WORK AND HEAT - ON A ROAD TOWARDS THERMODYNAMICS

This paper describes qualitative research into difficulties university freshmen displayed when 'forced' to use thermodynamic 'concepts', or rather 'words', in a thermodynamic context which was, at that time, no t (yet) their own context. The research also aims at the identificatio n and the naming of students' proto-thermodynamic context(s), focused on their concepts of work and heat, and taking a thermodynamic basic c ontext of work and heat, previously described as an objective of educa tion, as a frame of reference. Three 'rounds' of research were perform ed in three successive years, each elaborating on the preceding one. T he first 'round' concentrated mainly on students' general problems wit h the thermodynamic concept of heat in a thermodynamic context. The se cond and the third concentrated mainly on the way a 'transition' from a commonplace concept of work in an ordinary life context to a scienti fic concept of work is suggested in a much used Dutch secondary school method of physics education. Our first conclusion is that the observe d freshmen used 'heat' and 'work' in what we have named a 'thermochemi cal context'; this can be seen as a proto-thermodynamic context. In ad dition, they had great difficulties with the thermodynamic system conc ept. Both conclusions appear to be interrelated. Finally, a possible ' educational road' from this proto-thermodynamic students' context to a 'genuine' thermodynamic context is suggested.