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2005). I
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2013, a
n
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ezen,Cela
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,
1990).Itis
k
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r
ren, 1983).
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artin,1997;
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llse, 1988;
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e
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ürücü&Uç
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rticipating
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ructivist
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e
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grade in
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cultand
r
elatethe
abstract
2
; Ergin&
topicsin
a
k, 2006).
concepts
on, such
y
indaily
d
oneany
244
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
physicalactivity.Studiesalsoindicatehowstudentshavemisconceptionsbeforetheystartlearning
about the energy subject (Driver & Warrington, 1985; Gilbert & Pope, 1986; Kesidou&Duit, 1993;
Küçük, Çepni&Gökdere, 2005; Solomon, 1982; Tatar &Oktay,2007; Trumper&Gorsky, 1993;Watts,
1983).Withinthiscontext,inthisstudy,howtheteachingapplicationsonthe
subjectofenergyare
realized and how they are reflected in the class environment will be thoroughly examined and
evaluatedbasedontheprocess.Thus,theaimistorevealhowtheapplicationofthesubjectofenergy
ishandledandwhatproblemsareseenduringtheapplicationprocess.
Aim
andSignificanceoftheStudy
Energyasasubject,whichispartofthe 9
th
‐gradephysicseducationprogram,ishighlysignificant
especiallywiththeadventoftechnologyandscience.Papadouris,Constantinou,andKyratsi(2008)
underlinetheimportanceoftheteachingofphysicsonthegroundsthatitprovidesabasisforthe
interpretationandunderstandingofenergyandphysicaleventsandthatitplays
acentralroleinsuch
topics as energy source, distribution, use, fuel consumption, transport economy, and nutrition.
Becauseenergyisoneoftheconceptsstudentshavethemostdifficultyinunderstanding,itisseen
that teaching of the concept has gained importance and more studies have been done on it
(Stylianidou, Ormerod&Ogborn,
2002). When literature is examined, it can be seen that studied
determinedthatstudentshavevariousmisconceptionsaboutenergybecausetheythinkofenergyas
aconcretething,theyconfuseforce,power,andenergy,theydefineenergyasakindoflifeforce,and
theyassumethatonlymoving objects
wouldhaveenergy(Kruger,1990;Trumper,1998;Trumper,
Raviolo&Shnersch,2000).Moreover,itwasdeterminedthatwhendefiningenergy,studentsusesuch
expressionsassmoke,expandingheat,light,andsoundenergy(Watts,1983;Yuenyong&Yuenyong,
2007). Inastudyonthe teachingofenergyby KaperandGoedhart (2002),it was determinedthat
teachers’focusingsolelyonkineticandpotentialenergyintermsofenergytypesposesaproblemfor
thefollowinglearninglevels.KesidouandDuit(1993),ZainandSulaiman(1998)andSolomon(1982)
indicated that students have incomplete and incorrectknowledge about technologicaladvances in
energy,thestorageofenergy,its
preservation,transformation,andenergyconservation.Inthesame
vein,theyconcludedthatstudentshaveamisconceptionthattheyassumeenergycomestoanend
after a certain amount of usage. However, it is seen that these studies were conducted mostly at
primaryschools.Thefactthatpreviousstudiesweremostlyon
primaryschoolsandthattherevised
energysubjectwillbeappliedforthefirsttimemakesthisstudysignificant.
Inthisstudy,theaimwastoevaluatethe‐new‐physics‐program‐appropriateteachingofenergyasa
subjectatthreedifferentAnatolianhighschools.Students’viewsontheapplicationsof
theprogram,
problemsfacedintheteachingofenergy,methods,techniques andstrategiesutilizedbyteachers,and
howteachersrelateenergytodailylifeweredeterminedandevaluated.Becausetherewerestudents
fromthreedifferentclasslevelsinthestudy,acomparisonbetweenstudentswasalsomade.Atthe
same
time,teacherswerealsocomparedintermsoftheirrolesintheteachingprocess.Itisthought
thatthisstudywillcontributetoliteraturebecausetheprogramwillbeappliedforthefirsttimein
classes where the research will be done, and because students’ views and reactions towards the
energy
subject are realized by making use ofqualitative case study pattern based on the process.
Moreover,thefactthathowtheteacherswhoaretheapplicatorsofthenewphysicsprogram,which
hasbeenupdatedbytakingintoconsiderationtheresultsofpreviousresearch,runtheteachingand
learning processes
in accordance with the new physics program will be examined and evaluated
based on the process is also significant. When all these points are taken into consideration, it is
believedthatdataobtainedattheendofthisstudywouldcontributetophysicseducationandtothe
futureapplicatorsbecausethe
datawouldrevealthepositiveandnegativeaspectsfacedduringthe
teaching of energy as a topic in the new physics program. Within this context, answers to the
following questions were sought in accordance with the research problem of this study, namely,
“Howistheteachingofenergyasa
subject,whichistaughtat9
th
grade,realizedinprocess?”
1. Howdoesthelearningprocessofenergyasasubjectin9
th
gradedevelop?
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
245
2. Whataretheproblemsfacedduringthelearningprocessofenergyasasubjectin9
th
grade?
3. Howappropriateistheenergytopictaughtbyteacherstoconstructivistlearningtheory?
4. Whatcoursematerialsandtoolsdoteachersuseinteachingenergyasasubject?
5. Whatarestudents’viewsandapproachestoenergyasatopicin9
th
grade?
Methodology
Thisstudyisdesignedasacasestudy,whichisoneofthequalitativeresearchmethods.Withinthe
context of case study, the detailed description and examination of a well‐limited topic in class
environmentwasrealized(Creswell,2013;Glesne,2012;Yin,2009).Moreover,becausethe9
th
grade
physicseducationisnewlyinstalled,theresearchwasdoneinanobservation‐baseddirectdescriptive
casestudy.Patternofthisstudyisholisticmultiplecasepattern.ClassesinthreedifferentAnatolian
highschoolswereexaminedholisticallyontheirownandthencomparisonsamongthemweremade.
StudyGroup
Study
groupoftheresearchconsistsofthreephysicsteachersteachingthe9
th
gradesatthreedifferent
Anatolian high schools and a total of 85 students from these schools: 31 students from the first
Anatolianhighschool(FAH),24fromtheSecondAnatolianhighschool(SAH),and30fromthethird
Anatolianhighschool(TAH).Indeterminingtheparticipants,varioussamplingswereused
(Ersoy,
2006).Withinthescopeofcriterionsampling,whichisoneofthepurposefulsamplingmethods,class
levelwasdeterminedtobe9
th
gradeandtheschoolstoconductthestudyatweredeterminedtobe
Anatolian high schools, hence thoroughly detailed and rich data were obtained (McMillan, 2004;
Yıldırım&Şimşek,2013).Moreover,becauseobservationnotesforeachandeverystudentcouldnot
be takendueto the high
numberof students inclasses, internalsamplingmethod was employed.
Internalsamplingdenotesthepossibilityofselectingtheparticipants,thedocuments,andthetimeof
theresearchinorder toincreasethe numberofimportantinformationfortheresearchdata. Thus,
appropriateparticipantswereselectedbytheresearcher,andbyputtingemphasis
onthedocuments
whosevalidityiscertain,richdatawereobtained.
DataGatheringTools
Inadditiontoobservationbeingtheprimarydatagatheringtoolofthestudy,datagatheringwasalso
doneviaresearchblog,videorecordings,andaformfordeterminingstudents’viewsontheteaching
ofenergyas
asubject.Inthisrespect,multipledatagatheringtoolswereusedinaccordancewiththe
aim of the study (Creswell, 2013; McMillan, 2004). In order to support the obtained data, semi‐
constructedinterviewswereconductedwiththestudents.Inordertoensurethevalidityofthedata
gatheringtools,views
ofatotalofninepeople,3 ofwhomarephysicsteachers,5ofwhichareexperts
inphysicseducation,and1ineducationsciences,wereconsulted.Inaddition,apilotapplicationwas
donewiththeparticipationof329
th
gradersatanAnatolianhighschool,whichstartsteachingenergy
asasubjectonemonthbeforetheselectedthreeAnatolianhighschools.Asaresultofthepilotstudy,
itwasdeterminedthatthedatagatheringtoolsaresufficientinrevealinghowtheteachingofenergy
asasubjectis
realizedinprocessin9
th
grade.
TheApplication
Theapplicationwasrealizedineightweeksduringtheteachingofenergyintheparticipatingclasses.
Theresearcherbegantoattendtheclassesacoupleofweeksbeforethestartoftheapplicationsothat
shecouldbecomepartoftheclassenvironment.Theresearchergatheredthe
dataviaparticipatory
observationtechniqueinclassduringtheresearch.Classeswererecordedonvideo,andthecamera
wasimmobilized inthe most feasiblepartof theclass,and therecording was doneautomatically.
Semi‐constructedinterviewswiththestudentsweredoneone‐by‐onebyrecordingtheinterviewwith
a
voice recorder, and they lasted 25‐30 minutes. Interviews were conducted one week after the
completionoftheapplication,andweredonewith20%ofthetotalnumberofstudentsineachclass.
Inordertodescribethesituationinclass,viewsofsixstudentsfromeachclassweretaken,
andin
246
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
determiningwhothosesixstudentswillbewasdecidedintermsoftheirwillingness.Obtaineddata
wererecordedinseparatelynamedfilesindigitalenvironment.
DataAnalysisandInterpretation
Analysisofthedatawasrealizedintwophases,namely,duringthedatagatheringprocessandatthe
endofthedata
gatheringprocess.Datawereexaminedwithdescriptiveanalysismethod,andthey
weresummarizedandinterpretedaccordingtocertainthemes.Inthestudy,directquotationswere
frequentlyused inorder toreflectthe interviewsor theviewpoints of theinterviewedindividuals
(Yıldırım&Şimşek,2013).Theoriginals of
thedata (videorecordings,voicerecordings,observation
notes)andthedataontheformwhichcontainstheirtranscribedversionwerecomparedbyexperts.
Dataobtainedasaresultofexpertviewsweretransferredtothedigitaldomain,theywerere‐read
andarranged.Then,itwasdecidedastounderwhich
themesthedatawouldbegatheredinorderto
havealogicallyandmeaningfullyarrangeddata(Yıldırım&Şimşek,2013).Themesweredecidedin
accordancewiththeanswersgivenunderresearchquestions.Atthisstage,theresearcherconsulted
an expert; after working on the answers again a
consensus was reached and reliability was
established.Moreover,validityandreliabilitystudiesweredoneinordertodeterminethevalidityof
theresultsofthestudy.Inordertoensurevalidity,eachphaseofdatagatheringandanalysiswas
indicatedindetail,andeachsituationthattookplaceduringthestudy
wasrecorded.Inbuildingand
interpretingthedata,objectivitywassustained,directquotationsweregiveninordertosupportthe
findings, and observation data were presented to the teachers. Observation data were recorded
directlyandwithoutinterruption,differentdatagatheringtoolswereemployed fordatavariation.
Researcher’s position during the
process was constantly explained and data were transcribed
objectively, reliability study of the research was done with an expert. In addition to these, such
strategiesasplausibility,transmissibility,consistency,andaffirmationwereusedinordertoensure
validityandreliability.
Results
FindingsRelatedtoHowtheTeachingofEnergyisRealized
in9
th
Grade
Whenthedataobtainedfromparticipatoryobservation,videorecords,andresearcher’sdiarywere
examined,itwasdeterminedthattheteachingofenergywasrealizedthroughdifferentprocessesin
the three Anatolian high schools that were used in this study and that teachers completed the
teachingof the subjectfollowing
adifferent order.Activitiesrealizedin theobserved classes were
givenindetailinthefollowingtables.ActivitiesrealizedintheFirstAnatolianHighSchool(FAH)
canbeseeninTable1.
Table1.ActivitiesRealizedinPhysicsClassesatFAH
Anatolian
High
School
Date/Hour RealizedActivities
FAH
Date:14.03.2014
Hour:13.00‐13.30
• Remindingthatlectureonenergywillbegin.
• Teachingtheconceptofwork
• Givingstudentsformulasandexplainingunits.
• Warningstudentstobequiet.
• Puttingemphasisontheconceptsofpositivework,
negativework,andnetwork.
• Drawingaconnectionbetweenwork
andenergy.
• Askingstudentstotakedownnotes.
• Providingsamplequestionsabouttheconceptofwork.
Date:20.03.2014
Hour:09.45‐10.25/
10.35‐11.15
FirstPeriod
• Distributingexercisesheetsonwork,force,andenergy.
• Solvingthequestionsrelatedtotheconceptofworkinthe
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
247
exercisesheet.
SecondPeriod
• Continuingwiththequestionsontheconceptofwork.
• Teachingtheconceptofforce.
• Givingstudentsformulasandexplainingunits
• Drawingaconnectionbetweenwork,force,andenergy.
• Solvingquestionsrelatedtotheconceptofforceinthe
exercisesheet.
Date:21.03.2014
Hour:12.50‐13.30
• Continuingwiththequestionsontheconceptofforce
• Warningstudentstolistencarefully.
• Teachingtheconceptofefficiency.
• Completingtheteachingofwork,force,energyand
efficiency.
• Briefingstudentsaboutthesubjectstobecoveredinthe
nextweek’sphysics
exam.
Date:27.03.2014
Hour:09.45‐10.25
• Teachingtheconceptofenergy.
• Teachingtheconceptofmechanicalenergy.
• Givinghomeworkonenergytypes.
• Teachingtheconceptofkineticenergy.
• DrawingaconnectionbetweenKineticEnergyandwork
• Solvingquestionsfromthesecondarysource
Date:28.03.2014
Hour:12.50‐13.30
• Continuingwithquestionsolvingfromthesecondary
source.
• Teachingtheconceptofpotentialenergy
• Drawingaconnectionbetweenpotentialenergyand
work.
• Remindingstudentsofthehomeworkonenergytypes.
• Distributingamongstudentsthepresentationhomework
onenergytransformations.
• Giving
aprojecthomeworktotwostudentsonenergy
resources.
Date:03.04.2014
Hour:09.45‐10.25
• Teachingtheconceptofpotentialenergy.
• Solvingquestionsaboutpotentialenergy.
Date:04.04.2014
Hour:12.50‐13.30
• Checkingstudents’homeworkonenergytransformation.
• Students’presentationonenergytransformation.
• Pairstudyonenergytransformation.
Date:10.04.2014
Hour:09.45‐10.25
• Teachingtheeffectoffrictionalforceonmechanical
energy.
• Solvingquestionsontheeffectoffrictionalforceon
mechanicalenergy.
• Teachingoftheconceptofenergypreservation.
• Displayingasimulation.
Date:11.04.2014
Hour:12.50‐13.30
• Studentpresentationonenergyresources.
• Showingavideoonnuclearenergy.
Date:17.04.2014
Hour:09.45‐10.25
• Checkingthehomeworks.
• Solvinginterpretation‐basedquestionsonenergy.
• Pinningstudents’projecthomeworkonenergyresources
onthebulletin.
• Studentsexaminingthepinnedhomework.
248
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
In the classes at FAH, the teacher mostly employed lecturing, problem solving, and question and
answertechniqueswhileteaching.Thefollowingdialogueaboutthenon‐renewableenergyresources
wasgiveninbelowasanexampletoquestionandanswertechnique:
Teacher:Willnon‐renewableenergyresourcesexpire?Whatdoyouthink?

Femalestudent2:yes,theywill.Ma’am,whatwillwedowhenthathappens?
T:Wewilluserenewableenergyresources.
FS2:Butwecanusenuclearenergy..
T:Nuclearenergyisamongthenon‐renewableenergyresources.Moreover,itiscostlyandcauses
airpollution.Nuclearenergywastesareburied
intotheearthandcoveredwithaheavylayerof
lead.Thesewastesareharmfultonature.
Male Student 4: Ma’am, what comes from nature goes back to nature. Why would nuclear
energywastesharmtheenvironment?
T:Itisused;itisnotthesameastheonefoundin
nature.Thus,itharmsnature.
Inordertoreiteratethetopic,theteacherchosetosolvequestionsonboardafterthelecturing.During
thelecture,astudentaskedthefollowingquestionabouttheconceptofforce“Ma’am,thearrowon
theܨ
Ԧ
youhavegivenistotheright,but
youhavesaidthatthereisaforcetotheleft.Shouldn’titbe
whicheverdirectionthearrowshowsiswheretheforceis?”whichshowsthatstudentsdonothave
knowledgeaboutvectorsandthatthislackofknowledgeisreflectedtothetopicofenergy.Moreover,
it was
determined that during problemsolving students could not make senseof what they have
learnedandthattheyfaceproblemsduetoincorrectmathematicaloperations.Duringtheprocess,
with the help of a simulation, reiteration of the learned concepts was realized.Students were
especiallyinterestedinthevideoshowninclass
aboutnuclearenergy,whichisahottopictoday.It
can be said that the teacher employed different teaching methods and strategies by reiterating
students’knowledgewithvisualpresentation.Itwasseenthatstudentsweremoremotivatedwhen
theywereaskedtosolveinterpretation‐basedquestionsgiventothemduring
thelastclass.
Someoftheexpressionstakenfromtheresearcher’sdiaryareasfollows:
The teacher solved many questions in order to reiterate what students learned. Students also
participatedfrequently.Thestudentsaskedtheirteachermanyquestions,andtheydiscussedthe
coursematerialamongthemselves,thushelpedoneanother.
Theteachergaveexamplesfromdaily
lifesothatstudentsbecomemoremotivated.Theteachermadeuseoftheboard,pen,books,and
exercisesheetascoursetools.
ClassesrealizedattheSecondAnatolianHighSchool(SAH)aregivenindetailinTable2.
Table2.ActivitiesRealizedinPhysicsClasses
atSAH
Anatolian
High
School
Date/Hour RealizedActivities
SAH
Date:12.03.2014
Hour:11.50‐12.15
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Warningstudentstobequiet.
• Teachingtheconceptofwork.
• Givingstudentsformulasandexplainingunits
• Mentioningtherelationshipbetweenenergyand
work.
• Teachingthroughthepreparedpresentation.
• Askingstudentstotake
downnotes.
• Solvingsamplequestionsabouttheconceptofwork.
• Lecturingontheeffectoffrictiononwork.
Date:19.03.2014
Hour:11.35‐12.15
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Askingstudentsaboutthematerialtheylearnedin
thepreviouscourse.
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
249
• Continuingwiththesolutionofwork‐related
questions.
• Teachingtheconceptofforce.
• Givingstudentsformulasandexplainingunits
• Solvingquestionsontheconceptofforce.
• Expressingthattheteachingoftheconceptofforceis
complete.
• Remindingthatthefollowinglecturewillbeon
the
conceptofenergy.
Date:02.04.2014
Hour:11.35‐12.15
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Realizingtheteachingoftheconceptofenergy.
• Drawingaconnectionbetweentheconceptofwork
andenergy.
• Talkingabouttypesofenergy.
• Realizingtheteachingofmechanicalenergy.
• Realizingtheteachingof
energypreservation.
• Realizingtheteachingofenergytransformation.
• Realizingtheteachingofenergytransference.
• Examiningtheeffectoffrictionalforceonenergy.
• Realizingactivitiesrelatedtothematerialcoveredin
class.
• Expressingthatinthefollowingclassevaluation
activities,questionsolvingandtheteachingof
efficiency
andenergyresourceswillberealized.
Date:09.04.2014
Hour:11.35‐12.15
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Expressingthatthepreviousclasswillberepeated.
• Checkingwhetherstudentshavethesecondary
sourceornot.
• Askingstudentstotakedownnotes.
• Interrogatingtheconceptsstudentslearnedinthe
previousclass.
• Solving
questionsfromthesecondarysource.
• Givinghomework.
• Expressingthatstudentswillbeaskedtosolvethe
homeworkproblemsonboardandthatthiswillhave
aweightintheirperformanceevaluation.
• Continuingwithsolvingproblems.
• Remindingstudentsnottoforgettheirhomework.
Date:16.04.2014
Hour:11.35‐12.15
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Checkingwhetherstudentshavethesecondary
sourcewiththemornot.
• Informingstudentsthatnextclasswillcontinuewith
problemsolving,teachingoftheconceptofefficiency,
andwillconcludewiththeteachingofenergy
resources.
• Makinguseofpreviousoutcomesinproblem
solving.
• Solvingthequestionsstudentscouldnotin
homework.
• Realizingtheteachingoftheconceptofefficiency.
• Givinghomeworkassignmentfromthesecondary
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European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
source.
• Remindingstudentsthathomeworkwillbechecked
andthatthenewtopicwillbeenergyresources
Date:18.04.2014
Hour:14.40‐15.20
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Checkinghomeworkassignment.
• Tellingstudentsthattheywillwatchavideoon
energyresources.
• Pausingthevideotoexplaincertainthings.
In the classes at SAH, the teacher usually employed lecturing, problem solving and question and
answertechniqueswhileteaching.Theteacherfocusedonconcepts,formulaandunitteachinginthe
firstclass,andstudentsparticipatedbyaskingquestions.Theteacherrealizedintimethatshetaught
theconceptsofdirection
wrong,andinordertogivestudentsthecorrectexpression,shere‐started
the teaching of the subject during that course. Classes were conducted generally through asking
questions to students and then through solving problems on board; and it was observed that
problemssolvedduringclassweremostlyatknowledgelevel.
Oneexampletosuchquestionsisas
follows:
Example:
When a 40 N force is applied to an unmoving object standing on a non‐frictional
horizontalplane,theworkis240j.Assuch,howmanymetersdoestheobjectmove?
Theteachersolved theproblemsby includingthestudentstotheprocess; however,studentswere
mostlypassiveaudience
inclasses.Moreover,itwasseenthatmostofthequestionaremathematics‐
based, and that interpretation‐based problems were given only as reiteration tools at the end of
lectures(Figure1).
Case Potential
Energy
Kinetic
Energy
Chemical
Energy
Heat
Energystoredin
battery
X
Waterfalling
fromthe
Waterfall
X X
Jeothermalwater
source
X
WindvaneX
PlantsX
FossilfuelX
Planemovingon
air
X X
FoodX
Strainedbow X
Steam‐locomotive XX
MovingcarX
Figure1.Physics9ExerciseBookEvaluationQuestions(Şahin,2013)
However,itwasrevealedthatstudentshaveincompleteknowledgeabouttheconceptstaughtduring
thefirstclassesinwhichenergyisthesubjectmatter.Thisincompletenesswastriedtobeovercome
bytheteachersastheygivevisualandverbal
examples.Inadditiontothis,classeswereconducted
mostlythroughpresentationsreflectedonboardinthelab.Theteacherlosttoomuchtimegettingthe
smartboardreadyforuse.Inthisrespect,itisthoughtthatwastingtimeisoneofthedisadvantages
ofsmartboards.
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
251
Hereisanextractfromtheresearcher’sdiary:
The teacher preferred showing a videoduringthe last class. Giving importance to visuality in
teachingtheconceptof energy,theteachertriedtogiveexamplesfromdaily life.Inadditionto
these,itwasdeterminedthattheteachermadeuseofa
limitedteachingtoolandmaterialduring
theteachingofthetopic.
ClassesrealizedattheThirdAnatolianHighSchool(TAH)aregivenindetailinTable3.
Table3.ActivitiesRealizedinPhysicsClassesatTAH
Anatolian
High
School
Date/Hour RealizedActivities
TAH
Date:03.04.2014
Hour:11.30‐12.00
• Remindingstudentsthatlectureonenergywill
begin.
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Teachingclassthroughthepreparedpresentation.
• Teachingthevectors.
• Realizingtheteachingofsuchconceptsasforce,
frictionalforce,energy,mechanicalenergy,kinetic
energy,gravitationalforce,
potentialenergy,
work‐energychange,andefficiencythroughthe
presentation.
Date:07.04.2014/10.04.2014/
14.04.2014
Hour:08.00‐08.40/11.20‐
12.00/08.00‐08.40
FirstPeriod
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Problemsolvingaboutforce,frictionalforce,
energy,mechanicalenergy,kineticenergy,
gravitationalforce,potentialenergy,work‐energy
change,andefficiency
• Givingstudentshomeworkassignment.
SecondPeriod
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Continuingproblemsolvingaboutforce,frictional
force,energy,mechanicalenergy,kineticenergy,
gravitationalforce,potentialenergy,work‐energy
change,andefficiency
ThirdPeriod
• Cleaningtheboard
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Continuingproblemsolvingaboutforce,frictional
force,energy,mechanicalenergy,kineticenergy,
gravitationalforce,potentialenergy,work‐energy
change,andefficiency
Date:17.04.2014
Hour:11.20‐12.00
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Realizingtheteachingofenergyresources.
• Talkingaboutenergyconservation.
• Energybalance:Realizingtheteachingofnutrition
andphysicalactivities.
Date:21.04.2014/24.04.2014
Hour:08.00‐08.40/11.20‐
12.00
FirstPeriod
• Gettingsmartboardreadyforuse.
• Problemsolvingaboutwork,force,energy,energy
transformationandconservation,andenergy
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resources.
SecondPeriod
• Continuingproblemsolvingaboutwork,force,
energy,energytransformationandconservation,
andenergyresources.
• Wrap‐upsessiononenergy.
IntheTAH,theteacherstartedtheteachingofenergywithvectors,whichisnotpartoftheprogram
but which she thought isnecessary to understand energyas a topic. She realizedthe teaching by
employingquestionandanswertechnique,lecturing,anddiscussionmethod,andbymakinguseof
presentationandproblemsolving.Itwasdeterminedthatmostofthequestionsusedbytheteacher
wereatthelevelofknowledgeandcomprehension.Studentsweregenerallypassivelistenerswhen
the teacher conducted lecturing through presentation. Mistakes in the questions prepared by the
teacherandthediscrepancybetweenthequestionsentences
andthegivendrawingswerenoticedby
thestudents.Thismadeusthinkthattheteachercametoclasswithoutproperpreparation.Atthe
same time, it was determined that during the rather speedy problem solving session, students
experiencedmathematics‐relateddifficultiesandhadincompleteknowledgeaboutsuchconceptsas
force, work,and exchange,which were covered inprevious classes. Lastly, the teacher mentioned
energybalance,whichwasnotcoveredattheotherschoolsbutispartoftheteachingprogram.A
dialoguebetweentheteacherandstudentsisgivenbelow:
FS5:Ma’am, wouldn’t there be loss of heat energy due
to friction? You said energy is always
conservedbuthereheatenergyislost.
T:Wethinkofthatrevealedheataslostenergybutitisnotlost,itjustgetsoutofourcontrol.
MS20: Ma’am, we say energy is conserved, but when we increase both the kinetic and
the
potentialenergyofanobject,totalenergyisnotconserved.Howistotalenergyconservedwhen
bothareincreased?
T:Thisisaverygoodquestion,welldone.Doyouallagreewithyourfriend?
FS16:Ma’am,energyisofcourseconservedhere,inordertoincreasethatobject’s
energy,wegive
itenergy.Whenenergydecreasesontheonehand,itincreasesontheother.Inshort,totalenergy
doesnotchangeinmyopinion,soIdonotagreewiththat.
T:Whatyourfriendsaysistrue.Isthereanythingyouwouldliketaskonthis
topic?
Students(Allclass):(Silence)
Hereisanextractfromtheresearcher’sdiaryentry:
The fact that the teacher made use of verbal questions had a positive impact on students’
conceptual learning. Students participated more in the solution of the verbal questions. The
teachercompletedtheteachingofthetopic
bymakingarevisionattheremainingminutesofthe
classhour.Theteachermadeuseonlyoftheboardandthemarkeragain.
Students’ViewonandApproachtoEnergy
Aftertheobservation,studentswereaskedthefollowingquestioninordertodeterminetheirviews
onandapproachtoenergy:
(Table4).“Whatarethepositiveornegativeaspectsoftheteachingofenergyas
asubjectcomparedtotheteachingofothersubjects?”
Table4.Students’ViewsontheLearningProcessofEnergyasaSubject
StudentAnswers AnatolianHighSchools
FAH SAH TAH
Positive
Aspects
Relatedtodailylife 4(12,90%) 11(45,83%) 7(23,33%)
You can make use of previous
knowledge
3(%9,67)‐1(%3,33)
Ithasvisualparts 2(%6,45)‐ ‐
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
253
Teachesenergyresourcesandenergy
preservation
2(%6,45)‐ ‐
Thetopicisconceptual 2(%6,45)‐2(%6,66)
Having interpretation‐based
questions
2(%6,45) 3(%12,5) 1(%3,33)
Itisfun 1(%3,22) 3(%12,5) 5(%16,66)
Ithasscienceinit 1(%3,22)‐ ‐
Itiseasytolearn 1(%3,22) 6(%25) 1(%3,33)
Itincreasesinterestinclass 1(%3,22)‐5(%16,66)
It corrects our incorrect knowledge
stemmingfromdailylife.
‐ 1(%4,16)‐
Youcanhaveexperimentalactivities. ‐ ‐ 1(%3,33)
Negative
Aspects
Youdon’thaveexperiments 5(%16,12)‐ ‐
Thetopicisabstract 4(%12,90) 2(%8,33) 4(%13,33)
Formulasaredifficult 2(%6,45)‐ ‐
Teachingisnotdonewell. 1(%3,22)‐ ‐
Thetopicisboring 1(%3,22)‐1(%3,33)
Therearetoomanyconceptstolearn. 1(%3,22)‐6(%20)
Itisconceptuallydifficulttolearn. ‐ 2(%8,33) 12(%40)
Resourcesusedareinsufficient ‐ 1(%4,16)‐
Itisacomprehensivetopic ‐ ‐ 8(%26,66)
There are too many mathematical
operations.
‐ ‐ 7(%23,33)
Dataobtainedasaresultofthesemi‐constructedinterviewsconductedwiththestudentsfromFAH,
SAH,andTAHinordertosupportthedataareasfollows:
MS22:Ifenergyresourceswereatthebeginningofthetopic,thenIthinkitwouldhavegotmore
attentionfromus
asitisarecently debatedtopic,andourmotivationwouldhavebeenhigher.
The materials, techniques, methods, and tools employed by the teacher were appropriate but I
thinkwewere shortonpractical application. Withinthescopeofthe topic,experiments should
havebeenmadeandmoreinterpretation‐basedquestions
shouldbegiven.
MS3:Thetopicwasratherverbal.Ilikedtheteachingofthetopicthroughexamplesfromdaily
life,anditwaseasierthatway.Interpretation‐basedquestionsweredifficult.Energyresources
couldhavebeengivenatthebeginningofthetopic.Infact,whereenergycomesfrom,
howitis
formedshouldhavebeenthestartingpointofthediscussion.
FS15:Itwasthesame. Theteachergaveusablandpresentationandshowed us acoupleofimages on
thesmart board. But, thereshouldhavebeenexperiments. Therecouldhavebeen a
fieldtripaboutenergyresources.Thesubjectwasverbal,andwelikeditmorethanothers,butitwasnot
reallyeasy,itwasdifferentthanwhatweareusedto.Wefounditdifficulttocommentonthings,butit
wasfun,
andweunderstood it better. We had a chancetogetawayfromthemonotony of problem
solving, and it washelpful. Lecturing, Q&A, and problem solvingwereallfine but
therecouldhavebeenmore. Course bookpreparedbytheMinistry of Educationcouldhave had
moreexamplesbasedoninterpretationandfromdailylife.
Participatedstudentswerethenasked“Whatarethedifficulties(problems)youfacewhenlearningabout
energy,andhowdidyouovercome
them”(Table5).Itwasseenthat6studentsfromFAH(19,35%),13
studentsfromSAH(54,16%),and2studentsfromTAH(6,66%)indicatedthattheyhadnodifficulty
learningenergy.
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Table5.Students’ViewsontheDifficultiesTheyFaceWhileLearningaboutEnergy
StudentResponses AnatolianHighSchools
FAH SAH TAH
Ihaddifficultybecausetherearetoomanyformulas
inthesubject.
9(%29,03) 7(%29,16) 17(%56,66)
Ihaddifficultyunderstandingthesubjectbecauseits
conceptualpartisdifficult.
8(%25,80) 4(%16,66) 11(%36,66)
Icouldnotunderstandallenergytypesbecausethere
aretoomanyofthem.
4(%12,90)‐ ‐
I had difficulty understanding energy
transformation.
4(%12,90)‐ ‐
Whenstudentswereaskedastohowtheyovercomethesedifficulties,theyansweredasfollows:
MS4:Itookextraclassesattheprivateteachinginstitution.
Researcher:Whydidyoupreferaprivateteachinginstitution?
MS4:BecauseIlikemyteacherthereandheteachesintheexactwayIcan
understandthetopics.
R:Howistheteachingrealizedatschool?
MS4: The teacher at school always lectures bearing in mind the general audience in class.

MS19:Iconstantlyrepeatedthetopic.
R:Didyoudoitwiththehelpofyournotebook?
MS19:Yes.Thenotebook,andthenin
theeveningsontheinternet,that’showIstudiedforthe
topic.
R:Hasiteveroccurredtoyoutoaskyourteacheraboutthethingsyoucouldnotcomprehend?
MS19: No, becausewegothroughtopicsratherfast in class, andinstead of
askingtheteacherabouttheprevioustopics,Ipreferstudyingthemmyself.
Asathirdquestion,studentswereasked“Whichsecondarysources
didyouthinkwouldhelpyoulearning
energyandhowdidyoumakeuseofthem?”(Table6).
Table6.Students’ViewsontheSecondarySourcesTheyMadeUseofWhileLearningEnergy
StudentResponses AnatolianHighSchools
FAH SAH TAH
Differentsecondarysources 22(%70,96) 15(%62,5) 18(%60)
BookbyMoE(MEB) 8(%25,80) 8(%33,33) 10(%33,33)
Theirphysicsnotebook 5(%16,12) 2(%8,33) 11(%36,66)
Internet 4(%12,90) 1(%3,22) 4(%13,33)
Visualmaterial 1(%3,22)‐ ‐
Encyclopedia 1(%3,22)‐ ‐
ScientificJournals 1(%3,22)‐2(%6,66)
Videos 1(%3,22) 2(%8,33) 2(%6,66)
Observationsfromdailylife 1(%3,22) 2(%8,33)‐
Documentaries ‐ ‐ 1(%3,33)
Studentsexpressedthattheymadeuseofvarioussecondarysources,themostfrequentofwhichare
thebookbyMoE,theirnotebook,anddifferentsecondarysources,andthattheymadeuseofthese
sourcesespeciallywhenstudyingfortheexam.Whentheirreasonsforresortingtosecondarysources
wereexamined,
itwasdeterminedthatstudentswantedtosolveproblemsthatwouldhelpthemin
theuniversityentranceexam.
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
255
Thefourthquestionstudentswereaskedwas“Whatkindofcontributiondidlearningaboutenergymake
inyourlife(passingthecourse,transferringknowledgetodailylife,drawingparallelswithothertopics,etc)?”
(Table7).
Table7.Students’ViewsontheContributionofLearningAboutEnergytoThem
StudentResponses
AnatolianHighSchools
FAH SAH TAH
To be able to understand energy‐related
eventsintheuniversemoreeasily
10(%32,25) 11(%45,83) 19(%63,33)
Passingthecourse 12(%38,70) 8(%33,33) 8(%26,66)
The fact that information on energy
resourcescanbeusedindailylife.
4(%12,90) 6(%25) 3(%10)
The fact that information on energy
conservationcanbeusedindailylife.
5(%16,12) 5(%20,83) 3(%10)
To be able to understand other topics in
physics.
5(%16,12) 1(%4,16) 3(%10)
Asthefifthquestion,studentswereasked“ Whenyouthinkabouttheteachingprocessofothertopics,what
differencescanyouobserveintheteachingofenergyintermsofmaterial,method,strategy,andtechnique?”11
studentsfromFAH(35,48%),10studentsfromSAH(41,66%),and15fromTAH
(50%)saidthatthere
isnodifferencebyexpressingthat“Justlikewiththeothertopics,energywastaughtbyusingthe
smartboardandquestionsonthestudysheetsweresolved.Therewasnodifferencedespitethefact
thatitisanabstracttopic.Therewasnodifferencebutthe
topiccouldhavebeentaughtinalivelier
andmoreentertainingmanner,fieldtripscouldhavebeenarranged,andthesmartboardcouldhave
beenusedmoreeffectively.ExperimentsonenergycouldhavebeendonebecauseIpersonallylike
learingbydoingthingsmyself.”Responsesofstudentswhothink that
thereisadifferencecanbe
seeninTable8.
Table8.Students’ViewsontheUseofMaterials,Techniques,Methods,andStrategiesduringthe
TeachingofEnergyinComparisontoOtherTopics
StudentResponses AnatolianHighSchools
FAH SAH TAH
More examples from daily life were
given
5(%16,12) 5(%20,83) 2(%6,66)
Videowasshown 11(%35,48) 2(%8,33)‐
Lecturing as a method was more
frequentlyemployed.
1(%3,22) 5(%20,83) 6(%20)
Nolabexperimentwasconducted. 3(%9,67)‐3(%10)
Interpretation‐based questions were
given.
‐ 2(%8,33) 1(%3,33)
Novisualmaterialwasused. ‐ ‐ 1(%3,33)
Asthefinalquestion,studentswereasked,“Whatarethepiecesofinformationyougotfromtheteachingof
energythatyoucanrelatetodailylife?”(Table9).
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Table9.ExpressionsStudentsUsedtoRelateEnergytoDailyLife
StudentResponses AnatolianHighSchools
FAH SAH TAH
Irealizedthateverythingintheuniversehas
energy.
14(%45,16) 10(%41,66) 17(%56,66)
I became more conscious of energy
conservation.
12(%38,70) 8(%33,33) 13(% 43,33)
Ilearnedthatrenewableenergyresourcesare
recyclable.
3(%9,67) 5(%20,83) 7(%23,33)
I learned that non‐renewable energy
resourcesareharmfulbutlesscostly.
3(%9,67) 2(%8,33) 3(%10)
I learned that static energy is found in
unmovingobjects.
2(%6,45)‐1(%3,33)
Ilearnedthereasonforglobalwarming. ‐ 1(%4,16)‐
Someextractsfromstudentinterviewsaregivenbelowastheysupportthefindingsobtainedfrom
thetable:
FS8:IhavestartedtothinkthatwhateverItakeintomyhandshasenergy.Inshort,afterlearning
thistopic,Ihavecometotherealizationthateverythingintheuniversehas
energy.
FS2:IlearnedthatIshoulduseelectricityorwatermoreeconomicallyathome.
MS11:Ilearnedwhythetrashbinsonthestreetshavedifferentcompartmentsandwhatdifferent
energyresourcesexactlyare.
Asaresultoftheobtainedfindingsandtheinterviewsconductedwithstudents,itcanbe
saidthatthe
teachingofenergyishelpfulforstudentstohaveanideaabouteverydayoccurrences.
Discussion
Inthisstudy,howenergyasasubjectwasrealizedintheprocessin9
th
gradebymeansofresearch
blog,videorecordings,andaformfordeterminingstudents’viewson theteaching ofenergyasa
subject.Moreover,semi‐constructedinterviewswereusedinordertosupportthedata.Inthestudy,
how the process of teaching energy as a subject in 9
th
grade develops,problems facedduring the
learning process, materials and course materials used in teaching, appropriateness of energy to
constructivistlearningtheory,studentsapproachesandviewstoenergywereresearched.Inlightof
the findings, following results were reached, and the discussion of these results with findings in
literature,and
suggestionsaboutsimilarresearchinthefuturewerealsogivenbelow.
In the updated physics program, it was emphasized that teachers should be guides and teachers
shouldbeactiveparticipantsintheprocess.Thisexpressionshowsthattheprogram’stargetlearning
environmentcorrespondstoconstructivelearningtheory(MEB,2013).Atthe
endofthestudy,itwas
determinedthatteachersteachenergyinaccordancewithconstructivelearningtheory,thatistosay,
bydrawingexamplesfromdailylife,bylecturingbasedonobservation,andbyenablingstudentsto
acquire critical interpretation skills. However, it was also seen that the expressed methods,
techniques,andstrategieswerenotenoughinlightoftheobjectivesoftheprogramandthusteachers
cannotreally realizea teachingthat isappropriatetoconstructive learningtheory (Gökçe,İşcan&
Erdem,2012).Assupportfortheresultsofthisstudy,inliteratureitwasindicatedthereasonbehind
this
discrepancy between theapplicationof theprogramandthe objectiveswere listedasfollows:
studentsarenotgiventhechancetoexperimentwiththehelpofequipmenteitherindividuallyorasa
group,studentsarenotaskedtoreachknowledgethemselvesbygivingthemopen‐endedorsemi‐
openended
questionsinstudysheets,studentsarenotgivenanenvironmentwhichwouldenablea
scientificinteractionamongstudents,andstudents arenotactiveparticipantsinclass(Kılıç,2001).
Moreover,itisthoughtthatoneoftheteacher‐relatedproblemsisthatteachersrefrainfromapplying
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
257
constructivistprogram dueto theirlackof proficiency inthis fieldandthis createsan educational
void(Ertem,2013).Anotherfindinginliteratureisthatteachers’lackofproficiencyinthefieldisone
ofthereasonsforstudents’misconception(Sanders,1993;Yip,1998;Yağbasan&Gülçiçek,2003).
As
aresultof theobservationsdoneinthe study,itwasdeterminedthatteachersmostfrequently
employquestion‐answertechniqueandproblemsolvingmethodaslecturingmethods.However,it
wasalsorevealedthattheclasseswerenotconductedasefficientlyaspossible(Kaptan,1999;Okur&
Azar,2011).Itisbelieved
thatsuchteachingmethodsasdemonstrations,in‐classdiscussions,student
presentations,fieldapplications,fieldtrips,andcomputer‐aidedteachingshouldbeemployedwhile
teachingenergyasatopic(Gerber,Brovey,&Price,2001).Atthesametime,itwasalsoindicatedby
ErginandSarı(2013)thatstudentswouldbe
moremotivatedtowardstheclasswhentheseclassesare
conductedwithdifferentteachingmethodsandthattheirlearningwouldoccurmoremeaningfully.It
wasalso observedthat studentparticipationincreasedwhenteachers employclassdiscussionand
groupstudy.
Inteachers’evaluationactivitieswhichtheydoinordertoreinforceverbal
lecturesandtolaybare
how students learn, what they learn, it was seen that teachers mostly prefer mathematics‐based
problems and that they usually end up solving these problems themselves. However, it was
determinedthatinclasseswhereteachingisfast‐paced,studentscouldnotfullyunderstandthetopic
and
that theyhave incompleteknowledgeinmathematicaloperations,whichin returnaffecttheir
learninginphysics(Çınar,Teyfur&Teyfur,2006;Karakuyu,2006;Kutluca&Aydı n,2010;Tüysüz&
Aydın, 2009; Yangın& Dindar,2007).When thelimited number ofclass hours inthe programs is
takenintoconsideration,itcanbesuggestedthatonesolutiontothisproblemismakingmathematics
andphysicsclassescompatiblewitheachother(Karakuyu,2006).Inaddition,itwasalsorevealedin
thestudythatteachersmakeuseofthesmartboardonlyasaboardwithoutusingitsotherfacilities;
theymakeuseofpenandpaper,books,andexercisesheets.Itcanbeclaimedthatbecauseteachers
taketoolongtogettheboardreadytouse,thesmartboardhasanegativeeffectonteaching(Becta,
2006;Cogill,2001,qtd.inSünkür,Arabacı&Şanlı,2012).
Anotherresultobtainedinthestudyisthatwhenanenvironmentiscreatedinclassforthediscussion
ofenergysources,studentstendtogivetheirviewsrelatedtonuclearenergy,whichisarecenthot
topic in media. However, it was also revealed that students have many incomplete and incorrect
knowledgeaboutnuclearenergyastheyexpressedthatnuclearenergyisarenewableenergysource
(Boyes&Stranisstreet,1990;Karagöz,2007).
Itcanbesuggestedthatadetailedchapteronnuclearenergybeaddedtothecoursebookinorderto
rectifystudents’andteachers’incorrectandincompleteknowledgeonnuclear
energy.Inadditionto
this, it was also seen in the study that teachers tried to correct students’ incomplete or incorrect
knowledge, which were determined via the interpretation‐based questions, by using verbal
expressions.Teacherscanemploysuchmethodsasanalogies,conceptualchangetextsandconcept
mapsinsteadoflecturingwhen
theytrytorectifystudents’misconceptions(Brown,1994;Chambers
&Andre1997;Dagher,1994).
Itwasdeterminedthatstudentslistentothelecturemorecarefullywhenteacherssolvethekindof
problemsthatstudentsmayseeatthe universityentranceexam.InastudybyEkici(2005),itwas
expressed
thatthisattitudeisrelatedtostudents’desiretobesuccessfulattheuniversityentrance
exam.Moreover,bylookingatthequestionsstudentsasktotheirteachersabouttheconceptofforce,
it was determined that students don’t know the subject of vector and thus have difficulty
understandingenergydueto
theirlackofknowledgeonvectors.Inthenewphysicsprogram,oneof
thebacisprinciplesistoteachstudentsbyenablingthemtointerpretthepresentedinformationwith
258
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
theknowledgetheyalreadyhave(MEB,2013).Whenthisprincipleistakenintoconsideration,itcan
besaidthatthereisadiscrepancybetweentheprinciplesoftheprogramandthearrayofsubjects.
Bylookingatstudents’views,itwasdeterminedthatthereisnodifferenceintheteachingprocess
of
subjectsintermsoftheusedmaterials,techniques,strategyortools,theonlydiffencebeingthemore
frequentemployoflecturingintheteachingofenergy;itwasdeterminedthatexamplesfromdaily
lifeweregiven,interpretation‐basedquestionswere solved,labswerenotused,novisualmaterial
was
brought to class and video presentations should be employed. However, as Karakış (2006)
indicated in her study, it was revealed that teachers do not break their routines and they ignore
individualdifference,andthustheyrealizeamonolithicteaching.Itisbelievedthatteachersshould
notletstudentsturninto
passiveobserversinclass,andtheyshouldteachthesubjectsbyemploying
appropriatemethods,techniques,andstrategiesthatwouldtakestudents’individualdifferencesinto
considerationandwouldbestudent‐centered(Hynd,2001;Karadağetal.,2008;Peers,Diezmann,&
Watters,2003).Moreover,itwasdeterminedthatstudentsexperiencedifficultyduetothe
factthat
thesubjectisbothconceptualanditincludestoomanyformulas.Itisknownthatconceptuallearning
isdifficultasitneedsconstantlytobesupportedbydailyobservations(Vosniadou,1999).Itwasseen
that studentstry toovercome this problemby attending lecturesatprivate institutions, constantly
repeatingthesubjects,andbyreferringtodifferentsecondarysources.Anotherresultofthestudy
wasthatstudentsprefertorefertoasecondarysourceotherthantheoneprovidedbytheMinistryof
Education.Itwasdeterminedthatstudentsprefer somethingotherthan theircoursebookbecause
they want to
solve problems and questions that they would face at the university entrance exam
(Altun, Arslan & Yazgan, 2004). In addition to all these, it was determined that interpretation
questionswerepreferredastheyrequirenopenorpaper,andthatthesequestionsincreasestudents’
interestinclassandthatthey
areeasierthanquestionswhichrequiremathematicaloperations.As
internationalexamssuchasTIMMSandPISAalsohavequestionsbasedoninterpretation,itcanbe
suggestedthatmoreimportanceshouldbegiventointerpretation‐basedquestionswhichwouldhelp
the improvement of students’ success and their comprehension of subjects and concepts
(Karamustafaoğlu&Sontay,2012).
Lastly,itwasdeterminedthatstudentsrealizedthateverythingintheuniversehasanenergy,that
theyhavebecomemoreconsciousaboutenergypreservation,thattheyhaveknowledgeaboutenergy
sources,thatkineticenergycanbefoundinimmobileobjects,andthattheyhavelearned
thereason
behind global warming (Ünal, 2011). However, itis believed that acquisitionsshould beadded in
orderforstudentstobemoreconsciousandknowledgeable,andthismeansthatclasshoursshould
be increased (Tanrıverdi, 2009). Moreover, it was seen that students have comprehended other
subjectsinthephysics
educationprogrammorethoroughlyduetotheteachingofenergyasasubject.
Thus,itcanbeseenthatenergyisrelatedtoothersubjects.Intheirstudy,JinandAnderson(2012)
determined that in addition to being relatedto other subjectsin physics, energy is a concept that
brings
togethermanydifferentdisciplines.
Conclusions
Afterthecompletionofthisstudy,itisthoughtthatknowledgestudentsacquireatclassshouldbe
permanentsincetherealaimofeducationistoprovidestudentswiththeknowledgethatwouldhelp
them sustain their own lives. Physics is generally considered to be
a difficult class and it is also
knownthatitisdifficulttoteachenergyinapermanentandmeaningfulwayasitcontainsabstract
concepts.Moreover,students’previousknowledgeandtheincorrectinformationtheyacquireduring
the teaching ofthe subject resultsin students havingmisconceptions. Inorder toprevent
thisand
provideameaningfulandpermanentlearning,students’previousnotionsshouldbequestionedand
teachingshouldbecarriedoutinaccordancewiththeteachingprogram.Inthisstudy,howenergyas
asubjectistaughtinprocesswasdescribedandsuggestionsastohowitshouldbeconductedwere
European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2017
259
given in thediscussion section. It is believed that determining especiallyteacher‐related problems
wouldcontributetothefutureofteaching.
Thisstudyislimitedtotheenergytopictaughtat9
th
grade.Itisbelievedthatexpandingthisstudyto
othertopicscoveredwithinthephysicsprogram,whichbegantohavebeengraduallyrunsince2013‐
2014academicyear,wouldbehelpfultoliterature,toteachers,andtostudents.
Acknowledgements
ThisstudywasbasedonSevimBezen’smaster’sthesis.
Iwould
liketothankAssist.Prof.Dr.IsilAykutluforherinvaluablecontributiontomythesisandto
thisstudy.
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