Fac. of Grad. Studies, Mahidol Univ. M.Sc.

(Science and Technology Education)/ 1

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Overview
As parts of the introduction, the significance of the blackbody radiation
theory in the worldwide is presented. Thus, the blackbody radiation concept becomes
an important topic in many countries. However, students’ misconception on this concept
were found because of the inappropriate teaching and learning. Then three-phase
learning cycle and board game are proposed to develop the students’ conception that
may relate to students’ misconception.

1.1 The Blackbody Radiation

In the beginning of modern physics era, blackbody radiation appeared as a
problem that consumed many physicists’ attention. Blackbody radiation is an incident
of emitting electromagnetic radiation by a blackbody because of the temperature
condition. In the room temperature, a blackbody emits the radiation electromagnetic in
the range of infra-red, and it could not be seen by the normal eye. Therefore, the body
appears black as its name ‘blackbody’. However, a blackbody starts glowing and change
its appearance when the temperature has increased. In this circumstance, a blackbody
still absorbs the radiation electromagnetic fall into it, and emit it in a thermal equilibrium
condition. Therefore, the radiation emitted by blackbody and the internal radiation are
constituting blackbody radiation.
In certain factor, the sun is a perfect example of a blackbody, but people do
not see its black appearance because of the yellow-white appearance of the sun. For the
earth, the sun is a prime source of life, warmth, and light for human around.
Some scales of absolute temperature are needed to determine a blackbody
radiation property. In the equilibrium states, temperature gives measure energy that flow
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from a hot body to a cold body. The minimum temperature available for energy to
transfer is -273 degrees Celsius.
On the other hand, practical bodies are not perfectly black as its name, and
it does not emit electromagnetic radiation as same as a perfect blackbody emission in
the same temperature. A blackbody object absorbs energy falling into it greater than any
object in the same surface area. Consequently, a blackbody always emits more energy
than an object at the same temperature.
In the theory of a blackbody, an ideal blackbody is analogized by an empty
box with a small hole on it. This hole can be used as a point of the emitting area of a
blackbody. It was a simple model proposed by some physicist rather than some
properties expected to be an ideal blackbody. As classical physics view, the pattern or
mode of wave oscillation carried energy proportional to the temperature. This
expectation works for long wavelength blackbody radiation; the proportional constant
was calculated exactly by the classical physicist.
One of the successes of classical physicist had been approved by Wilhelm
Wien (1864-1828) who had awarded 1911 Nobel laureate in physics. Wien stated that
the radiation electromagnetic wavelength increase when the temperature has decreased.
This inverse relation between wavelength and temperature known as the Wien’s
displacement law. However, it merely well-worked on long-wavelength radiation. The
inability of classical physics on short-wavelength radiation had led to the discovery of
quantum.
The quantum theory began when Max Planck (1858-1947) introduced the
revolutionary idea of energy package or quanta on December 14, 1900. The emission
and absorption of electromagnetic energy exist only in multiples of a discrete quantity.
Because of his monumental work, Max Planck had been awarded 1918 Nobel Prize
physics. Furthermore, Einstein had completed the Planck’s equation by associating the
multiplication directly to the electromagnetic waves, and he got the 1921 Nobel Prize
winner in physics and known as the father of relativity. In addition, the study of Niels
Bohr (1885-1962), Erwin Schrodinger (1887-1961), and Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac
(1902-1984) in quantum particles, wave and energy approved that the blackbody
radiation theory generated the full theory of quantum.
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1.2 Blackbody Radiation in Worldwide and Curriculum

The blackbody radiation principles have a highly wide range of applications
in several fields which are heating, lighting, lasers, astronomy, and even temperature
prediction.
A light source can be generated by increasing the temperature of a material,
and the material appearance transformed to incandescence then. As an example, a
tungsten filament is a material with the highest melting temperatures which emits light
when its temperature has increased. The increasing temperature of tungsten filament
allows its material glowing and radiate electromagnetic radiation in the range of visible
light. Another example, every heater which are a water heater, flatiron, and rice cooker
are working with the tungsten filament principle. However, its temperature is not as high
as the incandescent lamp and emit the electromagnetic radiation in the infra-red range.
Although the average temperature of a practical body (blackbody and grey-
body) could not exceed 3000 Kelvin, the stars’ temperature is extremely higher than
3000 Kelvin. This because most of the stars are huge balls that have a high-temperature
surface. The electromagnetic radiation spectrum that is emitted by stars gives a direct
prediction on their temperature. Also, the time of electromagnetic radiation emitted by
stars to reach the earth can be used to estimate the distance of stars from the earth.
Therefore, the color of stars classifies its internal properties and temperature.
On earth, the blackbody radiation theory is widely applied to predict the
temperature of a material (could not use a thermometer). In the visible light range, 600
degrees Celsius is the lowest practical temperature limit, and under those limits
temperature becomes infra-red. In addition, the infra-red measurement had been used in
many technologies to measure the low temperature which are heat radiation leaks, heat-
seeking cameras, and an infra-red camera.
As clearly explained above, the blackbody radiation theory had become an
imperative topic that should be learned by students. This was confirmed that the
blackbody radiation theory has been incorporated into many curricula across the world
(Müller & Wiesner, 2002; Finish Curriculum, 2003; Turkish Curriculum, 2013; Emigh,
Passante & Shaffer, 2013; British Curriculum, 2014; Henriksen et al., 2014; Swedish
Curriculum, 2016) and even in some developing countries (e.g. Aylward 1976; Gupta
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2003) including Indonesia (National Curriculum for PHYSICS 2006; Diepenbroek

2007; Santoso & Rustad, 2012; Curriculum of Faculty of Education, 2012).
Moreover, the blackbody radiation appears on many high schools across the
world as well (Turkish Curriculum, 2003; Finnish Curriculum, 2003; British
Curriculum, 2014, Australian Curriculum, 2015, Canada Curriculum, 2015). Most of
the contents of blackbody radiation include the blackbody radiation curve (wavelength-
intensity), the nature of blackbody radiation, and Wien’s displacement law. Also,
blackbody radiation was mentioned in Indonesian national curriculum 2013.

1.3 Teaching and Learning Blackbody Radiation

Nowadays, learning blackbody radiation still needs to be improved in a
certain way. This was confirmed by a study conducted by Emigh, Passante and Shaffer
(2013); students had no knowledge to relate the blackbody radiation to real-world
objects after traditional instruction. Its condition may lead the students to obtain an
inappropriate understanding of the blackbody radiation concept.
The students’ misunderstanding on blackbody radiation concept had come
from many countries which are 18 cases of the students’ misconception on the
blackbody radiation concept (Bartels, 1990; Roon, 1992; Alwan, 2011; Emigh,
Passante, and Shaffer, 2013; Sadoglu, 2015; Balta, 2016), 7 cases on the Stefan-
Boltzmann’s law (Erickson, 1979; Alwan, 2011; Marr & Willkin, 2012; Prince, Vigeant,
& Nottis, 2012), 6 cases of the Wien’s displacement law (Carvalho & Sousa, 2006; Marr
& Willkin, 2012; Prince, Vigeant, & Nottis, 2012; Balta, 2016), and 6 cases on the
Planck’s hypotheses on the blackbody radiation (Carvalho & Sousa, 2006; Marr &
Willkin, 2012). In Indonesia, the students were not able to interpret the concept of heat
transfer and thermodynamic that is directly related to the blackbody radiation concept
(Suherli & Suhandi 2015; Hakim et al., 2015; Oktavianti, Sari, Saepuzaman, & Karim,
2015).
According to Santoso (2014), in the curriculum of Higher Education of
Indonesia, the students’ misconception might be caused by several factors which are 1)
The lack of understanding of the nature of educational system, 2) The lack of preparation
before the learning activity, 3) The vagueness strategy and learning methods, 4) The
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lack of understanding of appropriate learning methods, 5) The assessment is aimed to

score rather than giving a guideline to unlock the students’ potential, and 6) The
ambiguity of the learning outcomes.
In addition, research on an effective way of teaching and learning of
blackbody radiation indexed in Google Scholar, ERIC, and another web of knowledge
are limited. Therefore, it necessary to propose a new effective way such as three-phase
learning cycle that is combined with board game to convey the scientific concept of
blackbody radiation properly.

1.4 Three-phase Learning Cycle and Board Game

The inquiry learning cycle is included as one of the learning models in
Indonesian’s curriculum (Ministry of National Education, 2006; 443-444). There are
many branches of inquiry learning model, one of them is three-phase learning cycle
model (Maier & Marek, 2006). The three-phase learning cycle model was first
introduced in elementary school of science program (SCIS Handbook, 1974). The three-
phase learning cycle model is learning model contained three phases of learning activity
which are 1) exploration, 2) concept development (explanation), and 3) expansion
(extension) (Marek, 2008). Several previous studies had proven that the three-phase
learning cycle had positive feedback for students’ learning outcome (Abraham, 1989;
Marek & Cavallo, 1995; Maier & Marek, 2005). The three-phase learning cycle could
engage the students in science class, make sense the students in scientific ideas, and
increase their scientific reasoning (Brown & Abell, 2007).
The implementation of an educational approach such as the three-phase
learning cycle model will be more efficient with integrating the educational tools such
as a game, it will help the students in learning the abstract concept (Nottis et al., 2011).
Using a game as an educational tool is a good way (Smyrnaiou et al., 2012). A game is
a voluntary activity by players, using the rules, the specific time and place (Huizinga,
1938). Aycan et al., (2012) had developed a board game and used it as an educational
game. They used two games for teaching periodic table and elements in their study.
Another discipline of science, such as physics has also applied the board game as a tool
for learning (e.g. Kirikaya, et al., 2010; Smith, 2002). Using board game for learning
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had proven that the learning is easy and enjoyable (Ozcifici, 2003). The board game has
a good effect on the learners in understanding the abstract concept (Chiarello, 2015).
As the advantage presented in the previous paragraph, the three-phase
learning cycle will be integrated with the board game. In the exploration phase, the
students will be emphasized to excavate the relevant concept by playing the board game.
In this phase, the students are expected to explore the phenomena shown by the game
during their playing. Moreover, the students will be introduced the scientific concept of
the board game, to confirm the concept gained by students, in the exploration phase.
After that, in the concept application, the students will be encouraged to apply their new
knowledge to expand their understanding while they play the board game for the second
chance. The whole process of three-phase learning cycle is also expected to give an
experience of fun learning to the students.

1.5 Purpose of the Research

As an educational tool, the role of board game has a great impact for learners
(Chiarello, 2015; Smyrnaiou, et al., 2012), and make learning easy and enjoyable in
learning physics concept (Kirikaya, et al., 2010; Smith, 2002). Learners who had learned
by an inquiry showed many positives impact (Carter, & Watson, 2001; Berg,
Bergendahl, & Lundberg, 2003), particularly with three-phase learning cycle model
(Marek & Cavallo, 1995; Maier & Marek, 2005). These board games and three-phase
learning cycle are expected to solve the common problem in blackbody radiation
concept found in Indonesia by Suherli & Suhandi (2015); Hakim et al., (2015);
Oktavianti, Sari, Saepuzaman, & Karim, (2015). Therefore, the research objectives of
the research are shown below.
1. To develop the blackbody radiation board games based on game
characteristics.
2. To enhance the undergraduate students’ conception of blackbody
radiation concept by using the blackbody radiation board games with three-phase
learning cycle.
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1.6 Research Questions

In guiding this study to fulfill the goal, some research questions would be
shown as follows:
1. How can the blackbody radiation board games component be developed
based on the game characteristics?
2. Can the blackbody radiation board games with three-phase learning
cycle enhance the students’ conception in blackbody radiation concept?

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study focuses on the blackbody radiation board games development
and the development of Indonesian undergraduate students’ conception of blackbody
radiation concept trough board game and three-phase learning cycle.
Both quantitative and qualitative analysis have been carried out in the
following developed blackbody radiation board games and students’ conception of
blackbody radiation.

1.8 Definitions of Terms

In the whole of this study, some of the terms have appeared as important
parts. To avoid some misunderstandings on 1) blackbody and blackbody radiation, 2)
Stefan-Boltzmann’s law, 3) Wien’s displacement law, 4) Planck’s theory, 5) board game
and 6) three-phase learning cycle, they will be described as follow.

1.8.1 Blackbody and blackbody radiation

Siegel and Howell (1972), described the blackbody as an ideal object which
can absorb all of the incidents radiation energy that come into itself. On the other hand,
the blackbody could be described as an object which can catch all of the incidents
radiation energy e.g. sunlight and stars, gamma rays, X-rays, and infra-red (Johnson,
2012).
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A blackbody is an object itself, and the blackbody radiation is radiation

energy emitted by the blackbody (Saxena, 2005). According to Gearhart (2009), the
blackbody radiation is electromagnetic radiation energy which emitted by an object
which has equilibrium circumstances with surrounding matter.

1.8.2 Stefan-Boltzmann’s law

The Stefan-Boltzmann’s law is an important law of blackbody radiation that
had been formulated by Joseph Stefan (1835-1893) and Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906).
This law focuses on the power of radiation emission emitted by object depend on the
fourth power of absolute temperature (Edmonds, 1968).

1.8.3 Wien’s Displacement law

The Wien’s displacement law is a blackbody radiation law that had been
formulated by Wilhelm Wien (1864-1928). This law focuses on the relation of
wavelength and temperature of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a blackbody (Das,
2002).

1.8.4 Board Game

The board game is a set of material which contains the main component
such as board and the additional component such as card, token, and dice. In term of
gaming, board game needs a set of rule to control every movement on board. The board
game also can be described as a set of playful activities that have an important attribute
with or without a computer (Dempsey et al, 1996).

1.8.5 Three-phase Learning Cycle

The three-phase learning cycle was firstly designed for science program in
elementary schools (SCIS Handbook, 1974). It consists of three steps of learning which
are exploration, concept introduction, and concept application (Barman, 1990). Lawson,
Abraham, and Renner (1989) describe that the learning format consists of three phases
of the flexible learning steps, but the sequential of the phases can not be changed or
eliminated.
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Summary
The existence of blackbody radiation across the world has made this topic
become important and facing some common problems which are students’
misconception. Therefore, we propose the three-phase learning cycle and the board
game to develop the students’ conception of this concept. The reason for selecting the
board game and three-phase learning cycle model will be described through literature
review in chapter 2.