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Misconceptions of civil engineering students on structural
modeling
Salih Yilmaz
Pamukkale University, Department of Civil Engineering,
Denizli, Turkey.
E-mail:
syilmaz@pau.edu.tr.
Tel: +90-258-296 3430. Fax: +90-258-296 3382.
Accepted 2 December, 2009 |
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Student misconceptions have recently been an important area
of research in many branches of science. However, the
research work on the misconceptions of engineering students
has remained of limited extent. Although the most important
task of a structural engineer is structural analysis,
structural modeling and interpretation of analysis results
have come into prominence due to emerging computer
technology. This study is concerned with the levels of
perception of structural modeling among eighth-semester
civil engineering students. For this purpose, the students
were given pier structures and asked to draw structural
models for the analysis of these structures. Misconceptions
developed by the students regarding structural modeling were
then determined by investigating the drawings. It was
observed that the students have major misconceptions,
especially about boundary conditions. Beside the fact that
these misconceptions stem from a large number of factors,
one of the most significant consequences is the
misconceptions about structural stability. Possible means to
mitigate the misconceptions of engineering students are
suggested in the conclusion.
Key words:
Structural engineering, student misconceptions, structural
modeling, drawings. |
