Before we can effectively apply specific interventions through professional development, it is important to determine what is occurring in our high school physics classrooms. This study investigated common professional practices in physics teaching among a representative sample group of schools and teachers from a diverse, geographically large…

This article examines the process of shifting to a "Physics First" sequence in science course offerings in three school districts in the United States. This curricular sequence reverses the more common U.S. high school sequence of biology/chemistry/physics, and has gained substantial support in the physics education community over the…

In an effort to maintain the global competitiveness of the United States, ensuring a strong Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce is essential. The purpose of this study was to identify high school courses that serve as predictors of success in college level gatekeeper courses, which in turn led to the successful…

Examines the mathematical process used by students when solving physics tasks that require proportional reasoning. Investigates students' understandings and explanations of their mathematical processes. (Author/CCM)

Explores the practice of one high school teacher who provided students with concrete examples from their physics class to give them a contextually rich environment in which to explore the abstractions of calculus. Indicates that students discovered connections between the physics concepts of position, velocity, and acceleration and the calculus…

Reports on the results of a study involving an innovative assessment program initiated to investigate student predictions and revised explanations regarding a variety of optical phenomena. Suggests that the introduction of new forms of assessment in science education, although desirable, will require significant reordering of the goals and…

Describes a computer program (for Apple II microcomputers) which simulates motion in a quadratic resisting medium. Descriptive equations, program inputs and outputs, and program evaluation are considered. Program listing and/or program on initialized disk may be obtained by contacting the author. (JN)

Presents a classroom demonstration that illustrates the Law of Conservation of Energy. The demonstration utilizes a coupled pendulum device that can easily be constructed from ordinary monofilament fishing line and two metal pendulum bobs. (HM)

Examines the influence of two factors of the process of graphing on rural students' (n=93) ability to comprehend kinematics graphs on constant velocity events. Students exhibited difficulty in constructing and comprehending graphs of derived variables and were unaware of their own graphing skills deficiencies. (34 references) (MDH)