Thai High School Students’ Understanding of Heat and Thermodynamics

Abstract

     This research focused on Thai students’ conception involving heat and thermodynamics. Twelve Thai students were interviewed to determine the way they thought about heat energy, temperature, heat transfer, thermal properties, insulators, conductors and thermal equilibrium through everyday thermal situations. The compiled data from the interviews were used for developing a Heat and Thermodynamics Concept Questionnaire (HTCQ) which administered to 214 students from three high schools in Bangkok. The HTCQ findings revealed that most of the students lacked the understanding of heat and thermodynamics concepts. For example, at least 84% of the students lacked the understanding of absolute temperature. Most of the students defined temperature as a variable that can be measured and heat was a sensation. Only 10% of the students understood that heat is extensive quantities. The results showed that even the Thai students had a good understanding of insulators and conductors, but they could not apply their understandings to identify the appropriate materials to keep hot/cold things. This study indicated that the Thai high school students held similar alternative conceptions of heat and temperature to the western students. Many students gave the correct answers by referring their everyday experiences but they had problems with giving reasons and consistent predictions. Two fundamental ideas about the Thai students learning heat and thermodynamics were generated: 1) students’ understandings are supported by the likeness between personal experiences and scientific conceptions and 2) students’ alternative conceptions are reinforced by contrasting their personal experiences and scientific conceptions. This study indicates that students should be presented with heat and thermodynamics concepts along with thermal situations, and be able to identify contrasts and comparisons between them.