Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.32633/eb.11.1.3
Enhancing the biological understanding of energy concepts in high school education
Ana Bakarić
orcid.org/0009-0003-5257-1534
; University of Split, Faculty of Science; Elementary school Malešnica
*
Dorotea Vrbanović Lisac
; University of Split, Faculty of Science; 5th gymnasium Zagreb
Ines Radanović
orcid.org/0000-0003-3239-0536
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The research examined the development of the macroconcept of Energy in the living world across the high school vertical. The study used a convenience sample of 1421 students from the 1st to 4th grades of high school. The analysis examined students' responses to tasks assessing knowledge retention and understanding of the concept of Energy, including its effects on nutrition in living beings from the previous grade. Task items were coded for accuracy, cognitive level of learning, and item difficulty, and the overall result accounted for task complexity based on the coded properties of each item. Based on this, the success of each student in solving was calculated. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis. Due to the violation of homogeneity of variance, the Welch test with Games-Howell post hoc analysis was applied. The results show that understanding of the concept of Energy does not develop linearly across the high school vertical but rather oscillates between grades. The lowest performance was recorded in the 8th grade of primary school, while the highest increase was achieved in the 1st grade of high school, followed by a decline in the 2nd grade and a moderate recovery in the higher grades of high school. The results also indicate a methodological challenge in teaching the concept of Energy, as certain concepts are often taught in different grades using the same examples, leading students to perceive the content as already known and not bringing new understanding, which reduces motivation. To avoid this, in accordance with the curriculum and students' age, it is necessary to enable understanding of the essential processes through conceptual development and to harmonise the frameworks and diversity of teaching contexts for each grade, from simpler ones in primary school to integrated and interdisciplinary ones in high school.
Keywords
energy; high school; conceptual understanding; concept development
Hrčak ID:
342987
URI
Publication date:
27.12.2025.
Visits: 391 *