APOS theory: evaluating student understanding in magnetism

Abstract Nowadays, one of the most discussed topics in educational systems across any country is how learners learn and how their outcomes are evaluated because precise evaluation is crucial for planning the next stages of learning. One of the evaluation methods that assess learning outcomes is the APOS theory. According to this theory, learners understand concepts at the levels of Action, Process, Object, and Schema. This research uses this approach to evaluate the level of understanding of students on the subject of magnetism by using a descriptive-survey method. The statistical population includes 12th-grade students from Hamadan province, with a sample of 110 male and female in the experimental and mathematical branches from the city of Razan, who were conveniently available to the researcher. Moreover, a researcher-made test was used to collect data for this research, and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to assess the reliability of the evaluation, resulting in a coefficient of 0.906. The results of the research indicate that according to the APOS theory, 78 % of students are at the Action level, 70 % at the Process level, 43 % have reached the Object level, and 23% have achieved an understanding at the Schema level. The statistics show that learners correctly solve magnetism problems when they have a routine and algorithmic method for solving them.