Definitions of physical concepts: A study of physics teachers’ knowledge and views

A study was made of the ability of a population of high-school physics teachers to define physics concepts and of their views regarding the importance of such definitions. It was found possible to arrange the definitions accumulated in categories, and the classification so obtained was consonant with that of the philosophy of science. Although the subjects of this study were experienced teachers, the definitions they supplied exhibited shortcomings. Despite this, however, the teachers attached great importance to a knowledge of concept definitions. The implications of these findings in connection with the ongoing debate regarding the importance of concept definitions in science education are discussed. The high educational value of concept definitions is argued and a deficiency in this knowledge points to the shortcoming in teacher training.