 |
Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 18, Issue 2, Article 18 (Dec., 2017) |
Like any other scientific concepts, the law of mechanical energy has remained as a subject of interest for many physicists. It is arguably one of the most fundamental laws of physics (Featonby & Jeskova, 2012; Hassani, 2005) and that teaching about it requires a careful plan and effective pedagogy (Hassani, 2005). A numerous attempt has been made to explain and demonstrate the phenomenon of energy conservation using diverse methods and alternatives based on different circumstances. There are also abundant theoretical examples either imaginary or real that are massively discussed in various books and information sources to explain it. However, even by using these examples, in most cases, the law of mechanical energy conservation is never clear in the minds of the students and therefore has been largely misconstrued.
For instance, the students generally assume energy to be a concrete entity rather than an abstract idea (Feynman, 1963; Trumper, Raviolo, & Maria Shnersch, 2000). It is also perceived as an entity that can last for some time and gradually ends up completely (Tatar & Oktay, 2007). The physicist meaning of conservation is that the total amount of energy remains constant despite any energy transfer or transformation that takes place during any physical phenomena. However, for students, the synonymous use of the terms like “conservation” and “saving” casually have caused them to understand this law in a non-scientific manner (Tatar & Oktay, 2007). Such factors have rather challenged the students in realizing the scientific way of the understanding law of mechanical energy conservation. As an educator for the last ten years, based on our personal experiences in teaching physics for the middle secondary students in Bhutan, it was observed that the students were not able to relate the law of mechanical energy conservation into their daily life situations other than being able to state its definition. Thus, there was an urgent need to develop some approach that can enhance the students’ understanding regarding this law that forms the foundation for appreciating the universe.
Since the law of mechanical energy conservation forms an integral part of any introductory physics, it is appropriate to include an experiment to demonstrate the phenomenon (Hwu, 1980). A various approach has been made to study the law of mechanical energy conservation such as the case of video analysis (Bryan, 2010) or using an inclined ramp with a spring launcher (Dilles, Hughs & Shrestha, 2009). However, a very little information is available regarding the development of a hands-on model embedded with a guided inquiry laboratory to investigate the conceptual understanding of the students. This gap in the literature formed as the basis to undertake this study by developing a simple, handy and relatively cheaper hands-on model to demonstrate the law of mechanical energy conservation.
The fundamentals of energy, energy transfer and energy transformation forms an integral part of the Bhutanese science curriculum. But the concept of mechanical energy conservation is introduced only in the tenth grade. The textbook which still serves as the main source of information contains imaginary or hypothetical examples that are difficult for the students to study the law of mechanical conservation at the classroom level. Therefore, this study developed a simple hands-on model out of the locally available materials to demonstrate the law of mechanical energy conservation using a guided inquiry laboratory.
This study was guided by two research questions:
- What extent has the learning laboratory helped the students in understanding the law of mechanical energy conservation?
- What are the students’ views and attitudes towards the developed learning laboratory?
