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…

In many introductory physics classes, diffraction of light is introduced first, then more advanced diffraction topics such as x-ray diffraction, Bragg's law, and crystallography are covered. Since using x-rays raises safety concerns and atomic spacing in a crystal is not easy to change, microwaves with macroscopic crystals have been used to study…

This Focus On uses data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) to showcase that, as a group, recipients of physics bachelor's degrees tend to do well on two prominent standardized tests for medical school and law school admission. Although only a small percent of the physics bachelor's…

Five types of affective supports were designed to induce an appropriate emotional regulation strategy in players of an educational video game. These supports were based on the emotional regulation strategies of situation selection, situation modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation. A series of qualitative…

Five types of affective supports were designed to induce an appropriate emotional regulation strategy in players of an educational video game. These supports were based on the emotional regulation strategies of situation selection,situation modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation. A series of qualitative…

Introductory physics courses can be a challenge for some college students, especially those that have not taken Advanced Placement (AP) physics courses in high school. Even some classical mechanics concepts, such as energy, power, or the laws of Newton, can be non-intuitive and hard to grasp. When it comes to evaluating the learning outcome of our…

Electric charges and magnetic poles are often confused in the minds of students. It is convenient to remind them that they only interact when they are in relative motion. The force F on a charged particle q moving with velocity V in a magnetic field B is given by F = qVxB. By Newton's Third Law, the force on magnet producing the field B is equal…

The ammeter-voltmeter method is a general method for measuring electrical resistances that is widely used in the introductory physics laboratory, mostly for pedagogical reasons. Simultaneous readings of current (I) and voltage (V) allow the calculation of electrical resistance (R) using Ohm's law: R = V/I. It is implicitly assumed that electrical…