Abstract
The research study which is set out here constitutes one stage of a project whose goal is to develop situations for the teaching and learning of electricity at university level. The subject of electricity continues to be widely regarded by students as difficult and therefore unattractive. A particular problem is the relation between electrostatics and electrokinetics in calculus-based physics courses in first-year university courses. This research study has allowed us both to check the university students’ learning of the basic concepts of electricity, in particular electrical potential and capacitance, and to define the important conceptual difficulties that students came across when studying electricity and more precisely processes of electrical charge of bodies. Difficulties in analyzing the processes of charge of bodies from a systemic and energetic point of view are discussed. These results will be used to elaborate contents and situations for the teaching and learning of electricity at university level
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Benseghir, A. & Closset, J.L. (1996). The electrostatics–electrokinetics transition: historical and educational difficulties. International Journal of Science Education, 18(2), 179–191.
Duit, R., Jung, W. & Rhoneck, C. (1985). Aspects of understanding electricity: The proceedings of an international workshop. (Kiel: I.N.P.).
Furió, C. & Calatayud, M.L. (2001). Functional fixedness and functional reduction as common sense reasoning in chemical equilibrium and geometry and polarity of molecules. Science Education, 84, 545–565.
Furió, C., Guisasola, J. & Almudí, J.M. (2004). Elementary electrostatic phenomena: historical hindrances and students’ difficulties, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 4(3), 291–313.
Mulhall, P., Mckittrick, B. & Gunstone, R. (2001). A perspective on the resolution of confusions in the teaching of electricity, Research in Science Education, 31, 575–587.
Park, J., Kim, I., Kim, M. & Lee, M. (2001). Analysis of students’ processes of confirmation and falsification of their prior ideas about electrostatics. International Journal of Science Education, 23(12), pp. 1219–1236.
Psillos, D. (1998). Teaching introductory electricity. (In A. Tiberghien, E.L. Jossem & J. Barojas (Eds.), Connecting research in teaching in physics education with teacher education. International Commission on Physics Education. Published electronically at URL http://www.physics. ohio-state.edu/jossem/ICPE/ BOOKS .html)
Thacker, B.A., Ganiel, U. & Boys, D. (1999). Macroscopic phenomena and microscopic processes: Student understanding of transients in direct current electric circuits. Physics Education Research (A supplement to the American Journal of Physics), 67(7), S25–S31.
Viennot, L. (1996). Raisonner en physique. La part du sens commun, (De Boeck Université París). Translated to English in Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer
About this paper
Cite this paper
Guisasola, J., Zubimendi, J.L., Almudí, J.M., Ceberio, M. (2007). Using the Processes of Electrical Charge of Bodies as a Tool in the Assessment of University Students’ Learning in Electricity. In: Pintó, R., Couso, D. (eds) Contributions from Science Education Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5032-9_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5032-9_17
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-5031-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-5032-9
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)