Concepts related to energy and energy research status of different learning levels of learning

The purpose of this study is to investigate primary, secondary and university students? understanding of the concepts of energy and energy sources, energy conservation, energy storage and energy transformation and to determine their misconceptions related to these concepts.In this study, developmental research methodology was used. Within this methodology, to collect the data both a conceptual understanding test and semi-structured interviews were employed. Before the main study, a pilot study was conducted with 45 students, thereby some revisions were made to improve the test?s quality. A total of 95 students of which 35 from primary, 35 from secondary and 25 university levels responded to the test consisting of questions that require written answers. In addition, interviews were conducted with 15 students in total.The data from the test and interviews showed that students? understandings of the investigated concepts, energy and energy sources, energy conservation, energy storage and energy transformation were at various categories. According to the results of the study, none of the concepts investigated has been fully understood by the students. In addition, primary students used daily meaning of the concepts while secondary and university students used scientific definition and school information in their responses mostly. Various misconceptions about energy and energy- related concepts have been determined at all levels. Based on the results obtained, it is suggested that curriculum programs should be revised considering the ordering of the concepts based on the grade level.Key Words: The Concept of Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Conversion, Energy Resources, Energy Storage, Understanding Levels, Misconceptions.