Students enter classrooms with preconceived notions of how the world works. They represent the mind's attempt to connect new information with information already stored in memory. Their study has been influenced by models originating out of cognitive psychology. Misconceptions may originate from personal experience, imprecise language, lack of examples and non-examples in concept formation, media representation of phenomena, errors in logic, and textbooks.
Misconceptions exist in all the science areas.
Misconceptions interfere with further learning, as new information is linked to the existing misconception. Misconceptions must be confronted by experience with the phenomena in question. This experience may be direct, as in demonstrations or hands-on activities, or vicarious, as with computer simulations. In any case, misconceptions are tenacious and a great deal of mental effort is required to let go fo of them and restructure one's ideas. Then the teacher must assume the role of learning facilitator and encourage students to be active learners.