Fundamental Physics And Physics Education Research

In a knowledge-based society, research into fundamental physics plays a vital role not only in the enhancement of human knowledge but also in the development of new technology that affects everyday life.The international symposium series Frontiers of Fundamental Physics (FFP) regularly brings together eminent scholars and researchers working in various areas in physics to exchange expertise, ideas, results, and new research perspectives. The twelfth such symposium, FFP12, took place at the University of Udine, Italy, and covered diverse fields of research: astrophysics, high energy physics and particle physics, theoretical physics, gravitation and cosmology, condensed matter physics, statistical physics, computational physics, and mathematical physics. Importantly, it also devoted a great deal of attention to physics education research, teacher training in modern physics, and popularization of physics. The high scientific level of FFP12 was guaranteed by the careful selection made by scientific coordinators from among 250 submissions from 28 countries across the world. During the three days of the conference, nine general talks were delivered in plenary sessions, 29 invited talks were given in specific topic areas, and 59 oral presentations were made. This book presents a selection of the best contributions at FFP12 with the aim of acquainting readers with the most important recent advances in fundamental physics and in physics education and teacher development.

This book highlights selected contributions presented at the 15th annual international symposium Frontiers of Fundamental Physics (FFP15), with the aim of informing readers about the most important recent advances in fundamental physics and physics education research. The FFP series offers a platform for physicists from around the world to present their latest theories and findings. The latest symposium was held in Orihuela, Spain and covered diverse fields of research, including gravitation, astronomy and astrophysics, physics of complex systems, high-energy physics, and mathematical physics. Considerable attention was also paid to physics education research, teacher education in physics, and the popularization of physics. In a knowledge-based society, research into fundamental physics plays a vital role in both the advancement of human knowledge and the development of new technologies. Presenting valuable new peer-reviewed contributions submitted from 15 countries, this book will appeal to a broad audience of scholars and researchers.

Physics Education research is a young field with a strong tradition in many countries. However, it has only recently received full recognition of its specificity and relevance for the growth and improvement of the culture of Physics in contemporary Society for different levels and populations. This may be due on one side to the fact that teaching, therefore education, is part of the job of university researchers and it has often been implicitly assumed that the competences required for good research activity also guarantee good teaching practice. On the other side, and perhaps more important, is the fact that the problems to be afforded in doing research in education are complex problems that require a knowledge base not restricted to the disciplinary physics knowledge but enlarged to include cognitive science, communication science, history and philosophy. The topics discussed here look at some of the facets of the problem by considering the interplay of the development of cognitive models for learning Physics with some reflections on the Physics contents for contemporary and future society with the analysis of teaching strategies and the role of experiments the issue of assessmen"

Adapting to a Changing World was commissioned by the National Science Foundation to examine the present status of undergraduate physics education, including the state of physics education research, and, most importantly, to develop a series of recommendations for improving physics education that draws from the knowledge we have about learning and effective teaching. Our committee has endeavored to do so, with great interest and more than a little passion. The Committee on Undergraduate Physics Education Research and Implementation was established in 2010 by the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Research Council. This report summarizes the committee's response to its statement of task, which requires the committee to produce a report that identifies the goals and challenges facing undergraduate physics education and identifies how best practices for undergraduate physics education can be implemented on a widespread and sustained basis, assess the status of physics education research (PER) and discuss how PER can assist in accomplishing the goal of improving undergraduate physics education best practices and education policy.

This book presents research contributions focussing on the introduction of contemporary physics topics – mainly, but not exclusively, quantum physics – into high school currciula. Despite the important advances and discoveries in quantum physics and relativity which have revolutionized our views of nature and our everyday lives, the presence of these topics in high school physics education is still lacking. In this book physics education researchers report on the teaching and learning of quantum physics from different perspectives and discuss the design and use of different pedagogical approaches and educational pathways. There is still much debate as to what content is appropriate at high school level as well what pedagogical approaches and strategies should be adopted to support student learning. Currently there is a greater focus on how to teach modern physics at the high school level rather than classical physics. However, teachers still lack experience and availability of appropriate teaching and learning materials to support the coherent integration of Quantum Physics in high school curricula. All of the 19 papers presented in this book discuss innovative approaches for enhancing physics education in schools.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of the theoretical background and practice of physics teaching and learning and assists in the integration of highly interesting topics into physics lessons. Researchers in the field, including experienced educators, discuss basic theories, the methods and some contents of physics teaching and learning, highlighting new and traditional perspectives on physics instruction. A major aim is to explain how physics can be taught and learned effectively and in a manner enjoyable for both the teacher and the student. Close attention is paid to aspects such as teacher competences and requirements, lesson structure, and the use of experiments in physics lessons. The roles of mathematical and physical modeling, multiple representations, instructional explanations, and digital media in physics teaching are all examined. Quantitative and qualitative research on science education in schools is discussed, as quality assessment of physics instruction. The book is of great value to researchers involved in the teaching and learning of physics, to those training physics teachers, and to pre-service and practising physics teachers.

This book discusses novel research on and practices in the field of physics teaching and learning. It gathers selected high-quality studies that were presented at the GIREP-ICPE-EPEC 2017 conference, which was jointly organised by the International Research Group on Physics Teaching (GIREP); European Physical Society – Physics Education Division, and the Physics Education Commission of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). The respective chapters address a wide variety of topics and approaches, pursued in various contexts and settings, all of which represent valuable contributions to the field of physics education research. Examples include the design of curricula and strategies to develop student competencies—including knowledge, skills, attitudes and values; workshop approaches to teacher education; and pedagogical strategies used to engage and motivate students. This book shares essential insights into current research on physics education and will be of interest to physics teachers, teacher educators and physics education researchers around the world who are working to combine research and practice in physics teaching and learning.

Physics Education for Students: An Interdisciplinary Approach is a compilation of reviews that highlight new approaches and trends in teaching and learning specific topics on physics to high school and university students. The reviews cover different areas of physics education (laboratory activities, mathematics, philosophy and history) and the ways that learning outcomes can be improved. These distinguished areas can generate complexities and difficulties for students in learning some concepts since the same topics are often presented while following approaches that do not highlight the existing correlations among the involved disciplines. The reviewers discuss an integrated framework for readers with the objective to promote the inclusion of specific laboratory activities and mathematics contents for physics courses addressed to university students, with evidence of the importance of combining a historical and philosophical approach as well. Specific topics in this book include the benefits of active learning in physics education, dialogic best practices in science education, research-based proposals on optical spectroscopy in secondary schools, didactic principles and e-learning in physics and expansive framing in physics laboratories. Physics Education for Students: An Interdisciplinary Approach, with its selection of expert reviews is an interesting read for academics and researchers involved in STEM education, at the school or college level.