Students' conceptions in mechanics: A look into their frameworks

Abstract

This paper probes the thinking frameworks (categorized as Aristotelian, Buridanian and Newtonian) used by high school students in understanding mechanics. A researcher-made 22- item multiple choice test with three options reflecting the three frameworks was used. The test was administered to 949 senior students from Nat high schools. The results revealed that the most commonly used framework was the Buridanian framework, either solely or in combination with either of the other two frameworks. However, the generally low mean score of the students in each framework revealed that there was no consistency in the use of any of the frameworks.