Abstract:
The conceptual change models have been continually developed over the years and are
used to improve students’ conceptual understanding through the remedying of students’
misconceptions. Among these models, the Teaching Model for Hot Conceptual Change
(TMHCC) propounded by Kural and Kocakulah was used as a teaching intervention to
improve students’ academic performance in some selected topics in direct current
electricity. This conceptual change model lends itself to the identification and remedying
of students' misconceptions through the active engagement of students' metacognition,
creation of cognitive conflict, and utilisation of motivational constructs. An action research
design was adopted in this study to gather data. One intact Form Two class with a class
size of 40 in a public school in Effutu Municipality was used for the study. The research
instrument used were the Electricity concept test, focused group interview and field
observation. The Wilcoxon signed rank test, effect size, frequencies and percentages were
used in analysing the data. The results of the study showed that the TMHCC positively
affect students conceptual understanding of current electricity through improved students’
critical thinking, critique, collaboration, communication, circuit connection, measurement
skills, and positive attitudes towards learning physics as evidenced by punctuality,
attentiveness, and enthusiasm. It was evident that TMHCC significantly impacts students'
academic performance. Consequently, it was recommended among others that teachers
should place more importance on teaching effectively such concepts in electricity so that
students are able to grasp and overcome their inability to understand them. Students must
be provided with some more opportunities for making them understand it.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Science Education,
Faculty of Science Education, submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Science Education)
in the University of Education, Winneba
SEPTEMBER, 2023