Investigating Prospective Science Teachers’ Misconceptions of Sound

Abstract

The goal of this study was to describe prospective science teachers’ (PST) misconceptions
about basic sound phenomena and concepts. The study was conducted with 56 PSTs. The questionnaire that
is used as data collection instrument consists of 6 open-ended questions regarding sound properties, the
propagation and nature of sound. Findings of the study indicated that PSTs were not able to describe the
sound propagation correctly at the microscopic level; they were not aware of the need for a material medium,
and their conceptual understanding of the propagation and nature of sound was far from being scientific