Assessing misconceptions of undergraduate engineering students in the thermal sciences

• Autores: Michael Prince, Margot A. S. Vigeant, Katharyn Ellen K. Nottis
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 26, no. Extra 4, 2010, págs. 880-890
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This study presents preliminary results of a multi-year research project to identify persistent misconceptions held by undergraduateengineering students in the core engineering sciences of thermodynamics and heat transfer. This report lays out the phased developmentof valid and reliable concept inventories to assess the prevalence and persistence of these misconceptions. The inventories exhibitreliability and validity levels that allow them to be used for research purposes. Student performance on the instrument from severalundergraduate engineering programs demonstrates the existence of two specific misconceptions: (1) students frequently confoundfactors which determine the rate of heat transfer and the amount of heat transfer and (2) students often misconstrue the impact ofentropy on the efficiency of real systems, specifically believing that the only barrier to 100% thermal efficiency is friction and heatlosses. Pre/post measures of students’ conceptual understanding demonstrate that significant misconceptions persist after instruction inthe relevant undergraduate thermodynamics and transport courses.