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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Combining Knowledge of Physics and Chemistry in Teaching: The Behaviour of a Narrow Jet of Water in the Presence of Charged Insulators

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description

In this study the aim was to find out how student teachers applied their knowledge, in physics and chemistry, in an upper secondary science topic. The first stage consisted of an analysis of the upper secondary students’ interpretations of an experiment in which a charged rod is brought near another charged rod and a narrow jet of water. The second stage of the study was based on these results. The main research question was: How do the student teachers apply their knowledge to their explanations? The main finding was that the student teachers’ answers bore a strong resemblance to those of the upper secondary students. The earlier learning situation influenced the student teachers’ interpretations and they did not make use of the theoretical knowledge obtained during their further studies.