Reports on a study of student understanding of the wave nature of matter in the context of the pattern produced by the diffraction and interference of particles. Errors made by students after standard instruction indicates the presence of similar conceptual and reasoning difficulties at three different educational levels. (Contains over 20…

Discusses data from tests and videotaped interviews indicating conceptual primitives as a source of student difficulty in physics. These include key concepts (mass, acceleration) and fundamental principles/models (Newton's and conservation laws, atomic model). Demonstrates that misconceptions can be studied using problems of minimum complexity to…

Describes a systematic investigation of the understanding of the concept of acceleration among students enrolled in a variety of introductory physics courses through individual demonstration interviews. Describes and identifies some conceptual difficulties and discusses some implications for instruction. (Author/SK)

A graphical representation is proposed as a teaching device which can be useful in order to obtain a good intuitive grasp of the physical meaning of the Lorentz transformations. The connection between the time dilation and the desynchronization of clocks is particularly discussed. (Author/PR)

Reviews perspectives on student resources for learning with an emphasis on the practical benefits to be gained for instruction. Explains that physics education research has focused almost exclusively on student difficulties and misconceptions. This work is limited in what it can tell about student knowledge and learning. (Author/MM)

Reports on an investigation of students' understanding of the concept of time in special relativity. Discusses a series of research tasks to illustrate how student reasoning of fundamental concepts of relativity was probed. Indicates that after standard instruction, students have serious difficulties with the relativity of simultaneity and the…

Describes a computer-assisted personalized assignment system used to prepare and present conceptual, qualitative questions to large introductory science classes. Several sample questions are included and discussed. Contains 18 references. (DDR)

Describes the development and assessment of instructional materials intended to improve student understanding of the concept of time in special relativity, the relativity of simultaneity, and the role of observers in inertial reference frames. Demonstrates the effect of the curriculum and illustrates the intense cognitive conflict as students are…

Investigates the interconnections within students' store of conceptual knowledge using a set of term-association tasks (ConMap tasks). Gathers students' spontaneous responses to a term or problem or topic area with a sequence of associated terms, the response terms and time-of-entry data. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/YDS)

Studies the role of context in students' uses of alternative conceptual models by using Newton's third law. Identifies four contextual features that are frequently used by students in their reasoning. Probes the effects of specific contextual features on student reasoning using a multiple-choice survey. (Contains 39 references.) (Author/YDS)

Investigates student understanding of energy and momentum concepts in introductory physics by designing and administering a 25-item, multiple-choice test and conducting individual interviews. Indicates that most students have difficulty in qualitatively interpreting basic principles related to energy and momentum and in applying them in physical…

Presents a new research-based course on quantum mechanics in which the conceptual issues of quantum mechanics are taught at an introductory level. Involves students in the discovery of how quantum phenomena deviate from classical everyday experiences. (Contains 31 references.) (Author/YDS)

Explains the critical role of probability in making sense of quantum physics and addresses the difficulties science and engineering undergraduates experience in helping students build a model of how to think about probability in physical systems. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/YDS)

Introduces the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) which was developed to assess students' knowledge of topics in electricity and magnetism. Reports on the number of student difficulties in electricity and magnetism. (Contains 23 references.) (Author/YDS)

Interviews university students in modern physics about their understanding of three fundamental experiments. Explores their development of models of microscopic processes. Uses interactive demonstrations to probe student understanding of modern physics experiments in two high school physics classes. Analyzes the nature of students' models and the…