"Designing an educational computer simulation for the thermodynamic processes of ideal gases: epistemological and didactical approaches" Master Thesis by Kalliopi Meli

ABSTRACT

The main focus of this research is the developing of a computer simulation for the teaching and learning of the thermodynamic processes of ideal gases using the first thermodynamic law for the students of the second year of upper secondary school. The simulations aims to bridge teaching and learning for the above mentioned chapter of school physics. A series of fields have been investigated, as they interact with each other during the developing of educational material. On the one hand, the epistemological approaches and, on the other hand, the didactical approaches for the modeling of epistemological knowledge have been both scrutinized. Additionally, the research refers to the special advantages of the simulations for the learning and teaching of physical sciences and to the variety of simulations categories that came up through their practical use during the last decades. Regarding the simulation of the thermodynamic processes, the paper includes an analysis of its interface characteristics, as well as of its epistemological and didactical characteristics. Furthermore, the simulation, as a mean of teaching and learning of the thermodynamic processes and the first thermodynamic law, has been evaluated by students, who have acquainted to the software during a pilot application of it in their classroom.