A review of the research on the effectiveness of the conceptual change models on heat and temperature concepts and the structure of matter

Abstract

Temperature phenomena are teached in primary education, but until recently, at that level of education, clarification based on the particle structure of the substance was avoided, thus creating space for the formation of a large number of alternative student ideas. Terms that describe the structure of matter such as molecule, atom, atomic bonds, etc are introduced in the upper grades (secondary education). Also, teaching contents about termal phenomena and processes are realized through teaching physics and chemistry, where the focus of learning is on macroscopic thermal manifestations without insight into the connection between the structure of a substance and its thermal (physical or chemical) changes. This paper presents an overview of research on the possibilities of the conceptual change models of thermal phenomena based on understanding of the structure of matter. Most research has shown that students at all levels of education, from preschool to university level, have retained alternative ideas about the concept of heat, which is the reason for questioning the effectiveness of teaching models that overcome the perceived misconceptions.