Mental models are coherently organized knowledge structures used to explain phenomena. They interact
with social environments and evolve with the interaction. Lacking daily experience with phenomena,
the social interaction gains much more importance. In this part of our multiphase study, we
investigate how instructional interactions influenced students’ mental models about the quantization
of physical observables. Class observations and interviews were analysed by studying students’
mental models constructed in a modern physics course during an academic semester. The research
revealed that students’ mental models were influenced by (1) the manner of teaching, including
instructional methodologies and content specific techniques used by the instructor, (2) order of the
topics and familiarity with concepts, and (3) peers.