Search results for "physics education"
showing 10 items of 101 documents
The Supremacy of the Constructivist Approach in the Field of Physics Education: Myths and Real Challenges
2012
We intend, first of all, to show that the supposed 'supremacy of the constructivist epistemology' in the field of physics teaching is just a myth that hides the actual supremacy of the ineffective transmission/reception model. We then centre our analyses and proposals on the real challenges to improve students' learning and attitudes. Résumé Nous essayons de montrer que la prétendue « suprématie de l'épistémologie constructiviste » dans le domaine de la didactique de la physique n'est qu'un mythe, qui cache la suprématie effective du modèle inefficace de la transmission/réception. Nous centrons ensuite nos analyses et propositions sur les défis réels pour améliorer l'apprentissage et les at…
Students’ approaches to solving R-FCI tasks observed by eye-tracking method
2018
This study sought to assess the representational format of task options in the representational variant of the force concept Inventory (R-FCI) test, namely its impact on students’ problem-solving approaches. This was done with the help of eye-tracking equipment. 35 high-school students solved four tasks, mainly from the R-FCI test, which sought to assess the student’s understanding of Newton’s 1st and 2nd Law of Motion. As they were trying to solve the problems, their gazes were tracked by TobiiTX300. A comparison between students who provided the correct and incorrect answer was subsequently carried out. The correctly answering students very quickly found the correct solution both in verba…
Evaluating similarity measures for gaze patterns in the context of representational competence in physics education
2018
The competent handling of representations is required for understanding physics' concepts, developing problem-solving skills, and achieving scientific expertise. Using eye-tracking methodology, we present the contributions of this paper as follows: We first investigated the preferences of students with the different levels of knowledge; experts, intermediates, and novices, in representational competence in the domain of physics problem-solving. It reveals that experts more likely prefer to use vector than other representations. Besides, a similar tendency of table representation usage was observed in all groups. Also, diagram representation has been used less than others. Secondly, we evalu…
Visual attention while solving the test of understanding graphs in kinematics: an eye-tracking analysis
2019
This study used eye-tracking to capture students' visual attention while taking a test of understanding graphs in kinematics (TUG-K). A total of N = 115 upper-secondary-level students from Germany and Switzerland took the 26-item multiple-choice instrument after learning about kinematics graphs in the regular classroom. Besides choosing the correct alternative among research-based distractors, the students were required to judge their response confidence for each question. The items were presented sequentially on a computer screen equipped with a remote eye tracker, resulting in a set of approx. 3000 paired responses (accuracy and confidence) and about 40 h of eye-movement data (approx. 500…
Prospective elementary teachers’ perceptions of the processes of modeling: A case study
2012
In this paper we discuss a study on the approaches to modeling of students of the 4-year elementary school teacher program at the University of Palermo, Italy. The answers to a specially designed questionnaire are analyzed on the basis of an a priori analysis made using a general scheme of reference on the epistemology of mathematics and physics. The study is performed by using quantitative data analysis methods, i.e. factorial analysis of the correspondences and implicative analysis. A qualitative analysis of key words and terms used by students during interviews is also used to examine some aspects that emerged from the quantitative analysis. The students have been classified on the basis…
Enseñanza de las ciencias : revista de investigación y experiencias didácticas
2006
Resumen basado en el de la publicación Resumen en inglés Se muestra el importante papel de uno de los instrumentos más comunes, el péndulo, en la construcción del paradigma newtoniano. Del análisis de algunas aplicaciones interesantes llevadas a cabo por los mejores científicos de ese tiempo, se concluye que el uso apropiado del péndulo en el aula puede ser una manera fácil de introducir la evolución histórica y epistemológica de conceptos físicos básicos. ESP
TU-C-16A-01: Joint AAPM/SEFM/AMPR Educational Workshop On “Education of Radiotherapy Physicists”
2014
This workshop is jointly organized by the AAPM, the Spanish (SEFM) and the Russian (AMPR) Medical Physics Societies, as part of formal educational exchange agreements signed by the AAPM with each one of these two societies.With the rapid technological advances in radiation therapy both for treatment and imaging, it is challenging how physics is taught to medical physicists practicing in radiation therapy. The main Objectives: of this workshop is to bring forth current status, challenges and issues related to education of radiation therapy physicists here in the US, Spain and Russia. Medical physicists from each one of these countries will present educational requirements of international re…
Eye-Movement Study of Mechanics Problem Solving Using Multimodal Options
2020
We used an eye-tracking method to investigate students’ approaches to solving a physics task using various representations. Eight upper-secondary school students from Finland took part in the study. We found that students who preferred either the text or graph representations watched the options differently, but they used both representations to be sure of their solution. Transitions between text and graph alternatives were different for students preferring either text or graph representations. Interviews revealed typical misconceptions about the concept of force. Implications for physics instruction are presented. peerReviewed
Due 'paradossi meccanici' della Collezione Storica degli Strumenti di Fisica dell'Università di Palermo
2015
Many instruments of the Historical Collection of the Physics Instruments of the University of Palermo date back to the early nineteenth century, when experimental Physics begun to be taught in university studies by using instruments and apparatuses in the classroom to illustrate the laws of Physics. Among the various instruments belonging to the Collection, there are also the so-called 'paradoxes', instruments with surprising properties that do not seem to follow the laws of Physics. In this article we analyze two 'mechanical paradoxes' of the Collection and discuss their possible educational use.
Relations between representational consistency, conceptual understanding of the force concept, and scientific reasoning
2012
Previous physics education research has raised the question of “hidden variables” behind students’ success in learning certain concepts. In the context of the force concept, it has been suggested that students’ reasoning ability is one such variable. Strong positive correlations between students’ preinstruction scores for reasoning ability (measured by Lawson’s Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning) and their learning of forces [measured by the Force Concept Inventory (FCI)] have been reported in high school and university introductory courses. However, there is no published research concerning the relation between students’ ability to interpret multiple representations consistently (i.e.,…