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This is a R&D study (also classified as: Observational).

September 10, 2025Open Access

Developing the HETMOFT : A Five-Tier Test for Identifying Student Misconceptions in Heat and Thermodynamics

ANAulia Ayuni Novita ADAgus DanawanIndonesia University of Education LALina AviyantiIndonesia University of Education

Key Points

Significant misconceptions in heat and thermodynamics were found, particularly concerning temperature change, reaching 44.11%.
Using a five-tier test instrument, 195 students were assessed, revealing gender differences in understanding of key concepts.
Instrument reliability was found to be strong for items (0.81) but weak for person reliability (0.55), indicating variability in student comprehension.
The Aiken V formula validated the test items, with 18 deemed valid, supporting the continued use of this assessment method in education.

Abstract

In the implementation of learning, there are often errors or discrepancies in the interpretation of student concepts, with the concepts of experts called misconceptions. In physics learning, one of the materials where misconceptions often occur is thermodynamics and heat. This study aims to analyze high school students' understanding of the concepts of heat and thermodynamics in Karawang Regency. This study used the Research and Development (R&D) model to develop a test instrument in the form of 15 items distributed through Google Forms to 195 students (105 female and 90 male). The data obtained was analyzed using the Rasch model through Winstep software version 5.1.7.0, which provides an overview of the level of student understanding and identifies differences in understanding between male and female students. The five-tier test instrument was validated by three teachers and two lecturers using the Aiken V formula and obtained a result of 0.69 and a probability of 0.010 with 18 "valid” items and 2 “invalid" items. The results of instrument reliability show person reliability is 0.55 with a "weak" interpretation, item reliability is 0.81 with a "good" interpretation, and Cronbach's alpha (KR-20) value is 0.54 with a "low" interpretation. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the instrument can be used in this study. The results showed significant misconceptions among students, especially regarding the concept of temperature change, with the highest percentage being 44.11%. The main cause of this misconception was identified as coming from students' thinking. Male students showed a better understanding of heat transfer and temperature change, while female students showed a slightly better understanding of substance form change. In addition, a five-tier test instrument is recommended as a learning evaluation tool to help educators identify students' misconceptions in-depth and understand the causes of these misconceptions.

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