Background

The CoLoS group [1] has worked together since 1988. Its general goal was to exploit the didactical potential of modern media with a focus on interactive simulations. During its annual meeting in 1999 at St. Petersburg, some CoLoS members decided to open a new branch of common activities by evaluating some of our developed materials and tools under controlled conditions within our different countries.

As a first step it was decided to find out if our students in our different school systems will show similar learning deficits as a result of traditional teaching. If so this would support our plan to introduce the same innovative material and media and to observe if similar and hopefully improved learning results can be found.

Two different tests were selected from the literature which have shown that a majority of students do not learn basic concepts in mechanics. Their daily life knowledge about such concepts proves to be rather robust even though it conflicts the scientific view. A typical example is the so-called Aristotelian view of movement and driving force in contrast to the Newtonian view.

The first of the two tests is oriented towards this problem. The students are tested if they know that an object moving with constant velocity doesn't not need a resulting driving force and that an object, moving with constant acceleration, needs a constant force.

The second test covers concepts like superposition, the proportionality of gravitational and inertial mass and vector properties.