Students at upper secondary and college level in many countries are introduced to quantum physics (QP) in a mostly mathless course. Research shows that addressing epistemological and philosophical aspects would be beneficial for novice students' conceptual understanding. However, physics teachers seldom address these nature of science (NOS)…

Changing mass phenomena like the motion of a falling chain, the behaviour of a falling elastic bar or spring, and the motion of a bungee jumper surprise many a physicist. In this article we discuss the first phase of bungee jumping, when the bungee jumper falls, but the bungee rope is still slack. In instructional material this phase is often…

In an earlier article we presented an innovative approach for introducing mechanics at upper secondary level based on the idea of tapping core causal knowledge, and we described the working of the first part of the module. In this article we describe the second part of the module, in which we make use of the students' intuitive plausibility…

Describes a study of the understanding of basic electrical concepts shown by 15-17 year-old students in England, France, Netherlands, Sweden, and West Germany. Reports substantially the same pattern of learning difficulties across countries. Provides sample items. (Author/YP)