Energiföreställningar

Energiföreställningar refers to the mental models or conceptions that learners hold about energy, how it is produced, transferred, stored, and transformed. These preconceptions influence problem solving, experimental design and conceptual change in physics education. They are often captured in qualitative studies through student interviews, written surveys, or think‑aloud protocols. Energiföreställningar can range from accurate representations that align with the first‑principle equations of thermodynamics, to intuitive but scientifically incomplete narratives such as “energy is something that moves from one place to another” or “energy is always hidden inside objects.”

Research in Sweden and internationally has shown that students frequently rely on anchors such as “objects moving fast contain more energy” or “heat is a substance that can be added.” These anchors can persist even after formal instruction, indicating the resilience of preexisting conceptions. Classroom interventions that explicitly confront misconceptions—such as guided inquiry, peer instruction, or concept‑sense‑making—have been documented to moderate the strength of incorrect energiföreställningar.

Curricular frameworks like the Energy and Work curriculum in elementary science explicitly target energiföreställningar by linking everyday experiences (e.g., a falling apple) to the law of conservation of energy. Assessment tools such as the Energy Concept Inventory evaluate the prevalence of particular misconceptions and track shifts over time.

Overall, energiföreställningar are a central topic in physics education research because they reveal how learners construct meaning, how instruction can foster conceptual change, and which instructional strategies best reduce persistent misconceptions about energy.