Arab Educational Information Network

The study aimed to detect alternative conceptions about some Physics concepts among middle school pupils of the fourth year in the field of mechanical phenomena. To answer the study questions: 1) What is the prevalence of alternative conceptions among members of the study sample? 2) What are the sources of their formation? The researcher used the descriptive analytical method. He designed a diagnostic test for the detection of alternative conceptions among pupils of the study sample, whose psychometric characteristics (validity and reliability) were verified. The results of the study were as follows: 1) The existence of alternative conceptions for some physical notions in pupils reached 46,70 % in the concepts contained in the field of mechanical phenomena for the fourth year of middle school. As for the sources of these perceptions were, respectively: the teacher by 53,03% and the School books by 21,94% and the surrounding environment by 19,05 % and other sources by 6,03% (Published Abstract)