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This work presents the evaluation of a practical experience on noise pollution based on the use of smartphones to check if it helps students to better understand the concepts related to this phenomenon. This evaluation has been done with a pre-post design in which 112 students, enrolled in the "Physics and Chemistry" course of the 1st year of non-compulsory high school, have first filled in a diagnostics questionnaire with 5 free response questions about their knowledge on the topic and then a pre-post questionnaire with 4 free response questions. The results show that the proposed practical experience is effective since a statistically significant improvement is obtained both globally and in each of the questions of the questionnaire. The practical experience has also been highly valued by 38 students enrolled in the "Physics and Chemistry" specialisation of the Master in Secondary Education Teaching.

Considering students' increasing lack of interest and motivation for science subjects, it becomes almost imperative to introduce different methodology approaches in classrooms. Besides, decontextualized science teaching, where hands on activities are not sufficiently taken into account, can make the students attitude toward science-learning even worse. Inquiry Based Learning where elements such as games, toys and short experiments are included is showed as a useful methodological proposal. This paper presents how the use of these entertaining science activities can improve students' interest and encourage them to speak about science, acquiring better argumentation and inquiry skills when they are properly performed in a formal classroom context.

Debates on the philosophical interpretations of quantum physics have motivated a renewed interest in how secondary and lower undergraduate students interpret quantum phenomena. In an attempt to contribute to this effort, this paper examines the dynamics of perspective in quantum physics in the context of teacher education. The goal of the study is to investigate how students (N = 36) from a Master's Degree in Secondary Education Teacher Training in Spain negotiate perspective as they participate in small-group discussions of quantum physics topics. This study focuses on the wave-particle duality, superposition of states, and the calculation of probabilities for two-state systems. The method of research is grounded in sociocultural discourse analysis and focuses on the properties of the utterance as outlined by Bakhtin. Analysis shows that the subjects of the study adopt multiple perspectives when representing the referents of quantum theory. We also find that students' perspective change is usually followed by a change in the referentially semantic content. Finally, it is suggested that some perspectives are more appropriate than others depending on the task at hand and the learning goals previously defined for instruction.

In this work we present the design and assessment of a teaching sequence aimed at introducing the principle of energy conservation at post-compulsory secondary school level (16-18 year olds). The proposal is based on the result of research into teaching-learning difficulties and on the analysis of the physics framework. Evidence is shown that this teaching sequence, together with the methodology used in the classroom, may result in students having a better grasp of the principle of energy conservation.

This paper addresses pseudoscientific ideas regarding the influence of the Moon on our planet. To do so, a study is made of whether and how high school and higher education physics textbooks deal with the influence of the Moon's gravity on Earth. A sample of 17 High School physics textbooks and 17 textbooks used in science and engineering courses (13 in Physics, 2 in Optics and 2 in Astronomy) from different years of publication are used for the analysis. The results reveal that these books pay little attention to topics related to the physics of the Moon and its influence on our planet, as well as a decontextualized approach to the teaching of Physics. This is followed by a proposal for a correct introduction to basic aspects of the Moon's physics (gravitation, tides, luminosity) that refutes the Moon's supposed influences on living things. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]