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Undergraduate students' understanding of physics concepts plays a significant role in the students' interest in the subject and its content. Kinematics as an introductory concept at first year level can be used to stimulate and develop students' interest in the subject. Undergraduate will have more ambition to pursue careers in physics or to be competent in the subject knowledge in their different study fields. The study was conducted with 1 st year B. Ed (SP and FET) Natural Science specialization students at Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) in Bloemfontein. The study investigated how blended learning enhance 1 st year physics students teachers' conceptual understanding of 1-D Kinematics. Physics Education Research (PER) groups emphasized the significance of "active engagement" of students with the concepts to be fully comprehended or known. An open-ended question paper on kinematics from high school exam was administered as a pre-test to introductory physics students. The results showed that more than 70 % of the students could not remember and or recall what they did in high school. A mixed feeling of opinions was obtained and somehow majority of them were even discouraged from this research pre-test and wanted to drop out if that's what is expected of them at university. The researcher had to allay their fears and they were put into an intervention programme through blended learning to gain their self-confidence. A follow-up questionnaire was administered to them and the results indicated an improved performance and competence of over 85% due to understanding the concept than learning to pass.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the conceptual knowledge of the motion of two objects on an inclined and/or horizontal surface, in undergraduate physics students at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT), Bloemfontein campus. The study was conducted with 103 introductory to physics students in B.Ed. (FET) Natural Science programme in the faculty of Humanities as respondents. A pre-test was administered to test and investigate the students’ existing knowledge and was based on the concept of problem-solving. The results indicated that the majority (more than 80%) of students had major difficulties with where and how to start in order to solve the problems. They lacked basic knowledge of free-body diagram and vector analysis, as a result, they could not apply or deduce equations to solve. A follow-up remedial intervention was conducted to clear up the confusion and to assist them to acquire necessary and basic skills and knowledge of vector analysis, viz., free-body diagram, finding vertical and horizontal components of vectors, equilibrium conditions as well application of Newton’s Second law of motion. With this skill, they were introduced to deriving equations to calculate the acceleration of the objects and the tension of the wire connecting them (mathematical skills). A post-test was administered and the results indicated a great improvement (more than 70%) in the vector analysis and mathematical application of vectors in problem solving. Follow-up interviews indicated deficiencies and confusion from their previous learning, although some students (about 30% of the 70%) indicated that they need to be taught the concept first before the test. Their reasoning was they forgot the concept.

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