Misconceptions about rate processes: Preliminary evidence for the importance of emergent conceptual schemas in thermal and transport sciences

This paper reports preliminary evidence that a significant number of engineering students possess robust misconceptions about rate processes such as transfer of heat even after years of study in thermal and transport sciences including fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and thermodynamics. Data from the Thermal and Transport Concept Inventory (TTCI) currently under development and additional questions specifically written for the present study are reported and analyzed. Results indicate the presence of a persistent misconception about the relationship between the rate of heat transfer and amount of energy transferred in processes of engineering interest. We use the emergent theory developed by Chi and colleagues to propose a possible explanation for these findings.