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Physics Education Research Indispensible for
Improving Teaching and Learning
Reinders Duit IPN Leibniz Institute for
Science Education Olshausenstr. 62 24098
Kiel duit_at_ipn.uni-kiel.de www.ipn.uni-kiel.de
GIREP EPEC Conference Frontiers of Physics
Education Opatija, August 26 31, 2007
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on the Situation of Physics Teaching

• Limited achievement gains in schools (and
  universities)
• l Students interests in learning physics
  decrease especially girls interests
• l The enrolment in physics and physics oriented
  studies declined in many countries partly
  dramatically

The contribution of physics instruction to
scientific literacy and to sufficient enrolment
in physics oriented studies and vocations is
deficient
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Physics instruction in school ..... embedded
within manifold contexts
on reasons for this deplorable situation

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Physics instruction in school ..... embedded
within manifold contexts
on reasons for this deplorable situation

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on reasons for this deplorable situation

• The way physics is taught in schools and
  universities - traditionally teacher
  focused
• - student inquiry and means of
  self-responsible learning not supported
• - physics often out of contexts that make
  sense to the students
• - physics content usually well modeled,
  student learning not
• What is taught
• - traditional physics concepts and
  principles
• - physics processes (means of scientific
  inquiry) often missing or at least
  neglected
• - philosophy of physics issues (nature of
  science) often missing
• - significance of physics in society and
  technology often neglected

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Change of the public image and the role of
Physics
l Changing views of physics in the public -
From a heroic view to an ambiguous image l
Changing role of physics within the sciences
- biology and geo-sciences are booming - many
relevant domains of research and development are
based on integration of physics biology
chemistry l Focus of physics instruction -
physics of the 19th century only ? - myth of
the scientific method ? - myth of how science
is made ?Sjöberg, 2001
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Scientific Literacy Why teaching science?

• Two basic viewpoints
• t Developing understanding of science
• Contribution to general school education
  (cross-curricular competencies)
• Major goals
• t Recruiting students for science and
  technology related careers
• t Providing basic skills for understanding
  the world and for civic responsibility in an
  increasingly technological world

t The economic argument Modern industrialised
societies need scientifically and technologically
literate workforces t The utility
argument Individuals need some basic
understanding of science and technologies to
function effectively as individuals and
consumers t The cultural argument Science is a
great human achievement and it is a major
contributor to our culture. t The democratic
argument Citizens need to be able to reach an
informed view on matters of science related
public policies in order to participate in
discussions and decision-makingMillar
Osborne, 1998
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Levels and issues of scientific literacy
Levels of Scientific Literacy Knowing Understandin
g Problem solving Participating
The various content issues of scientific
literacy The concepts and principle of
science Scientific methods (processes) Views
about the nature of science Views about the
relevance of science in society and technology
including advantages and risks
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On the interdisciplinary nature of Physics
Education
Physics Education research draws on methods of
analytical and empirical research from various
reference disciplines. Physics Educators need
competencies in various domains.
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The Model of Educational Reconstruction
A model for instructional planning and
design.. as well for Science Education
Research Oriented at the German tradition of
Bildung Embedded within a constructivist
epistemological view
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Domains of Science Education Research
(1) Analysis of content structure Subject
matter clarification Analysis of
educational significance (2) Research on
teaching and learning Students
perspectives Teachers views Teaching
learning processes (3) Development and
evaluation of instruction / Instructional
design Intimate link between R D (4)
Research on curricular issues and science
education policies
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Domains of Science Education Research
Most research is available on teaching and
learning science, e.g. l On the role of
students preinstructional conceptions (see
plenary by Lillian McDermott) l On affective
issues (see plenary by Laurence Viennot) l
On lab work, multi-media l On the fine structure
of teaching and learning processes l On the
practice of physics teaching in ordinary
schools Research often shows that taken for
granted views have to be given up or at least to
be fundamentally revised, such as that
interesting experiments are essential, that
hands on will lead to better learning, that
multi-media are more efficient than lectures..
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Traditions of Science Education Research Two
groups of science educators

• Major focus is on science they are usually at
  home inorganizations that are close to the
  mother disciplineresearch work is usually
  focused at issues of subjectmatter structure or
  presentation techniques often the way students
  may learn the science ideas presented is given
  rather limited attention.
• (2) Science educators who try to find a balance
  between theorientation on the mother discipline
  and educationalissues (like student learning)

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Major emphases of science education research
Major emphases for a long time Empirical
research on teaching and learning from
constructivist perspectives and gender issues
Present large scale attempts to improve science
instructional practice
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Physics in Context A Programme to improve
physics teaching and learning in German schools

• Aims of the project
• 1. Development, implementation and evaluation of
  new concepts for physics instruction (topics,
  instructional methods, media)
• 2. Development of teachers content-specific
  pedagogical knowledge to improve instructional
  practice

1. Developing a new culture of teaching and
learning Guidelines of the project Physics in
Context 2.
3. Improving
students Integrating competencies of topics
of modern thinking and working physics and
like scientists technologies www.physik-im-ko
ntext.de

• Contexts
• Every day life, Technology, Society
• Learning environment
• Informal and formal learning outside school

Directed by Manfred Euler,
Reinders Duit, Silke Mikelskis-Seifert (IPN
Kiel)Cooperating partners Raimund Girwitz
(PH Ludwigsburg), Rita Wodzinski (Uni Kassel),
Peter
Reinhold (Uni Paderborn), Lutz Schön (HU Berlin)
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Piko Letters Brief summaries of research findings
t Students conceptions and learning physics t
Educational Reconstruction t The variety of
instructional methods (2 letters) t Modeling t
Modern Technologies t Inquiry based learning t
Assessment Theory t Assessment Practice t
Characteristics of good physics instruction ....
Further letters will follow
The letters may be downloaded from the homepage
www.physik-im-kontext.de
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Overview of Pico Letter 1 Students Conceptions
and Learning Physics

• (1) Students conceptions are usually not in
  accordance with the science view.
• (2) Conceptions determine what students see,
  read, hear in instruction.
• The First and the Second Law
• t Students make their own sense of everything
  presented to them in instruction
  explanations by the teacher, experiments,
  analogies, texts, etc.
• To provide the correct science view is not
  good enough - it may even lead to false
  ideas constructed by the students.
• Constructivist view learning active
  construction
  teaching to support students constructions

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Pico Letter 10 Features of good science
instruction
Various linkages between the new and the
already known are provided
Students are challenged to think harder
Learning is persistently supported
Students Pre-instructional conceptions are
taken into account
Content is sound and consistent from the
science point of view
Previews of the issues to be learned are given.
Classroom interactions give also students a
voice
Opportunities to learn from mistakes are provided
Various methods and media are used in
instruction. But arbitrariness is avoided
Experiments are carefully embedded in
instruction various - experiments are used
Content is embedded in contexts that make
sense to students
Narrow interactions between students and the
teacher are avoided
Opportunities to practice new knowledge are
provided
Based on results of the IPN Video Study Physics
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Summary Key Facets of Physics Education Research

• Physics education is an interdisciplinary
  discipline aiming at improving teaching and
  learning in various practices.
• t Physics educators need multiple competencies in
  physics and in a substantially large number
  of reference domains.
• t Physics education research has to link physics
  subject matter issues as well as pedagogical
  and psychological issues.
• t Research and development are closely linked.

Please keep in mind To improve practice there
are no simple recipes. You are investigating /
steering a highly complex (non-linear) system.
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Further details of the conception
presented Duit, R. (2007). Science education
internationally Conceptions, research methods,
domains of research. Eurasia Journal of
Mathematics, Science Technology Education,
3(1), 3-18. Duit, R., Niedderer, H. Schecker,
H. (2007). Teaching physics. In S.K. Abell N.G.
Lederman, Eds., Handbook of research on science
education (pp.599-629). Mahwah, NJ Lawrence
Erlbaum. Please contact duit_at_ipn.uni-kiel.de Addi
tionally Russell Tytler Re-imagining Science
Education available from http//www.acer.edu.au
/news/ European Commission Science Education
NOW available from http//ec.europa.eu/research
/science-society/