Psychology

Use of History of Science to Understand and Remedy Students' Misconceptions About Heat and Temperature

Document Type

Book Chapter

Abstract

The chapter elaborates science education through the discussion of its historical background, which demonstrates that despite pitfalls, the discipline is believed to offer logical and feasible justifications depending on the context it is placed into. Strong foundation in terms of science education is vital to identify what students currently know and understand, and in so doing, misconceptions will be spotted and addressed upon. Naming these factors will eventually lead to enhanced level of discernment. Thomas Kuhn suggests that this wrong conceptualization begun when scientists become adequately conscious of inconsistencies about the expected outcomes of the application of a specific concept in the physical world. Other possible reasons are the unappreciative attitude of recipients regarding noble ideas and the distorted notion of abstraction and empirical evidence. After discovering the essential indicators, the author enumerates theoretically grounded computer-modeling strategies, which are devised to correct the fallacies about scientific issues, particularly heat and temperature.

Publication Title

Software Goes to School: Teaching for Understanding with New Technologies

Publication Date

2012

ISBN

9780199848041

DOI

10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195115772.003.0002

Keywords

abstraction, empirical evidence, heat, misconceptions, science education, temperature, Thomas Kuhn

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