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Multiple external representations (MERs) are useful for teaching complex content in science education. An open question is whether there is an especially effective way to sequence MERs. On the one hand, the so‐called concreteness fading approach suggests starting instruction with more concrete representations and proceeding stepwise to more idealized representations. The effectiveness of this fading approach is, however, supported mainly by studies in mathematics education, while the results in physics are equivocal. On the other hand, presenting different representations simultaneously may support linking, that is, the comparison and contrast of representations, which may benefit learning. In an experimental classroom study (N = 187), we compared concreteness fading and simultaneous presentation of MERs for learning a challenging physics content in high school, namely, Faraday's law. We found no significant differences between conditions in posttest performance, and an equivalence test with bounds d = −0.5 to 0.5 showed that both approaches performed equally. The results align with previous findings questioning the superiority of concreteness fading over other ways of sequencing MERs. Therefore, facilitating students' understanding of a complex physics content may involve more than determining the optimal order of presenting MERs. We discuss limitations of the present study and implications for future research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Research indicates that students' interest in science decreases during their school years. To counteract this, a quasi-experimental instructional intervention was designed in which we addressed students' leisure interests to foster their (situational) interest in physics. Students in the intervention group got the opportunity to choose topics matching their leisure interests (e.g. sports, music) and were encouraged to reflect on and discuss the application of principles of semiconductor physics to those topics throughout the intervention with a duration over 11 lessons. The intervention group consisted of 60 students from German high-track schools; another 55 students comprised the control group. The results of a MANCOVA analysis indicate that the instructional intervention succeeded in triggering students' catch and hold component of situational interest during all four phases of the lesson series. Furthermore, behavioural disengagement developed more positively for students in the intervention group, while no significant effects were found for their behavioural engagement, their interest in physics-related activities in leisure or their general interest in physics classes in school. The results suggest that addressing students' leisure interests in physics classes can promote their situational interest and reduce their behavioural disengagement in physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physics educators today face two major challenges: supporting the acquisition of a solid base of conceptual knowledge and reducing the persisting gender gap. In the present quasi-experimental study, we investigated the potential of physics instruction that is enriched with evidence-based cognitively activating methods, such as inventing with contrasting cases or metacognitive questions, to overcome both of these challenges. Four physics teachers in charge of two parallel classes each applied our cognitively activating instruction in one of their classes (CogAct classes). The other classes received regular physics lessons (regular classes) on the same content. The sample consisted of 172 individuals from the advanced track of Swiss secondary school. Controlling for several individual student variables. CogAct classes (N = 87) outperformed regular classes (N = 85) in conceptual understanding at posttest (p < .01, β = 0.19, 95% Cl [0.07,0.32]) and three months later (p < .05, β = 0.13,95% Cl [0.00,0.26]). The CogAct classes' advantage in conceptual understanding was not at the expense of their quantitative problem-solving performance, which even exceeded the quantitative problem-solving performance of the regular classes at posttest (p < .05, β = 0.14, 95% Cl [0.00, 0.28]). In addition, female students with above-average intelligence (PR >75) particularly benefited from CogAct instruction, as indicated by descriptive statistics and the interaction between intelligence and condition in the group of the female students for posttest conceptual understanding (p < .05, β = 0.88, 95% Cl [0.06, 1.69]). We conclude that teachers can successfully be supported in implementing cognitively activating methods that improve their students' conceptual understanding and reduce the gender gap in physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Buca Faculty of Education Journal / Buca Egitim Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Buca Faculty of Education Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Physics instruction methods have long been a challenge for front-line teachers and instructors. To improve physics instruction, we have developed an innovative physics instruction method that uses LEGO® to facilitate the teaching of mechanics in middle-school physics classes. We expect the students to learn through construction and hand-on inquirybased learning using LEGO® materials. After completing the curriculum design, lesson design, and other instructioninvolved designs, we have conducted tests on two eighth-grade classes from junior middle schools in Beijing to verify the effect of the LEGO® instruction. The preliminary experiments have revealed improvements in physics study attitudes (t = -3.099, p < 0.005), physics learning motivation (t = -3.794, p < 0.001), and inner study motivation (t = -2.243, p < 0.05) of every member of the pilot study class comprising 35 students. On the basis of these results, we have revised our instruction designs and subsequently conducted experiments on the experimental class totaling 33 students. The physics grades of lower-grade (t = -6.154, p < 0.000) and middle-grade (t = -4.971, p < 0.001) students improved significantly. Moreover, attitude, usability (t = 4.062, p < 0.000), cognitive effectiveness (t = -4.062, p < 0.000), and LEGO® study attitude (t = -2.384, p < 0.05) improved remarkably. This article gives an account of the proposed innovative physics instruction design and makes an analysis of its effectiveness using the acquired data. A discussion on the teaching methods for innovative physics class instruction is also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines students' achievement and interest and the extent to which they are predicted by teacher knowledge and motivation. Student achievement and interest are both considered desirable outcomes of school instruction. Teacher pedagogical content knowledge has been identified a major predictor of student achievement in previous research, whereas teacher motivation is considered a decisive factor influencing students' interest. So far, however, most research either focused on knowledge or motivation (both on the students' as well as the teachers' side), rarely investigating them together or examining the instructional mechanisms through which the supposed effects of teacher knowledge and motivation are facilitated. In the present study, N = 77 physics teachers and their classes in Germany and Switzerland are investigated utilizing a multi-method approach in combining data obtained from test-instruments (teacher pedagogical content knowledge, student achievement) and questionnaires (teacher motivation, student interest, student perceived enthusiastic teaching) as well as videotaped instruction (cognitive activation rated by observers). Multi-level structural equation modeling was used to support the assumptions that teacher pedagogical content knowledge positively predicted students' achievement; the effect was mediated by cognitive activation. Teachers' motivation predicted students' interest which was mediated by enthusiastic teaching as perceived by students. Neither did teacher pedagogical content knowledge predict students' interest, nor teacher motivation students' achievement. This implies that in order to improve students' cognitive as well as affective outcomes, both teachers' knowledge but also their motivation need to be considered. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Research in Science Teaching Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:586-614, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the last three decades, moderate constructivism has become an increasingly prominent perspective in science education. Researchers have defined characteristics of constructivist-oriented science classrooms, but the implementation of such science teaching in daily classroom practice seems difficult. Against this background, we conducted a sub-study within the tri-national research project Quality of Instruction in Physics (QuIP) analysing 60 videotaped physics classes involving a large sample of students ( N = 1192) from Finland, Germany and Switzerland in order to investigate the kinds of constructivist components and teaching patterns that can be found in regular classrooms without any intervention. We applied a newly developed coding scheme to capture constructivist facets of science teaching and conducted principal component and cluster analyses to explore which components and patterns were most prominent in the classes observed. Two underlying components were found, resulting in two scales-Structured Knowledge Acquisition and Fostering Autonomy-which describe key aspects of constructivist teaching. Only the first scale was rather well established in the lessons investigated. Classes were clustered based on these scales. The analysis of the different clusters suggested that teaching physics in a structured way combined with fostering students' autonomy contributes to students' motivation. However, our regression models indicated that content knowledge is a more important predictor for students' motivation, and there was no homogeneous pattern for all gender- and country-specific subgroups investigated. The results are discussed in light of recent discussions on the feasibility of constructivism in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in information and communication technology in 21st century have led to changes in education trends and today new concepts such as computer, multimedia, audio, video, animation and internet have become an indispensable part of life. The storytelling is the one of approach which is allowed to using technology in educational field. The aim of this study is to define the use of digital storytelling in physics instruction as a distance education tool. In this respect, the literature related to digital storytelling was analyzed and for applying it in practice, 13 pre-service teachers from department of physic education were trained on digital storytelling for 6 weeks in spring term of 2013-2014 academic year. Following the process of instruction, pre-service teachers created and shared digital stories in YouTube and evaluated all of them. Furthermore, opinions of the pre-service teachers were asked on digital story telling As a result of the analysing the DST videos and opinions of pre-service teacher, it is expected that using digital storytelling as distance education tool will be efficacious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of gender-STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) stereotypes has been repeatedly documented. This article examines physics teachers’ gender bias in grading and the influence of teaching experience in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. In a 2 × 2 between-subjects design, with years of teaching experience included as moderating variable, physics teachers (N = 780) from Switzerland, Austria, and Germany graded a fictive student's answer to a physics test question. While the answer was exactly the same for each teacher, only the student's gender and specialization in languages vs. science were manipulated. Specialization was included to gauge the relative strength of potential gender bias effects. Multiple group regression analyses, with the grade that was awarded as the dependent variable, revealed only partial cross-border generalizability of the effect pattern. While the overall results in fact indicated the existence of a consistent and clear gender bias against girls in the first part of physics teachers’ careers that disappeared with increasing teaching experience for Swiss teachers, Austrian teachers, and German female teachers, German male teachers showed no gender bias effects at all. The results are discussed regarding their relevance for educational practice and research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we present the role of arts-based educational research (ABER) as a paradigm to explore in-depth experiences of a teacher with interactive notebooks to improve physics instruction. We advocate for Interactive notebook as an arts-based technique to teach physics to students of varying interests and abilities. We provide justification for ABER as the analytical tool and the way to represent findings. The first section of the paper explains the theoretical and the substantial frameworks. The following section describes why and how arts-based educational research (poetry and sculpting) was used to analyze and represent data. The final part of the paper focuses on findings and their implications for present day science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal Educational Innovation / Revista Innovación Educativa is the property of Instituto Politecnico Nacional and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper presents findings of the IRSE Video Study Physics, a research project that was carried out in the Institute for Research in School Education at the Faculty of Education of Masaryk University in Brno. Physics instruction was analysed in the conceptual framework of opportunities to learn. The sample consisted of 62 lessons of physics taught at various lower-secondary schools in Brno, the Czech Republic. The lessons were video-recorded, transcribed and coded, and the data were analysed with regard to the aspects under investigation. The paper presents findings on: a) organisation of classroom activities; b) sequencing of the teaching process; c) using didactic tools and media; d) using experiments. The results show that lower-secondary physics instruction is teacher-oriented to a great extent, which is indicated by the organisation of classroom activities. Modern media (ICT, audio and video recordings) were scarcely employed: the teachers' primary didactic tool was the blackboard. The teachers did not employ experiments very oft en - when an experiment occurred, it tended to be the teacher to carry it out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Cukurova University Institute of Social Sciences is the property of Cukurova University Institute of Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Particularly in the so called “hard” science subjects the supposedly equal treatment offered by coeducation in schools proves to be, on closer inspection, an extremely subtle form of unequal treatment. The syllabus and the modes of behavior of both male and female teachers are mainly influenced by the interests, knowledge and abilities of the boys.Based on empirical findings an intervention project aimed at giving girls a better chance in science was carried out focusing on the initial courses of physics in secondary level I (grade 7). Three aspects of innovation were involved: (1) development of new teaching units and materials based on empirical results on the specific interests and experiences of girls; (2) development of strategies to check ones'' own (teacher''s) classroom behavior; and, (3) alternating single sex with coeducational teaching vs. coeducational teaching only. The effects of the intervention measures are evaluated in a longitudinal design. Gender specific differences in interest and achievement in physics will be discussed depending on personality characteristics and classroom characteristics as well as the developed curriculum and its motivational impact. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article begins with a review of the various roles which computers have played in supporting collaborative learning and argues that, whatever role it plays, technology is not neutral with respect to interactions with and between users. Interfaces to learning environments embody particular representational schemes which have the potential either for competing with representations of the learning domain or for giving access to it. In this respect, the learner-machine interface has 'Epistemic significance' and its design is as important as the design of the materials and activities to which it interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neste artigo analisamos as principais dificuldades dos estudantes na interpretação de gráficos da Cinemática e apresentamos dois subprodutos diretos de um trabalho de pesquisa voltado para a superação destas dificuldades. Estes subprodutos estão relacionados a um conjunto de atividades de modelagem computacional complementares às atividades tradicionais de ensino da Cinemática e a adaptação e validação de um teste sobre o entendimento de gráficos da cinemática.

Neste artigo analisamos o comportamento da energia eletromagnética em circuitos do tipo RLC. Discutimos as principais dificuldades dos alunos na aprendizagem de conceitos básicos envolvidos neste tipo de circuito e apresentamos dois produtos oriundos de um trabalho de pesquisa: i) um conjunto de atividades de simulação e modelagem computacionais, propostas com o software Modellus, levando em conta tais dificuldades, com o objetivo de auxiliar o aluno a superá-las e ii) um teste sobre a compreensão de conceitos físicos envolvidos em circuitos RLC.