Pupils' performance in the topic 'Heat'

Abstract

This study first reviews research on the pupils' understanding of some areas of the topic 'Heat'. A pilot test was then carried out to pre-test a number of questions covering the topic in the 0-level syllabus. from which the items of the final test could be selected. Form 5 candidates of both sexes and from both the Junior Lyceums and Area Secondaries sat for the final test. The results show that the final test paper was both valid and reliable. Sex differences in all the three sections and in the whole paper were found to be non-significant. However, the difference was always in favour of girls. On the other hand, school differences were found in all the three sections. Junior Lyceum students did significantly better than the Area Secondary students (p<0.001) when considering the whole paper. Areas of difficulty included the inability to apply scientific knowledge of 'Heat' to everyday experiences or new situations, confusion when referring to molecular explanations, inaccurate recall of experiments carried out in the class or from textbooks, mathematical difficulties, confusion due to complex English phrases and misconceptions about heat transfer. The sources of these difficulties were then hypothesised. Finally, possible suggestions were recommended for better teaching and understanding of this topic.