This thesis addresses several aspects of the teaching and learning of thermodynamics in the context of first year university Physics. Thermodynamics is a topic that attracts far less attention at the first year level, both in terms of instruction time but also in the literature.

The first part of the thesis focuses on the teaching aspect, and reports on a two-year experiment that involved introducing Interactive Engagement techniques in lectures to facilitate Active Learning. Two different Interactive Engagement techniques were compared, the Interactive Lecture Demonstrations and the Interactive Exercises, across four first year Physics thermodynamics streams at The University of Sydney. In the first year, 2011, there were no differences in learning outcomes between the four streams as measured by the Thermal Concepts Survey and the final first year Physics exam (each technique was trialed in two classes). In 2012 the Thermal Concepts Survey reveals a difference in the streams, with one of the streams which received the Interactive Lecture Demonstration program performing significantly better than the others. Both programs were characterized in terms of the activity of the lecturer and in terms of student engagement. Evaluation surveys and interviews were deployed to gather more information about how the programs were received by the students.