The Differentiation of Heat and Temperature: An Evaluation of the Effect of Microcomputer Models on Students' Misconceptions.

This paper describes the characterization of a student's framework of heat and temperature, and the development of a microcomputer-based laboratories (NHL) intervention program for grade 9 and grade 11 students. The report presents the results of classroom study, including interview questions and answers and pretest/posttest, from experimental and control groups. In the posttest, the students in the experimental group displayed a firmer grasp than the control group students of the various thermal concepts, laws, and principles, both at the theoretical and applied levels. Their knowledge formed a more integrated whole, and they showed fewer remaining misconceptions. Finally, they were more able to relate phenomena at the macro level to molecular events. (YP) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.