The Landscape of Misconceptions in Senior High School Physical Science: A Review of Studies from 2015–2025

This research paper systematically reviewed Philippine studies from 2015 to 2025 to uncover the misconceptions prevalent in Senior High School (SHS) Physical Science. Studies were reviewed to find misconceptions, their causes, and the remedies suggested. Results show that misconceptions exist in all major areas—mechanics, electricity, and magnetism, thermodynamics, optics, and matter and chemistry—with mechanics and electricity being the top two. The factors responsible are teaching methods, curriculum alignment, inadequate learning resources, and students' mental dispositions. Inquiry-based learning, conceptual change methods, simulations, and feedback on formative assessments are the effective strategies for overcoming misconceptions. The researchers suggest that the three-pronged method of targeted, active, and contextually relevant pedagogical interventions is the way forward for making conceptual understanding better in Philippine SHS Physical Science. The recommendations are teacher training, curriculum improvement, better allocation of resources, and systematic formative assessments for misconceptions elimination.