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Abstract

Studies on students’ conceptions and reasoning in geometric optics have revealed that students have scientifically incorrect knowledge or lack of understanding in basic optical phenomena. For this reason, as well as the identification of these conceptions or reasoning, the factors or sources that may cause the construction of them should be determined. In the literature, textbooks are considered as one of the main sources of students’ unscientific or lacking conceptions. In introductory optics, students may not recognize the role of the observer’s eye in the formation and the observation of an image. In this study, nine commonly used physics textbooks around the world and the physics textbook advised by Ministry of National Education in Turkey analyzed in terms of the use of observer’s eye and critiqued as a potential source of students’ unscientific or lack of conception in optics. Document analysis method is used in order to analyze the ten textbooks. It is found that the role of the observer’s eye is ignored or not specifically emphasized in the image formation or observation process in the textbooks. It is suggested that textbooks should be reviewed by experts and the role of observers’ eye should be considered especially at the introductory optics for students’ better understanding of the optical phenomena.

Keywords

• physics education, physics textbook, geometric optics, observer’s eye

A Content Analysis of Physics Textbooks as a Probable Source of Misconceptions in Geometric Optics

Abstract

Geometrik optikte öğrencilerin kavrama ve muhakemelerini konu alan çalışmalar, öğrencilerin temel geometrik optik olaylarda bilimsel olarak yanlış bilgilere ya da eksik anlamalara sahip olduklarını ortaya çıkarmıştır. Bu nedenle, tüm bu kavrama ve muhakemelerin yanı sıra bu yanlış ya da eksik anlama ve muhakemelere sebep olan faktörlerin de tespit edilmesi büyük önem taşımaktadır. Alan yazınında ders kitapları öğrencilerin bu yanlış kavrama ve muhakemelerine neden olan temel sebeplerden biri olarak görülmektedir. Optiğe giriş derslerinde öğrenciler gözlemcinin gözünün görüntü oluşumu ve gözlenmesindeki öneminin yeterince farkına varamamaktadırlar. Bu çalışmada dünya genelinde yaygın olarak kullanılan dokuz fizik ders kitabı ile Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı tarafından Türkiye’deki liselerde okutulmak üzere tavsiye edilen fizik ders kitabı gözlemcinin gözünün bu kitaplarda kullanımı ve optikte öğrencilerin hatalı ya da eksik kavramlarının muhtemel nedeni olma açısından irdelenmiştir. Toplam on ders kitabının analizinde doküman analizi metodu kullanılmıştır. Çalışma sonucunda incelenen ders kitaplarında görüntü oluşumu ve gözlenmesinde gözlemcinin gözünün rolünün göz ardı edildiği ya da özellikle öneminin vurgulanmasında eksiklik olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ders kitaplarının uzmanlar tarafından tekrar gözden geçirilip daha iyi öğrenmenin gerçekleşebilmesi için özellikle optiğe giriş konularında gözlemcinin gözünün rolü ve öneminden bahsedilmesi tavsiye edilmiştir.

Keywords

• fizik eğitimi, fizik ders kitabı, geometrik optik, gözlemcinin gözü

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