{"id":{"repo_id":"purdue-thes","oai_identifier":"oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:open_access_dissertations-2639"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/purdue-thes/oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:open_access_dissertations-2639","repository":{"repo_id":"purdue-thes","name":"Purdue University","base_url":"https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Undergraduate engineering students’ understanding of complex circuit concepts: An investigation of the intersection of students’ prior knowledge, design of learning environments and the nature of the content","abstract":"Research focused on increasing students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits discuss this concept as difficult to not only teach but for students to grasp. This difficulty has been attributed to the fact that students tend to hold inaccurate pre-conceptions of electricity which becomes problematic as the level of complexity increases from the most basic to more advanced circuit concepts. The combination of inaccurate and inadequate prior knowledge has the potential to prevent students from being able to assimilate new material they come in contact with when instructed about electric circuit concepts in formal settings. Often times, students’ inability to associate this new concept with correct pre-existing conception or prior knowledge leads to the development of misconceptions about the nature of electricity. With these issues in mind, this study focused on exploring undergraduate engineering students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits through an investigation of three interconnected areas. The overall purpose of this study was to give a descriptive account of learning complex circuits.","abstract_html":"Research focused on increasing students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits discuss this concept as difficult to not only teach but for students to grasp. This difficulty has been attributed to the fact that students tend to hold inaccurate pre-conceptions of electricity which becomes problematic as the level of complexity increases from the most basic to more advanced circuit concepts. The combination of inaccurate and inadequate prior knowledge has the potential to prevent students from being able to assimilate new material they come in contact with when instructed about electric circuit concepts in formal settings. Often times, students’ inability to associate this new concept with correct pre-existing conception or prior knowledge leads to the development of misconceptions about the nature of electricity. With these issues in mind, this study focused on exploring undergraduate engineering students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits through an investigation of three interconnected areas. The overall purpose of this study was to give a descriptive account of learning complex circuits.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pitterson, Nicole"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Engineering Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ruth A Streveler","Cordelia Brown","Monica Cardella","Morgan Hynes","Karl Smith"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:54:44Z","subjects":["complex circuits","conceptual change","electrical engineering","introductory courses","learning environment design"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/1423","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ruth A Streveler","Cordelia Brown","Monica Cardella","Morgan Hynes","Karl Smith"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pitterson, Nicole"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Engineering Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["complex circuits","conceptual change","electrical engineering","introductory courses","learning environment design"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/1423"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Research focused on increasing students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits discuss this concept as difficult to not only teach but for students to grasp. This difficulty has been attributed to the fact that students tend to hold inaccurate pre-conceptions of electricity which becomes problematic as the level of complexity increases from the most basic to more advanced circuit concepts. The combination of inaccurate and inadequate prior knowledge has the potential to prevent students from being able to assimilate new material they come in contact with when instructed about electric circuit concepts in formal settings. Often times, students’ inability to associate this new concept with correct pre-existing conception or prior knowledge leads to the development of misconceptions about the nature of electricity. With these issues in mind, this study focused on exploring undergraduate engineering students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits through an investigation of three interconnected areas. The overall purpose of this study was to give a descriptive account of learning complex circuits."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Undergraduate engineering students’ understanding of complex circuit concepts: An investigation of the intersection of students’ prior knowledge, design of learning environments and the nature of the content"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ruth A Streveler","Cordelia Brown","Monica Cardella","Morgan Hynes","Karl Smith"],"dc:creator":["Pitterson, Nicole"],"dc:description.abstract":["Research focused on increasing students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits discuss this concept as difficult to not only teach but for students to grasp. This difficulty has been attributed to the fact that students tend to hold inaccurate pre-conceptions of electricity which becomes problematic as the level of complexity increases from the most basic to more advanced circuit concepts. The combination of inaccurate and inadequate prior knowledge has the potential to prevent students from being able to assimilate new material they come in contact with when instructed about electric circuit concepts in formal settings. Often times, students’ inability to associate this new concept with correct pre-existing conception or prior knowledge leads to the development of misconceptions about the nature of electricity. With these issues in mind, this study focused on exploring undergraduate engineering students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits through an investigation of three interconnected areas. The overall purpose of this study was to give a descriptive account of learning complex circuits."],"dc:identifier":["https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/1423"],"dc:subject":["complex circuits","conceptual change","electrical engineering","introductory courses","learning environment design"],"dc:title":["Undergraduate engineering students’ understanding of complex circuit concepts: An investigation of the intersection of students’ prior knowledge, design of learning environments and the nature of the content"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Engineering Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:54:44Z"}