ABSTRACT
DISSERTATION TITLE: How do pre-service teachers picture
various electromagnetic phenomenon? A qualitative study of
pre-service teachers' conceptual understanding of
fundamental electromagnetic interaction.
STUDENT: Christopher P. Beer
DEGREE: Doctor of Education
COLLEGE: College of Sciences and Humanities
DATE: December, 2010
PAGES: 398
This study analyzes the nature of pre-service
teachers’ conceptual models of various electromagnetic
phenomena, specifically electrical current, electrical
resistance, and light/matter interactions.
This is
achieved through the students answering the three questions
on electromagnetism using a free response approach
including both verbal and pictorial representation.
The
student responses are then analyzed qualitatively and
quantitatively utilizing a multi-tiered approach.
These
analyses include epistemological representation,
misconceptions, correct conceptions, and the impact of high
school physics exposure on student conceptions.
This study
is unique in three primary respects; the free response
iv
questionnaire approach, a subject group that consists of
pre-service teachers, and a primarily female demographic.
v