Secondary school students often only use the rules for doing scientific inquiry when prompted, as if they fail to see the point of doing so. This qualitative design study explores conditions to address this problem in school science inquiry. Dutch students (N = 22, aged 14-15) repeatedly consider the quality of their work: in a conventional,…

The act of swinging an object such as a hammer or a tennis racket involves the application of forces and torques in a manner that is intuitively obvious to the person performing the task, but is probably much less obvious to the average physics student. This article describes the basic mechanics of the problem.

This investigation of physics teacher education in Ethiopia reveals a significant gap between the physics knowledge of pre-service teachers (PSTs) attained during training and that of the intended curriculum setting out expectations for their knowledge. Data were obtained by a test probing PSTs' physics knowledge (attained curriculum); analysis of…

This study explores the culture of physics departments in Sweden in relation to physics teacher education. The commitment of physics departments to teacher education is crucial for the quality of physics teacher education and the way in which physics lecturers talk about teacher education is significant, since it can affect trainees' physics…

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted every aspect of academic activity, including the informal education and public engagement efforts of physics departments and institutions. As part of a large-scale national survey of the landscape of informal physics education programs, we have conducted a series of short interviews with directors and…

This article is prepared as part of a "Practice Teaching in Science" course of a teacher education program aiming for developing prospective science teachers' teaching through inquiry-based instruction involving practices of science and active learning strategies. During the semester, student teachers are required to prepare four…

This study developed an online observable augmented reality dynamics experimental system that can be used in the current COVID-19 pandemic, where face-to-face experiments are difficult to conduct. The developed system enables the broadcast of mass point and rigid body measurements using an online depth camera, and remote observation using mobile…

As a method to shorten the test time of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), we suggest the use of computerized adaptive testing (CAT). CAT is the process of administering a test on a computer, with items (i.e., questions) selected based upon the responses of the examinee to prior items. In so doing, the test length can be significantly shortened.…

Women continue to be underrepresented in physics in the United States. This is while many Muslim majority (MM) countries have a high representation of women in undergraduate and graduate physics programs. While there is a growing awareness of this trend, little is being done to understand why and how this trend has manifested and how it can be…

Although recent research has reported equity gains in the university-level physics classroom, there remains evidence of significant inequities by race. We conducted a series of multiple linear regressions to examine the magnitude of these inequities in introductory mechanics final exam scores. When we followed a common method of grouping students…

Background: Boredom during learning activities has the potential of impeding attention, motivation, learning and eventually achievement. Yet, research focusing on its possible antecedents seems to have received less attention especially within the physics domain. Based on assumptions of the Control Value Theory of Achievement Emotions (CVTAE),…

In this study, to examine the change in individuals' critical thinking skills, a new unit was developed in which STEM was integrated. The outcomes of this 7th-grade unit were selected from related disciplines. During the learning process of the developed Force and Energy unit, it was aimed that individuals could make judgments by gaining critical…

This paper is a follow-up to a previous study, in which students (predominately life science majors) were found to self-express achievement goals with regard to a pre-lab problem-solving exercise in an algebra-based introductory physics course. In this paper, the same sampled population was also asked in the same feedback survey to discuss what…

Active learning yields better learning outcomes than traditional, lecture-based teaching. Common approaches in large lecture courses are activating elements during the lectures and warm-up activities using online learning environments. However, implementing warm-up exercises, on which students work on by themselves makes formative feedback…

Physics program for girls (PPG) is a two-week program held every summer since 2006, with the goal of engaging young women in inquiry-based physics experiments and to connect them with female science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professional role models. The program recruits young women to participate the summer after they have taken…