Exploratory Research On Primary School Student’s Conception of Mass and Heat

This study employed an exploratory quantitative descriptive design to identify the level of misconception among Malaysian primary school students on science topics, specifically related to matter and heat. A total of 289 students participated in the study, comprising 136 Year 3 students from the state of Perak and 153 Year 5 students from the state of Selangor. Two sets of open-ended test instruments were developed based on the national science syllabus and validated by expert science educators. Each set consisted of six subjective questions designed to elicit students' understanding of the targeted topics. The data collected were descriptively analysed to determine the patterns of misconception. Findings revealed that Year 3 students demonstrated a high level of misconception in both matter and heat, while Year 5 students exhibited a high level of misconception in matter but a relatively lower level in heat. Most students experienced difficulties in describing the properties of matter and explaining its transformation processes. In addition, many students struggled to define and conceptualize heat scientifically, often confusing it with temperature and relying on everyday experiences or non-scientific terms. These results highlight the prevalence of misconceptions in early science learning and the importance of addressing them through more conceptually grounded instruction.