Students’ Thinking in Relation to Pressure-Volume Changes of a Fixed Amount of air: The Semi-Quantitative Context

Abstract

An analysis of student responses to a semi‐quantitative task involving pressure‐‐volume changes of a fixed amount of air is reported in this paper. It is demonstrated that student conceptions of ‘pressure’ and ‘vacuum’ are unscientific and that a large number of student responses focus on the idea that enclosed air has different properties from open air. The use of non‐scientific notions did not appear to depend on whether the student was studying a physical science subject or not, or whether the student was male or female. The implications for the teaching of the physical sciences are discussed. © 1992 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.