Color, Temperature and Heat: Exploring University Students Mental Thoughts

Color, temperature and heat are among the concepts in science that are interconnected. These concepts are introduced to learners even before they enter the basic education. On the other hand, in school, it is formally introduced to them not only in science but also in the humanities. The foregoing study attempted to explore the mental thoughts of university students on color, temperature and heat using everyday circumstances that involved the said concepts. The situations in question form were administered to 50 3 rd year Bachelor of Secondary Education majoring Physical Science and 3 rd year Bachelor in Elementary Education majoring Content. Data gathered and collected were subjected to simple Collaizi method of data analysis to which themes and patterns were sought from the responses. Results were presented using percentages and simple frequency. The study revealed that university students possess a gap in their understanding of the above-mentioned concepts as greater majority of them possesses contradicting and inconsistent explanations. This implies that science curriculum both in the basic education and higher education needs revisiting. Likewise, an effective teaching sequence related to these concepts may be developed and used to improve students' conceptions.