
teaching?
146
What have you done to help the students to correct their misconceptions?
To what extend do teachers understand what students „misconceptions are and how science
misconceptions develop?
What are your suggestions to address student‟s misconceptions?
147
APPENDIX F LEARNERS’ PILOT STUDY Participants’ gender
Statistics
Participants’ gender
N Valid 22
Missing 0
Participants’ gender
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid Male 14 63.6 63.6 63.6
Female 8 36.4 36.4 100.0
Total 22 100.0 100.0
148
Participants’ age
Statistics
Participants’ age
N Valid 21
Missing 1
149
Participants’ age
Frequency Percent Valid Percent
Cumulative
Percent
Valid 18 years of age 4 18.2 19.0 19.0
19 years of age 7 31.8 33.3 52.4
20 years of age 4 18.2 19.0 71.4
21 years of age 2 9.1 9.5 81.0
22 years of age 1 4.5 4.8 85.7
23 and above 3 13.6 14.3 100.0
Total 21 95.5 100.0
Missing System 1 4.5
Total 22 100.0
150
APPENDIX G
151
APPENDIX H
152
APPENDIX I
153
APPENDIX J
154
155
APPENDIX K
156
APPENDIX L
WALTER SISULU UNIVERSITY
DIRECTORATE OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
INFORMED CONSENT FORM
Title of the project:
_________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Name of Researcher: _____________________________________________________________
Researcher's Institution: __________________________________ Phone: _______________
Name of the Main Supervisor (in case of students): _____________________________________
Purpose of the study/research: (if research is for a qualification, which one?):________________
PARTICIPANT'S INFORMED CONSENT
The purpose of the study and the extent to which I will be involved was explained to me by the
researcher or another person authorized by the researcher in a language which I understood. I
have understood the purpose of the study and the extent to which I will be involved in the study.
I unreservedly agree to take part in it voluntarily. I understand that I am free to withdraw from
the study at any time at any stage at my own will. I am aware that I may not directly benefit
from this study. I am made aware that my responses will be recorded anonymously and that I
may be audio- or video-taped for the purpose of this research.
For participants who are under 18 years (minors): I have explained to my parent/guardian that
I am willing to be part of this study and they too have agreed to it.
Signed at (place) _________________________ on (date) _________________ by (full
name) _____________________________________ of (address) _________________________
Witness: Name: _____________________ Signature: _________________________Date: ______
In case where minors are participants, the parent/guardian, also needs to sign below (In such cases, a
letter of introduction in a language which the parent/guardian understands will accompany this form)
PARENT'S/GUARDIAN'S INFORMED CONSENT
I _______________________________ am the father/mother/guardian of the minor. The
purpose of the study/project and the extent to which the minor under my care will be involved
was explained by the researcher or another person authorized by the researcher to me in a
language which I understood. I have understood the purpose of the study and the extent to which
the minor will be involved in the study. I unreservedly agree for him/her/them to take part in it if
he/she/they have no personal objection. I understand that I and/or the minor are free to
withdraw our consent at any time at any stage at our own will. I have explained to the minor
under my care that I have no objection in him/her in taking part in this study and he/she too
have agreed to it.
Signed at (place) ____________________ on (date) _______ by (full name)________________
of (address):______________________________________________________________________
Witness: Name: __________________ Signature:
__________________________________ Date:___________________________
ENDORSEMENT BY THE HEAD OF THE PARTICIPANT'S INSTITUTION
Name:_____________________________________________________Signature:_____________
Office Stamp:
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