Preparing pre-service secondary physics teachers to teach in the physics laboratory: Results from a three-year research project

Abstract

The focus of this research was in the broader area of physics education research. The aim was to investigate physics teachers‟ efforts to learn how to teach and assess experiments, and in particular, concepts related to scientific evidence in the school physics laboratory. The study looked at the participants as both learners and prospective teachers. It took place within the context of the course “Secondary Science Lab Applications” in a Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education. The participants: a) revised the main concepts related to scientific practices, in particular, experimental validity and reliability of measurement (taught in the physics lab classes) and b) developed teaching and assessment methods while they carried out physics experiments. According to the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Report for the undergraduate physics laboratory, the aim is, through the experiments, students to be able to design experiments, develop technical and practical skills, analyze and visualize data and communicate physics. The participant pre-service teachers were one hundred and twenty-three (123) in total. They participated in lab classes distributed across three years. We found that pre-service physics teachers have had particular difficulties in designing a fair test, identifying variables, performing experiments, analyzing results and writing lab reports. The participants experienced difficulties in drawing the best fit line and curve. They also demonstrated considerable improvement in preparing laboratory reports during the period of one semester. As prospective teachers, they were asked to give feedback to actual secondary students‟ laboratory reports. Evidence has shown that this process helped them improve their own laboratory reports. Some implications for instruction in the undergraduate physics laboratory and teacher education, as well as, further research are discussed.The focus of this research was in the broader area of physics education research. The aim was to investigate physics teachers‟ efforts to learn how to teach and assess experiments, and in particular, concepts related to scientific evidence in the school physics laboratory. The study looked at the participants as both learners and prospective teachers. It took place within the context of the course “Secondary Science Lab Applications” in a Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education. The participants: a) revised the main concepts related to scientific practices, in particular, experimental validity and reliability of measurement (taught in the physics lab classes) and b) developed teaching and assessment methods while they carried out physics experiments. According to the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Report for the undergraduate physics laboratory, the aim is, through the experiments, students to be able to design experiments, develop technical and practical skills, analyze...