Exploring student conceptual resources about heat and temperature

Abstract

Previous literature about students' understanding of heat and temperature primarily emphasizes students' misunderstandings of canonical physics concepts. In our study, we used a resources-oriented approach to analyze 653 student responses to questions about thermal phenomena, looking for ways in which their responses could serve as valuable resources for continued learning. We identified three common conceptual resources: (A) heat transfer is directional; (B) an object's physical properties matter in thermal processes; and (C) hotter objects have more energy. These resources could be used to strengthen physics teaching by using students' understandings of heat and temperature to support the development of more advanced physics ideas.

Identifying student resources for reasoning microscopically about heat and temperature

“…We believe this resource is closely related to the resource hotter objects have more energy, identified by Abraham et al [22]. Young & Meredith also identified that students connect temperature with kinetic energy [23], and Leinonen et al identify that thermal energy is associated with the motion of particles [14].…”

“…Loverude identified the resource systems naturally move 'toward' equilibrium rather than away in the thinking of upper division thermal physics students, which may be a more specific or formal version of differences will eventually even out [24]. Abraham et al identified the resource heat transfer is directional in the thinking of introductory physics students, which includes reasoning that the direction in question is towards an equilibrium [22]. At a higher level of abstraction, diSessa discusses the intuitive idea of equilibration, used by high school students in reasoning about heat and temperature topics, which includes the tendency to return to balanced configurations [25].…”

“…While previous research primarily focused on identifying student difficulties or misconceptions, a few studies have taken a resources lens, seeking to identify "seeds of science" in student ideas, which rather than needing to be replaced, may be nurtured by instruction and grown into canonically correct physics concepts [19][20][21]. These studies have identified students' conceptual resources about heat and temperature, including that heat transfer is directional, that temperature is associated with energy, and that systems naturally move 'toward' equilibrium [22][23][24][25].…”