Results of a Design-Based-Research Study to Improve Students’ Understanding of Simple Electric Circuits

Burde, Jan-Philipp; Wilhelm, Thomas

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-51182-1_10

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…in air mattresses or bicycle tires, students can learn that just as air pressure differences lead to an air flow, voltage as an 'electric pressure difference' leads to an electric current, e.g. through a lamp [28]. By colour coding the 'electric pressure' in the wires [29] as shown in figure 3, students can easily identify potential differences in series, parallel and mixed circuits and recognise that voltage-as an 'electric pressure difference'-refers to two points in a circuit (see table 2).…”

Section: The Air Pressure Analogymentioning

confidence: 99%

An analogical simulation for teaching electric circuits: a rationale for use in lower secondary school

2021

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Understanding simple electric DC circuits often represents a great challenge to many students in lower secondary schools. As a result, students’ knowledge of this subject is often dominated by alternative conceptions, even after instruction. One of the reasons for these learning difficulties is the intangibility of key physical quantities and concepts of electric circuits such as the electric potential or the electric current. A potentially effective way of making circuits more accessible to students in introductory electricity lessons represents the use of analogies or models. However, as a brief review shows, there is no single analogy or model that is ideally suited to foster an understanding of all key aspects of simple DC circuits. In order to address this issue and help learners develop a mental model of circuits, a new analogical simulation of simple electric circuits was developed. The simulation is suited for use in combination with the bike chain and the air pressure analogy and aims to support students’ development of a qualitative understanding of potential difference and current in circuits as well as a treatment of circuits as a connected system. Teachers and students can access the 3D simulation free of charge using a modern browser via www.marblemodel.com.

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Section: The Air Pressure Analogymentioning

confidence: 99%

An analogical simulation for teaching electric circuits: a rationale for use in lower secondary school

2021

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Experiments for students with built-in theory: ‘PUMA: Spannungslabor’ – an augmented reality app for studying electricity

2022

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With the help of augmented reality apps objects and text can be added virtually to the physical world (e.g. physical experiments) in real time. The augmented reality (AR) app ‘PUMA: Spannungslabor’ enhances simple electric circuits experiments for students with virtual representations based on the electron gas analogy including visualisations of interior processes in various components such as lamps and resistors. This opens up new possibilities for connecting theory and experiment in secondary school physics teaching. While using the AR app students are enabled to acquire qualitative and semi-quantitative knowledge about the basic concepts of current, voltage, potential, and resistance as well as the laws of series and parallel circuits easier and more directly. This holistic approach of learning through experiments can facilitate a deeper and more interconnected understanding of the topics covered in physics lessons.

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Putting Potential at the Core of Teaching Electric Circuits

Burde

Weatherby

Wilhelm

2022

The Physics Teacher

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Electricity has shaped modern civilization in a way few other discoveries have. Nonetheless, few students successfully develop a basic understanding of voltage, current, and resistance or their mutual relationship in simple DC circuits. Despite teachers’ best efforts in the classroom, so-called “alternative conceptions” often prevail after traditional instruction. In particular, voltage has proven to be a difficult concept to teach—many students erroneously think of voltage as a property of electric current. Furthermore, a battery is often considered to be a source of constant current rather than constant voltage. In order to help students develop a better understanding of simple DC circuits, we developed a new curriculum with an accompanying computer simulation that illustrates potential differences in circuits in order to make voltage rather than current the students’ primary concept when analyzing circuits. To this end, the curriculum takes typical alternative conceptions into account and builds on students’ everyday experiences with air pressure in order to provide them with an immediately tangible counterpart in electric potential. In analogy to air pressure differences that cause an air flow, voltage is introduced as an “electric pressure difference” that causes an electric current. Using the accompanying computer simulation, potential differences are visualized in simple DC circuits using color coding and a height representation. The new curriculum including teaching resources as well as the newly developed computer simulation are both freely available online to teachers and students alike.

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Results of a Design-Based-Research Study to Improve Students’ Understanding of Simple Electric Circuits

Cited by 3 publications

References 7 publications

An analogical simulation for teaching electric circuits: a rationale for use in lower secondary school

An analogical simulation for teaching electric circuits: a rationale for use in lower secondary school

Experiments for students with built-in theory: ‘PUMA: Spannungslabor’ – an augmented reality app for studying electricity

Putting Potential at the Core of Teaching Electric Circuits

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