This research is a qualitative study conducted to determine pre-service physics teachers' conceptual comprehension of the first law of thermodynamics. In this study, which was conducted with the participation of 25 students, case study pattern was used, and a holistic single case pattern was adopted. Five open-ended questions which include drawings and explanations were used as data collection tool. In order to support the obtained findings, semi-constructed interviews were done with 20% of pre-service physics teachers. As a result of the findings obtained from content analysis, it was seen that pre-service teachers represent energy mostly as object with potential energy, electric energy, and vibration energy; and it was seen that they think of the world as an insulated place and thus think that there is confined transformational energy within it. When findings of the study are taken into consideration, it is believed that the first law of thermodynamics should be explained by drawing examples from daily life.

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In this research, the teaching of mechanical waves was realized with inquiry-based learning; the aim was to determine the changes in students’ conceptual understanding of spring, water, and sound waves. It was designed as action research. The study group comprised 58 upper-secondary school students enrolled in 10th grade at an Anatolian upper-secondary school in Turkey. Data collection tools used in the research were the form for conceptual understanding of mechanical waves, semi-structured interviews, video recordings and photographs, student journals, and hand-made materials. Moreover, researchers designed an action plan that was composed of activities on spring, water, and sound waves. Descriptive and conceptual content analyses were utilized in data analysis. At the end of the research, it was determined that there was a change in students’ conceptual understanding of spring, water, and sound waves. Moreover, it was determined that teaching based on inquiry-based learning contributed positively to students’ learning. In this respect, it is thought that such applications should become widespread. There should be online training for lecturers which in return would contribute to students’ learning. Keywords: 5E learning model, action research, inquiry-based learning approach, mechanical waves, upper-secondary students

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