2020-2023 Students' conceptions about the viscousity of liquids

Students' conceptions about the viscousity of liquids

Several everyday situations reveal the viscous behavior of liquids (e.g. like honey in our picture). Therefore, it is plausible to assume that students develop conceptions for explaining such phenomena. However, according to our best knowledge, there is a lack of empirical studies on students' conceptions about the viscous behavior of liquids.

In this project, we address this research gap within two studies. In study 1, the conceptions of preschoolers, secondary school students and adults regarding the viscous behavior of liquids are explored. In study 2, in cooperation with the physics education department of the University College of Teacher Education Styria (Austria), a learning program for undergraduate physics teachers is being developed and evaluated. The program aims at fostering per-service teachers' competencies to diagnose students' conceptions by using data from study 1 (e.g. transcripts) as training material.

Project lead: Markus S. Feser

Publications

Faltin, L., & Feser, M. S. (2021).Secondary school students‘ conceptions about the viscous behaviour of liquids. Physics Education 56 (3), Article 035018. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/abe690

Feser, M. S., & Mangal, S. (2022). Exploring preschoolers′ conceptions about the viscosity of honey. STEM Education, 2(2), 86–95. https://doi.org/10.3934/steme.2022007

Feser, M. S., & Krumphals, I. (2022). Preparing Pre-Service Physics Teachers to Diagnose Students’ Conceptions Not Covered by Physics Education Textbooks. The Physics Educator, 04(02), Article 2250008. https://doi.org/10.1142/S2661339522500081