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First year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits
Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2021.
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| Other Authors: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2021
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| _version_ | 1867613607126106112 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Coetzee, Corene |
| author_browse | Coetzee, Corene |
| author_facet | Coetzee, Corene |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2021. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/80922 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:38:50.049Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/80922 First year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits Coetzee, Corene maluyt@gmail.com Gaigher, Estelle Coetzee, Moreen UCTD Science Education DC-electric circuit Conceptual understanding Misconception Education theses SDG-04 Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2021. This dissertation reports on the secondary analysis of data obtained in 2013 about first-year university student’s conceptual understanding of concepts related to simple DC-circuits. The aim was to investigate the nature of conceptual understanding of students entering first-year physics at a South African university, and to explore how their conceptual understanding relates to contextual factors. Data collected from 815 participants comprise contextual data about each participant and responses in the DIRECT-instrument (Determining and Interpreting Resistive Electric Circuits Concepts Test). The conceptual framework for this study was based on a combination of the model about the effectiveness of science teaching and the critical outcomes related to electricity and electric circuits, which involve aspects of current, energy, potential difference and the physical aspects of circuits. The contextual data included information at personal, classroom and school level. Data were analysed using Rasch analysis. The study found that students entering a first-year physics module at a South African university have poor conceptual understanding about simple DC-electric circuits. The analysis of the DIRECT-instrument revealed that students had difficulties understanding concepts relating to parallel circuits, confusing terms such as voltage and current, and current and energy. They also struggled to relate a circuit diagram to an actual circuit and issues regarding short circuits were prominent. The analysis of the contextual data revealed that students’ degree of exposure to practical work does not imply conceptual understanding of DC-electric circuits. Factors that relate with conceptual understanding included students’ attitudes towards science, gender and previous achievement in Science, Mathematics, and English. Key terms: Conceptual understanding, DC-electric circuit, Misconception, Aptitudes bs2026 Science, Mathematics and Technology Education MEd Unrestricted SDG-04: Quality education 2021-07-21T11:15:12Z 2021-07-21T11:15:12Z 2021-09 2021-05-01 Dissertation * S2021 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/80922 en © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Science Education DC-electric circuit Conceptual understanding Misconception Education theses SDG-04 First year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits |
| title | First year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits |
| title_full | First year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits |
| title_fullStr | First year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits |
| title_full_unstemmed | First year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits |
| title_short | First year university students' conceptual understanding of electric circuits |
| title_sort | first year university students conceptual understanding of electric circuits |
| topic | UCTD Science Education DC-electric circuit Conceptual understanding Misconception Education theses SDG-04 |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/80922 |