No abstract

This work is part of a larger research, conducted in Greece, about the students' difficulties in understanding the concepts and phenomena of Electricity. The goal of this study is to present the high school students’ difficulties and their causes into the study of basic direct current (dc) circuits, due to the concept of the electromotive force (emf). Researches in over the world have highlighted that the concepts of the emf and the potential difference (pd) create many problems to the students in the study of dc circuits. These difficulties are presented, analyzed and is made an attempt to identify their causes. The results show that, in addition to confirming the existing literature enriched with new findings, to address these difficulties is necessary the development of a teaching approach based on an education model with a new curriculum, where needed (in Greece, for example) and an appropriate education material so that to overcome the lack of understanding of the concepts and laws shown by the students.

With this work we aim at presenting a research on high school students’ (ages 16-17, Greece 2015-2017) understanding into the study of basic direct current (DC) circuits. Studies on this subject in over the world have contributed to a rich research base. Students’ conceptual and reasoning difficulties are presented and analyzed, aiming at the development of methodologies and teaching approaches, accompanied by instructional material to resolve them. The difficulties experienced by these students indicate a significant discrepancy between their conceptions and the scientific view. To address these difficulties, the design and the development of two types of programs were chosen. The first is based on educational models in the laboratory and the second consists of auxiliary courses and educational material for its simultaneous use in classroom teachings. The conclusion is that the existing literature is confirmed and enriched with new findings, while a different teaching approach accompanied by appropriate educational material seems to help the address of the conceptual and reasoning difficulties.