Pupils' understanding of simple electrical circuits. Some implications for instruction

There have been many studies worldwide of children's understanding of basic electrical concepts so that there is now quite a clear picture of many of their difficulties. By contrast, work on remediation is in its infancy. The article describes research findings concerning children's difficulties with the concepts of circuit, current and electrical energy and discusses some possible approaches to instruction which arise in the light of these findings. Much of the research carried out has been within the paradigm of constructivist psychology which views all human beings as prototypical scientists, constructing hypotheses and testing these against experience as their way of understanding the world around them. In seeking to understand electrical phenomena children construct a variety of explanatory conceptual models, some of which they then hold very tenaciously.