This continuing research builds on the results of a survey of Scottish science teachers which focussed on the teaching of basic electricity concepts at early secondary school level.

Most schools in Scotland teach science as a combined discipline in the first and second (S1 and S2) years of secondary education (ages 12-14). Students may be taught by a specialist biology, chemistry or physics teacher, who have differing confidence and knowledge base levels, though qualification in Scottish initial science teacher education requires the ability to cross-science teach these year groups. Teaching the abstract concepts of electrical circuits can be challenging and there are misconceptions which remain even after students have been taught. This could be due to the level at which the topic is introduced as students may not have reached the required developmental stage, while the challenge of unreliable equipment is an additional factor to be considered.

Due to insufficient literature examining educators' views on the pedagogical and technical aspects of electrical circuits, this research is intended to highlight current good practice and identify issues relating to terminology and practical work in the Scottish context. The aims are twofold. The first is to understand current practice and consider this in light of the abstract nature of the topics. The second is to develop an evidence base highlighting any issues which exist relating to non-specialist teaching. This is of international interest due to the widespread teaching of circuits at this level.