It is important for students to understand force concepts because they are central to learning physics and other sciences; however, students find it difficult to understand. There are calls for teachers to tap into their professional knowledge and develop beliefs that help them assist students comprehend the topic. To meet this challenge,…

As I approach my 70th year in physics, let me tell my younger colleagues about my adventures with computation. When I was 14, my father gave me a slide rule because I appeared to be headed toward a career in physics. Since then, I have had experience with many other calculating devices.

In this article, we demonstrate the use of a simple pendulum to explore the concepts of kinematics and dynamics. A simple homemade pendulum and a phone-based accelerometer are used to determine, at various points in time, the acceleration of a moving train. The dynamical and kinematics data from the homemade pendulum and the accelerator can then…

The distinction between pressure in a liquid and in a gas is often treated in a cursory way, or not treated at all, even in university level textbooks. Most texts fail to point out the relation between pressure and density in a gas as compared to pressure in a--virtually incompressible--liquid. In many instances this also results in a dismissive…

This paper outlines the feasibility of replacing a midterm assessment with a student-created digital media project. We examine the benefits of a peer review process for student-created pedagogy, the effectiveness of the student-generated digital media, and self-evaluations as a replacement for traditional forms of assessment. We conclude that this…

Giving feedback to peers can be a powerful learning tool because of the feedback provider's active cognitive involvement with the products to be reviewed. The quality of peers' products is naturally an important factor that might influence not only the quality of the feedback that is given, but also the learning arising from this process. This…

The purpose of the study was to determine the perceptions, knowledge levels, and mental models of gifted 2nd and 3rd-grade elementary students regarding the shape of the Earth and gravity concepts. The data for the study, which was qualitative research, was collected through interviews with the students. The study participants were 80 students…

It has previously been suggested that there is a need for a more language focused science instruction, especially in linguistically diverse classrooms, where many students are second language learners. But it has also been suggested that teachers may feel uncertainty about how to teach in ways that promote learning of both subject matter and…

This study investigated factors influencing Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) pretest and post-test scores for a sample (N=1116 students) collected in the introductory calculus-based mechanics class at a large eastern land-grant university. Several academic and noncognitive factors were examined using correlation analysis and linear…

Self-efficacy has emerged as one of the most important noncognitive variables explaining academic behavior. It has been shown to influence students' academic and career decisions as well as their academic performance. Multiple studies have reported differences in self-efficacy between men and women in science, technology, engineering, and…

This paper presents a perspective of how the radiation and radioactivity themes have been discussed at the high school level in several locations around the world. In this context, scientific journals, academic journals, theses, dissertations, and media materials were analyzed. Recent research has shown that the concern with the discussion about…

Gamification, or the intentional use of gaming elements in non-game contexts, has been touted as a promising tool to improve educational outcomes in online education, yet the evidence regarding why it might work and its effectiveness is inconclusive. One reason is that previous research has often included several gamification tools together,…

This article considers science teaching and learning as may be understood through the integration of indigenous artefacts into physics curriculum in Zimbabwean schools. It comments significance of and elaborates on the issues raised in Nadaraj Govender and Edson Mudzamiri's paper entitled: Incorporating indigenous artefacts in developing an…

Analogies are bridges between prior knowledge and new knowledge to make meaning of the new one. Analogies are particularly effective in teaching science concepts that are not very apparent in the students' everyday lives due to their abstract nature. For this reason, it is essential to adapt analogies to teach new concepts effectively in science…

One of the central tenets of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the presentation of concepts using multiple modalities. As new technologies develop, the variety of available representations increases as well. In this paper, we explore how 3D-printed models can provide another avenue of approach to physics concepts. Students with low vision may…