Systematic Literature Review of Studies Investigating Conceptual Understanding Related to the Subject of Gases

The subject of gases is among the important subjects in physics and chemistry teaching. Students often have misconceptions in these fields, which negatively impact learning. For this reason, studies on conceptual understanding and misconceptions are important. The aim of this study is to present the findings obtained from a systematic literature review of international studies focusing on misconceptions and conceptual understanding about gases between 1992 and 2024. In this systematic literature review, literature was searched through various databases (Web of Science, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)), and the findings were reported in accordance with the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" (PRISMA) steps. A total of 171 articles were identified from Web of Science (N=114) and ERIC (N=57) databases. After applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 41 articles were obtained. The data were analysed using descriptive and content analysis methods. In the study, it was seen that most of the subjects of the articles focused on teaching materials and especially experimental research were at the forefront. In these studies, it was found that conceptual tests were primarily used to identify participants' misconceptions about gases, with a focus on high school and undergraduate students. Research has shown that activity-based and technology-supported teaching contributes positively to conceptual development related to gases. However, it has been emphasised that abstract topics such as the ideal gas law involve serious conceptual difficulties for students. In this direction, it is recommended to use active learning-based teaching methods, diversify teaching materials, and increase laboratory experiments.