Difficulties in learning the introductory magnetic field theory in the first years of university

Abstract

This study examined university engineering and physical science students' misconceptions of the nature of magnetic field. It is assumed that a significant knowledge of the sources of magnetic field is a basic prerequisite when students have to think about electromagnetic phenomena. To analyze students' conceptions, we have taken into account the fact that individuals build mental representations to help them understand the functioning of a physical system. These mental representations include different explanatory categories of reality in one same individual, depending on the context and the contents concerned. Therefore, we have designed an interview and an open-question questionnaire with an emphasis on explanations, so as to analyze the students' reasoning. We found that most of the students failed to identify the source of the magnetic field and they confuse magnetic force and magnetic field. It is concluded that although the questionnaire and interviews involved a wide range of phenomena, the misconceptions identified fall into four main categories of explanations which can inform curriculum development by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the students' conceptions.

Some Student Conceptions of Electromagnetic Induction

“…This alternative conception that magnetic field lines were real has been observed in a study by Guisasola, Almudí and Zubimendi (2004) involving 235 Argentinean high school and undergraduate engineering students. These students held the belief that "a real entity is attributed to field lines ... magnetic interaction occurs as a consequence of the 'attraction' and 'repulsion' of the field lines" (p. 14).…”

Effects of a Problem-based Structure of Physics Contents on Conceptual Learning and the Ability to Solve Problems

“…To mention just a few, there are the well-known books by Eric Mazur on Peer Instruction (1997) and by Novak, Patterson, Gavrin, and Christian (1999) on Just in Time Teaching; both books emphasize the importance of student discussions in the classroom under the guidance of the instructor, as well as the need for student preparation of the lecture materials before entering the class. Education research studies have also been the basis for textbooks like those of Chabay and Sherwood (2010), or for detailed teaching materials like those developed by Guisasola, Almudí, and Zubimendi (2004) and Guisasola, Zubimendi, and Zuza (2010). In the recent T&L proposals, care has been taken to include concept questions and problems that acknowledge research studies in students' misconceptions (Duit & Treagust, 2003) and students' cognitive development (Coll, France, & Taylor, 2005).…”

Knowledge Structures of Entering Computer Networking Students and Their Instructors

“…The combination of an open-ended questionnaire and student interviews has been used to identify misconceptions regarding magnetic field theory among college students (Guisasola, Almudi, & Zubimendi, 2004). Responses were analyzed resulting in four main categories of misconceptions.…”