The influence of curriculum in the formation of Conceptual relations: Student’s expanation for the relationship between Volume, heat and pressure

The study is directed to investigate the relationship between the nature of curriculum and the conceptual mapping students form during studying in such curriculum. To study such an effect the sample was chosen from teachers exposed to the effect of two curricula, science section curriculum and literatures one. All of them are teachers in elementary grades, and they were working to complete their undergraduate studies. The sample was consisted of 70 teachers, 20one of them were in science section. They were asked to answer open questions which explain their level of understanding about kinetic energy of molecules; the questions were chosen to explain the kind of conceptual relationship students form between volume, heat and pressure. The study shows that all of students in literature section and 10 of students in science section have an alternative conception that was caused by students believing in the continuity of the universe (no gap between molecules). The study shows three different levels of understanding; the first group of students thinks that heat leads to increase the volume of molecule, and this would lead to increase the pressure ; the second group of students believes that the ultra-explanation of the molecule would lead ultimately to divide them into many molecules and this would lead to increase the pressure ; the third group of students believes that heat is a material that leads to increases the mass of air and increase the pressure. The study shows that more attention should be directed to present the declarative microscopic knowledge about the kinetic energy of molecules, and not to depend only on presenting the macroscopic procedural knowledge of the laws of quantity of heat and the relation between heat, volume and pressure without declaration of how kinetic energy of molecules would explain these laws; this deficiency has led to enhance such kinds of misconceptions in students.