PERC 2008 Abstract Detail Page
Previous Page | New Search | Browse All
| Abstract Title: | Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of and Attitudes toward Physics |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | We report on a preliminary study of pre-service education majors, their conceptual understanding of physics principles, and their attitudes toward science. About 50 students participated in an intensive three-week "interim" course on descriptive physics. Participants included elementary education, special education, and multiple abilities majors, but no secondary education majors. Teaching methods were highly interactive. Topics covered included forces and motion, energy, electricity, sound and light. Although students had a very low FCI score on the pretest, their gains after just a week of instruction were impressive (Hake gain = 0.28). Results of a post-course attitude survey (CLASS) will be presented, and plans for further study of this important set of students will be outlined. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Stan Jones The University of Alabama |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Charlotte E. Horton The University of Alabama |
