International Journal of Physics and Chemistry Education
Not a member yet
165 research outputs found
Sort by
Teaching Basic Special Relativity in High School: The Role of Classical Kinematics
Get PDFIn this work, we present a possible didactic sequence for the study of basic aspects of special relativity in high school. The sequence re-signifies the role of classical kinematics and Galileo´s relativity principle. It has been implemented in four courses of two secondary schools in Argentina in 2014-2015 and in Colombia in 2016, with students aged 15-16, during 20 school hours, being the teacher a member of our research team
Prospective Physics Teachers’ Understanding of the Speed of Light within the Scope of Special Relativity
Get PDFThis study employs the qualitative method to investigate the concept structures of prospective physics teachers regarding the speed of light. For data collection, 46 prospective physics teachers were asked to draw concept maps related to special relativity. A total of 77 propositions were found in the maps. Content analysis was used for data analysis. 4 themes and 14 sub-themes were found as a result of the analysis. “The effect of the speed of light” theme had the highest number of propositions written by the prospective teachers. Some statements claiming the existence of speeds higher than the speed of light were found in “the property of the speed of light” theme. The findings can be interpreted as that students had difficulties with understanding the second postulate of special relativity
Editorial
Get PDFWe would like to announce that EJPCE will be published twice a year and so this is the First Issue of Volume 6. In this issue, there are 5 interesting published articles of 14 authors from 4 different countries around the world. These published articles were sent to the EJPCE from Iran, Turkey, United States America and Germany
Pre-Service Teacher’s Views on the use of Metaphors for Describing the Concepts of Uncertainty and Entanglement in Teaching Quantum Physics
Get PDFQuantum physics is a fundamental theory of physics heavily relying on its description by mathematical structures. However, its successful handling ensures in no way its conceptual understanding. So teaching quantum physics in high school faces the problem of adequate strategies. Often visualisations are used in order to provide anchors for students. These have to be chosen carefully to avoid misconceptions. At the same time an adequate verbal explanation of quantum phenomena or of their visualization is sought as physics language is shaped by classical physics. As an additional method for teaching we propose the use of metaphors for making the quantum physical mechanisms more insightful without interference from classical physics
It's All in the Data - But What is It? Learning Analytics and Data Mining of Multimedia Physics Courses
Get PDFBefore “Learning Analytics” became the buzzword that it is today, fueled by the advent of "big data" MOOCs and increased institutional attention to retention and time-to-degree, fine-grained transactions within courses were analyzed as a unique window into student learning: what resources do learners access in which order, how much time do they spend with each resource, to what degree do different resources contribute to success in formative assessment, what is the effect of online discussion forums, how many attempts does it take which learners to solve online homework, and what is the extend and effect of unproductive behavior such as procrastination, guessing, and copying? We will focus on virtual and blended physics courses and use data mining methods to extract various predictive signatures of eventual learner success on exams. We also use classical test theory and item response theory to estimate both quality parameters of online homework and latent learner traits such as ability and the propensity to copy or guess answers. Based on these findings, we will make recommendations for course design
Permanent Education and the Integration of Digital Information and Communication Technology in Physics Education in Santa Catarina
Get PDFEducating Physics teachers has shown to be a great challenge. The present work is part of a bigger study that has had as its central axis two demands related to the education of these professionals: the first one refers to social changes brought about by the Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT), which require a (re)signification of the school and of the teacher’s profile; and the second relates to the great percentage of teachers working in the field without the qualifications that the profession requires. The focus here will be the process of integrating the DICT in the practices of the Physics teachers who participated in a continuing education course that was planned and developed during the research. It can be inferred that the development of the activities and discussions about the pedagogical practices conducted during the course resulted in the comprehension around the critical and creative use of the DICT. However, it is important to keep in mind that such an integration constitutes a slow and gradual process
Investigating Teachers' Fidelity to Constructivist Chemistry Curriculum in Turkey: Congruence between Intended, Perceived and Observed Curriculum in Turkey
Get PDFThis study aimed to evaluate chemistry teachers' curriculum fidelity in Turkey. Therefore, it was investigated how intended constructivist principles in the 9th grade chemistry curriculum in 2007, have been perceived and implemented into the practice by the chemistry teachers in Turkey. A qualitative evaluative case study guided this research study, which was carried out with 23 chemistry teachers, working in the high schools in Erzurum city center and selected by convenient sampling method. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews under the guidance of the “Teacher Interview Form (TIF)” and classroom observations using the “Chemistry Class Constructivist Environment Observation Form (CCCEOF)” developed by the researchers. The interview and observation data were subjected to content analysis. The findings showed that the constructivist principles intended in the chemistry curriculum are not adequately perceived by the teachers and are put into practice in a traditional way
Promoting STEM content epistemology in Technology enhanced collaborative learning environments
Get PDFIn this paper the exploitationof a technologically supported learning environment is proposed so that teachers gain a deeper understanding of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) content epistemology, they become familiarized with the STEM methodology as well as they realize its added value in education settings. In this paper, a distance learning program (e-course) was developed to train teachers in the STEM teaching methodology. Sixteen teachers of Primary and Secondary sectorsof education participated in the program through implementing the Edmodo collaborative platform. The Cognitive Apprenticeship model, as a model of effective training in STEM methodology, combined with the Jigsaw Collaborative Strategy was applied. The experimental process was conducted in the context of problem-based learning while quantitative analysis was applied for the collection of data. The results of the teachers’ evaluation indicated that their involvement in STEM content implemented in an electronically appropriately designed environment, could enhance literacy in STEM content epistemology and the collaborative skills of learners
Modeling the Mole Understanding with Mathematical Reasoning
Get PDFThe amount of substance, expressed in the units of moles is an essential concept in chemistry and physics. Students entering physics courses usually possess a chemistry background. However, this study showed that their understanding of units of matter on the microscopic level is fragile, and needs improvement. Research shows that the complexity of interpretations of quantities expressed as ratios; molar mass or atomic mass makes formulating a dimensional analysis or proportion of these ratios unclear to students. Based on these findings, this study proposes applying equations of fundamental constants and proportional reasoning, instead of ratios, as the main building blocks to formulate conversion algorithms. In the line of that, a deductively designed lecture was delivered to a group (N=25) freshman college physics students. While on the pretest, only (N=4, 16%) correctly converted a mass of a substance expressed in kilograms to a number of moles, on the posttest the percentage of correct answers increased (N=20, 80%) suggesting that proportional reasoning coupled with fundamental constants brings clarity to the process and improves its understanding
Incorporating Sustainability in Higher Chemistry Education in Indonesia through Green Chemistry: Inspirations by Inquiring the Practice in a German University
Get PDFGreen chemistry is suggested as an important guide to allow the practice of chemistry to become more sustainable. In this study, a chemistry department at a German university is analyzed by an outside view to how it integrates the philosophy of green chemistry into its research and teaching practices to inform higher education institutions in Indonesia on how this issue could be approached. The study reveals that the level of understanding of green chemistry is largely varying among different stakeholders, however its principles are well integrated in both research and teaching. In addition, it became clear that today modern chemistry departments should operate a broader approach towards sustainability than just practicing green chemistry in laboratory practices. The vision is to highlight the importance of green chemistry and other corresponding practices to support education for sustainable development (ESD) in a broad sense. The integration of green chemistry to support the implementation of ESD in higher education can only be achieved by strong commitments from all groups involved, namely the head and administration of the department, researchers, and teachers. Although not all aspects that were observed during this study are suitable to be applied in the Indonesian context, some implications can be derived for reform in Indonesian higher chemistry education