The identification of the 11th grade students' prior knowledge of electricity concepts

Abstract

According to constructivism, prior knowledge plays an important role in building students' scientific knowledge. Prior knowledge influences how students assimilate and accommodate new information. Prior knowledge affects how students perceive, organize, and create new information relationships. Therefore, in order to improve meaningful learning, students' prior knowledge needs to be identified. The purpose of this study was to identify the 11th grade-students' prior knowledge of electricity concepts. Students' prior knowledge was measured using a Three-Tier Electricity Multiple Choice Test, which consisted of 20 items. This test was given to seventy-five 11th grade students, who were 16-17 years of age. The data were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that students' prior knowledge about electricity concepts was very diverse; only 22.40% of the students had a scientific concept; 36.73% of students experienced misconception; 31.20% of students do not know the concept, and 9.67% of students experience the error. Students' misconceptions about electricity concepts that were found in this study are in mutual accord with the literature of misconception. The implication of the research results for teaching about electricity is that appropriate conceptual change strategies are needed.