Examining and Addressing Tenth-Grade Students’ Misconceptions in Basic Physics Concepts (Phenomenon, Modeling, Quantities, Measurement Accuracy, Density)
Keywords:
Misconceptions, Basic Physics, Tenth-Grade Students, Modeling, Density.Abstract
This study was conducted with the aim of identifying and analyzing tenth-grade students’ misconceptions in fundamental physics concepts such as phenomenon, modeling, the distinction between law and principle, physical quantities, accuracy of measuring instruments, units, and density. The statistical population consisted of 85 tenth-grade students from the experimental sciences and mathematics–physics tracks, selected through cluster random sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire comprising eight multiple-choice questions, whose validity was confirmed by subject-matter experts, and whose reliability was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = 0.91). The results showed that more than 50% of students had misconceptions in concepts such as modeling, the distinction between law and principle, as well as in differentiating between vector and scalar quantities. Furthermore, 45% of students demonstrated significant errors in understanding density, the accuracy of measuring instruments, and the concept of phenomenon. Additionally, 30% of students exhibited misconceptions in the discussion of units. This research emphasizes the necessity of revising teaching methods and presenting concrete examples to reduce misconceptions.
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