The Search for Strategies to Prevent Persistent Misconceptions

Research shows that it may be too late to repair misconceptions of fundamental science and engineering concepts by the time students reach core engineering courses. Therefore, we need to focus on preventing such misconceptions. This paper reports the Stage One outcomes of a larger study: A synergistic approach to prevent persistent misconceptions with first-year engineering students. It addresses the following two aspects: (1) misconception repair strategies have had weak results, and (2) a synergistic approach that focuses on preventing/eliminating misconceptions. This paper has implications for new direction and effort in studying student misconceptions and promoting conceptual changes, which is to focus on preventing misconceptions from forming.