General relativity (GR) represents the most recent theory of gravity, on which all modern astrophysics is based, including some of the most astonishing results of physics research. Nevertheless, its study is limited to university courses, while being ignored at high-school level. To introduce GR in high school, one of the approaches that can be…

This paper offers a perspective on the relationship between communities that conduct research on teaching and learning in higher education, focusing on Higher Education Studies (HES) and science Discipline-Based Education Research (DBER). The paper responds to HES debates about the strength of its epistemological base and who belongs to that…

PISA studies have concluded that while the level of knowledge, amongst students in Estonia, is good the level of higher order thinking skills is lower, especially in natural sciences, which is accompanied by lower study motivation. In order to study the level of higher order thinking skills and what influences those skills, an action research was…

Research has shown the majority of students who have completed a university calculus course reason about the definite integral primarily in terms of prototypical imagery or in purely algorithmic and non-quantitative ways. This dissertation draws on the framework of Emergent Quantitative Models to identify how calculus students might develop a…

Calls to transform introductory college physics courses to include scientific practices require assessments that can measure the extent to which these transformations are effective. Such assessments should be able to measure students' abilities to intertwine important concepts with practices in which scientists engage. In addition to evaluating…

Cognitive neuroscience methods can identify the fMRI-measured neural representation of familiar individual concepts, such as apple, and decompose them into meaningful neural and semantic components. This approach was applied here to determine the neural representations and underlying dimensions of representation of far more abstract physics…

Physics students at Worcester State University visit the Worcester Art Museum (WAM) at the end of a special 100- level course called Physics in Art. The students have studied geometrical optics, and they have been introduced to concepts in atomic physics. The purpose of the museum tour is to show how physics-based techniques can be used in a…

We propose to attach a small stroboscopic light source to a moving object and connect the source to a pulse generator with the help of insulated thin flexible multi-cored wires. Students can assemble such a device independently in a school laboratory. The device can be used to obtain trajectories with time marks in students' research projects in…

This paper reports a simple magnetically driven oscillator, designed and resolved in order to achieve a better student understanding and to overcome certain instructional difficulties. The apparatus is mainly comprised of an ordinary spring pendulum with a neodymium magnet attached to the bottom, a coil placed in the same vertical direction, an…

The study focuses on assessing the proficiency levels of higher education students, specifically the physics achievement test (PHY 101) at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). This test, like others, evaluates various aspects of knowledge and skills simultaneously. However, relying on traditional models for such tests can result in…

Low levels of critical thinking skills and learning motivation, particularly in physics learning, pose significant challenges that must be promptly addressed to ensure students' future success. To tackle this issue, the present study endeavors to develop a Cooperative Model, Digital Game, and Augmented Reality (CAP)-based learning, which is both…

Student awareness and selection of learning strategies are predictors of academic success. Yet, little is known about learning strategies of students in university preparation science courses, who are frequently mature-aged or underrepresented students. This lack of knowledge potentially hinders tailoring reflective learning experiences, specific…

Educational researchers have been interested in studying teachers' professional identity to understand this dynamic and multifaceted construct within personal and professional processes through different experiences. In this study, we designed a qualitative case study with Cultural--Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) to examine physics teachers'…

Students often struggle in the transition from high school to college. One component of this struggle is adjusting study habits to navigate new academic expectations. Another is establishing new relationships in college that can support their emotional well-being and academic success. We administered surveys consisting primarily of open-ended…

In this exploratory study, we examined students' perceptions of inclusion in a calculus-based, introductory physics 1 course for science and engineering majors. This course, offered at a large R1 institution in the United States, was conducted remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Via a survey given at the end of the semester, students rated…