High School Physics Curriculum Research Articles

Analysis of the suitability level of physics lessons with flood material

Background: Padang City is one of the cities that is prone to natural disasters such as floods. The integration of physical materials with flood materials is suitable to be applied in this city. In fact, in the field, in the Physics subject package book provided by the government, there has been no integration with natural disaster materials, especially floods. To integrate flood material into Physics material, an analysis is needed first to see the suitability of Curriculum Objectives on Physics material with flood material. Methods: By using qualitative descriptive research, using the nonprobability sampling technique which is Purposive Sampling, the researchers took samples of Physics textbooks for senior high school (tenth, eleventh, twelfth grades) used by schools in the city of Padang that use the 2013 Curriculum. Findings: Based on observations of 15 high schools in the city of Padang, the 2016 revised edition of High School Physics published by Erlangga is the book studied. Based on the results of the study, the most suitable class to be inserted in this material is eleventh grade because it has the highest level of suitability. On the contrary, twelfth grade is the least suitable class to insert this material. Conclusion: To improve the relevance and effectiveness of physics learning in high school in Padang city, it is necessary to develop teaching materials that integrate flood materials, especially for eleventh grade, where the highest level of suitability is found. Novelty/Originality of this Study: This study addresses a crucial gap by incorporating natural disaster education, specifically focusing on flood-related content, into the high school physics curriculum in Padang City, an area highly susceptible to such disasters. It distinctively integrates fundamental physics principles with practical disaster mitigation knowledge, aiming to improve students' understanding and preparedness for real-world natural phenomena.

Impact of the place of lightwave in secondary school curricula on conceptual understanding of their basic concepts: a moroccan case study

We aim to highlight the importance of using Huygens’ geometric model when instructing high school students about light. To achieve this, we conducted a research study on teaching lightwaves in Morocco’s secondary schools. We investigated how the place of the lightwave in this teaching affects understanding its basic concepts. We carried out a two-dimensional analysis to examine the place of the lightwave in the high school physics curriculum. We administered a test to assess the conceptual understanding of secondary school and university students. The analysis of the curricula revealed several shortcomings in the teaching of geometrical and wave optics. Furthermore, the assessment of conceptual understanding revealed that a significant proportion of students have misconceptions about the wave concepts of lightwaves and that these misconceptions persist throughout their higher education.

Modeling Approach in Particle Physics

Modeling is the heart of theory and the basis of the scientific approach. Modeling is an important tool in particle physics to represent, explain and introduce invisible entities to the scientific world. In the same vein, it contributes to the development of students' skills such as thinking, researching, understanding, questioning and predicting. Therefore, emphasis is placed on models and modeling in the field of physics. In the research, high school physics curriculums and textbooks were scrutinized to determine the status of the modeling approach in the field of particle physics in our country. At the end of the research, three learning outcomes related to modeling were identified, and in 30 learning outcomes, students were asked to give mathematical models and examine them. In only two learning outcomes related to particle physics, students were asked to explain models. In the examined MEB 12th grade high school and science high school physics textbooks, the modeling approach was not mentioned at all and very few activities were given. At the end of the research, it was suggested that in order to teach particle physics effectively, the modeling approach should be emphasized in high school physics curricula and textbooks, the number of modeling outcomes should be increased, methods that will improve students' scientific process skills should be applied, and the type and quantity of modeling activities should be increased.

Learning Outcomes of Particle Physics

In recent years, many researches and experiments have been carried out in the field of particle physics in our world, and important results have been achieved. The results of the research are transferred to the field of education, the curricula and the books taught are updated. The subject of particle physics is given in the 4th unit of the High School Physics Curriculum. In the study, particle physics learning outcomes given in the Introduction to Atomic Physics and Radioactivity unit were examined scientifically and educationally. With the document analysis method, one of the qualitative research methods, the subjects and achievements given in the relevant unit were determined first. Then, the quantitative and qualitative status, scientific and educational features and actuality of the learning outcomes were evaluated. Then, it was compared whether the achievements were compatible with the program objectives. At the end of the research, it was seen that the learning outcomes were aimed at teaching knowledge, scientific skills and competencies were secondary, the suggested teaching methods and techniques were inadequate, and the outcomes met the program objectives at a limited level. For an effective particle physics teaching in our country, it has been suggested that the high school physics curriculum should be updated, the learning outcomes should be compatible with the program, and the numerical, scientific and educational aspects should be determined well. In addition, it is recommended to focus on skills such as research, experiment, observation, classification, comparison and questioning in the teaching process, and to benefit from information and communication technologies with current methods and techniques.

Basic Mechanics of Lagrange and Hamilton as Reference for STEM Students

This paper discusses the use of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics as alternative approaches for understanding the motion of objects in classical mechanics. These approaches, which are based on different mathematical techniques, can provide a deeper understanding of the principles of classical mechanics and the motion of objects, but may not be covered in high school physics curricula or undergraduate STEM courses. The review paper approach is used to combine information from a variety of sources, and the material is conceptualized to aid reader understanding. These advanced topics may be of interest to advanced high school students who are interested in exploring topics beyond the high school physics curriculum, and can be studied independently by those with a strong foundation in classical mechanics and familiarity with advanced mathematical concepts.

NGSS says Yes! to teaching circuits

For the past 10 years, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have been available standards for K–12 science education and have been adopted in many states. For example, California adopted a version of the NGSS known as the California NGSS Framework. Other supporting materials have been published for implementation and curricular guidance in the form of Appendices, Evidence Statements, District Guides, and Department Curriculum Guides. Despite all the guides and guidance, there still remain large curricular discrepancies among schools, districts, and states. Here we will highlight one such discrepancy that has been observed in our work with physics teachers around the state of California, specifically whether we should be teaching circuits. In this article, the authors demonstrate that the NGSS contain both explicit and implicit performance expectations that support circuit experiments as a standard part of the high school physics curriculum.

Which Value Supports Pro-environmental Behavior? Future Direction for Pre-service Physics Teacher

Although a huge number of studies enhancing pro-environmental behavior (PEB), the environmental quality is still in poor condition. Enhancing PEB needs to consider some aspects, such as the value and location. Pre-service physics teachers have a role in shaping students’ PEB because environmental issues are part of the high school physics curriculum. This study aimed to investigate the link between the location, and values (biospheric, altruistic, egoistic, and hedonic), from two different locations in Indonesia. The modified and translated 2-MEV, and E-PVQ scales were used. This study concluded that the values in both locations are in the very high category, in which the values are correlated to PEB. The strongest correlated value is an egoistic value that is related to the self-enhancement indicating the need for self-enhance approaches in the class to promote PEB. The different locations which are in the same country didn’t show a significant difference in both values and PEB. Thus, future study could conduct their research in a larger area with a different culture to explore the relationship between PEB with location or other demographic aspects, and the development of activities to enhance PEB need to consider the strong relationship between PEB with egoistic value.
 

Physics teachers’ difficulties in teaching introduction to quantum physics in senior high school

The High School Physics curriculum would not be complete without some basic concepts of Quantum Physics. The basic concepts of Quantum Physics are attractive to students, but the material is challenging to teach. This is because the phenomenon of Quantum Physics experienced by students is different from the real world and many principles of Quantum Physics may not be in accordance with the ideas that students know. Although the results of previous studies revealed a lot of research on the context of students’ understanding of the concepts of Quantum Physics. However, limited empirical data regarding the difficulties of high school teachers in teaching quantum physics are still rarely encountered in physics education research. This study aims to explore data on the difficulties of high school physics teachers in teaching quantum physics concepts. This research design uses quantitative and qualitative case study methods. To get three participants, namely 3 twelfth grade high school physics teachers, the researcher used a purposive sampling technique. The age range of participants is between 45-55 years while the teaching experience of teachers ranges from 10 to 30 years. The instruments used in this study were a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview protocol. In this study, the questionnaire analysis used descriptive statistical analysis, while the interview data analysis used thematic analysis. The results of the study revealed that high school physics teachers had difficulty understanding the concept of quantum physics, had little difficulty in determining the right pedagogical approach, conducting laboratory activities, and building an evaluation system.

Physics teachers’ difficulties in teaching introduction to quantum physics in senior high school

The High School Physics curriculum would not be complete without some basic concepts of Quantum Physics. The basic concepts of Quantum Physics are attractive to students, but the material is challenging to teach. This is because the phenomenon of Quantum Physics experienced by students is different from the real world and many principles of Quantum Physics may not be in accordance with the ideas that students know. Although the results of previous studies revealed a lot of research on the context of students' understanding of the concepts of Quantum Physics. However, limited empirical data regarding the difficulties of high school teachers in teaching quantum physics are still rarely encountered in physics education research. This study aims to explore data on the difficulties of high school physics teachers in teaching quantum physics concepts. This research design uses quantitative and qualitative case study methods. To get three participants, namely 3 twelfth grade high school physics teachers, the researcher used a purposive sampling technique. The age range of participants is between 45-55 years while the teaching experience of teachers ranges from 10 to 30 years. The instruments used in this study were a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview protocol. In this study, the questionnaire analysis used descriptive statistical analysis, while the interview data analysis used thematic analysis. The results of the study revealed that high school physics teachers had difficulty understanding the concept of quantum physics, and had little difficulty in determining the right pedagogical approach, conducting laboratory activities, and building an evaluation system.

The Necessity of Radiation Education in High School Physics Curriculum

The Necessity of Radiation Education in High School Physics Curriculum

Aspects Influencing Computer-technology Adoption in Secondary- school Physics Instruction in Jordan

Abstract: This survey researched the aspects that inspire secondary-school physics teachers to utilize computer technology in instruction and learning in four areas of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. To assess the research question, the survey used a quantitative review research strategy utilizing a survey questionnaire comprising of 25 Likert-type scale inquiries to determine physics teachers' perspectives toward utilizing computer technology in physics lesson preparation and delivery techniques. In opposition to what might be anticipated, the results encountered several factors that were not indicators of statistical significance of physics teachers' employment of computer technology in instructing physics: gender; academic degree; school location; normal class size; ways of acquiring technology skills, for example, self-taught and computer courses; instructional style; perceived barriers; and availability of technology resources. The findings verify the expectation that the lack of ICT tools in the Jordanian high-school physics curriculum has an impact on teachers’ job satisfaction, physics lesson preparation and delivery techniques and Tawjihi students' individual learning styles. Keywords: ICT, ICT-driven classroom, Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory.

Teaching optical polarization in high schools: mathematics and experiments

The study of the nature of light is one of the main topics of the Italian physics curriculum. The polarization of light and the specific mathematical tools (vectors, matrices, and complex numbers) needed to describe it are the basis for the description of discrete quantum systems. This makes the study of polarization a relevant paradigmatic example to be included in high school physics curricula, even if the mathematical support required seems quite challenging for students. We have devised a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) program for in-service physics teachers aimed at designing a comprehensive teaching-learning sequence on polarization.

Optimization of 3D Virtual Reality Technology in High School Physics Direct-Type Teaching

Virtual reality technology is a computer simulation that allows the creation and experience of virtual worlds, using computers to generate a simulated environment into which the user is immersed. Through a theoretical exposition of 3D virtual reality technology, the elements of teaching and learning and virtual reality technology are analyzed in terms of abstract virtual cognition and concrete modeling techniques, and the forms of application of virtual reality technology in high school physics teaching are described, along with associated educational technology theories. The era of core literacy development poses new challenges to basic teaching and requires new teaching methods and approaches to adapt. The development of 3D virtual reality technology has provided new opportunities for teaching reform. Firstly, the unique charm of virtual reality technology itself has deeply attracted many experts and scholars to explore its application in pedagogy. Secondly, the scale and effect of virtual reality technology in pedagogy applications are still far from the ideal goal in people’s mind, and further exploration and research are needed in the theoretical support of educational technology research. Thirdly, in the process of high school basic teaching, on the one hand, basic experiments play a crucial role, and on the other hand, transforming abstract basic principles and concepts into concrete visible and operable teaching methods is also an important direction for its future development. Combined with the development tools and software to build processes and models, the knowledge of electricity and mechanics in high school physics is modeled in 3Ds MAX and Unity3D to provide technical support for the application of virtual reality in high school physics teaching and to promote the reform of high school physics teaching. Based on an in-depth analysis of virtual reality technology in the construction of teaching resources, this paper explores the feasibility of using software systems and hardware facilities of 3D virtual reality technology in high school physics teaching, such as experimental demonstration, geometric modeling, and 3D graphic transformation. It fits the cognitive level of high school students, constructs 3D virtual scenes and virtual object motion trajectory models that meet the requirements of the high school physics curriculum, and promotes the application of virtual reality technology in high school physics teaching and visualizing abstract physics knowledge, with clear student understanding and significant improvement in learning efficiency.

Investigation of High School Textbooks in terms of Particle Physics

In recent years, important international researches have been carried out in the field of particle physics. These studies are mostly carried out at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research. Important information and results are obtained in these experiments at CERN, where Turkey is also an associate member. These results are shared in the field and the environment is prepared for new research and experiments. In addition, the curriculum and textbooks in schools are updated in the light of the information obtained. Particle Physics covered in the subject of "Introduction to Atomic Physics and Radioactivity" given in the 12th grade in the High School Physics Curriculum in our country. In this research, the answer to the question "How is Particle Physics given in high school physics course curriculum and high school physics textbooks taught by the Ministry of National Education?" has been sought. For this purpose, firstly, the topics and learning outcomes related to particle physics were determined in the programs. Then, it was determined that the information given in high school physics books about particle physics is up-to-date with its scientific and educational features. At the end of the research, it was suggested to prepare high school physics textbooks based on current educational approaches, to focus on up-to-date information, to choose effective teaching methods and techniques such as research, inquiry, experiment, observation, simulation, and to benefit from information and communication technologies in order to teach particle physics effectively.

Indigenous artefacts and physics curriculum: teaching science as a cultural way of knowing

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 integrated indigenous-pedagogical model in high school physics curriculum: views of elders, teachers and learners. At the outset, I examine the study’s conceptualisation of the terms indigenous knowledge (IK) and school science. Then, I offer an alternative view on the findings in light of the ubuntu theoretical framework, as used in other studies. The article foregrounds theoretical and methodological arguments put forward by Govender and Mudzamiri for the incorporation of IK artefacts with physics education in schools. After that, I analyse the applicability of the article’s proposed integrated indigenous physics pedagogical model in the school curriculum. The paper ends with the contention that school science should be taught as a cultural way of knowing rather mere facts divorced from learners’ culture.

Demonstrating the connection between uniform circular motion and simple harmonic motion with a 3D-printed model

The simple harmonic motion (SHM) is the simplest type of oscillatory motion. It is a key topic in most High School Physics curriculum with a rather demanding mathematical background for the students. A quite common approach for a better understanding of the motion is to visualize SHM as a projection of a uniform circular motion onto one axis. In this paper, we propose an experimental layout, which uses a specially designed object executing a uniform circular motion, in order to demonstrate the relationship between the changes in value and orientation of both the velocity and the acceleration vectors of its shadow that performs SHM. This idea was originally introduced in the second quarter of the 20th century and nowadays we combine it with the modern possibilities offered by 3D printing technology.

Mapping the nature of science in the Italian physics curriculum: from missing links to opportunities for reform

ABSTRACT The article describes the analysis of the Italian physics curriculum documents in terms of the coverage of nature of science (NOS). NOS is not explicitly presented as part of the Italian high-school physics curriculum. The article focuses on analysing the implicit aspects of the curriculum documents. The Family Resemblance Approach (FRA) to NOS was used as an analytical lens. FRA was chosen because of the broad range of categories that it provides to trace curriculum content. Curriculum documents were analysed using the FRA categories as well as an Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) which has shown important limitations in the FRA categories ‘Political Power Structures, Scientific Ethos, Professional Activities’. These aspects of NOS belong to the social-institutional aspects of the FRA framework. There were also some inconsistencies between the general section and the specific sections of the curriculum. The study elaborates on how FRA and ENA can be used to analyse NOS content in a science curriculum. The epistemic networks provide concrete illustrations of where curriculum revision can best be carried out to promote underrepresented aspects of NOS. Implications for future research and recommendations for curriculum reform internationally are suggested.

Incorporating indigenous artefacts in developing an integrated indigenous-pedagogical model in high school physics curriculum: views of elders, teachers and learners

Incorporating indigenous artefacts in developing an integrated indigenous-pedagogical model in high school physics curriculum: views of elders, teachers and learners

Factors Motivating Virtual Lab Simulations Adoption in Secondary School Physics Instruction in Jordan

Abstract: The study investigated the factors that motivate secondary school physics instructors to use virtual lab simulations in teaching and learning in four regions of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. To examine the research question, the study utilized a quantitative survey research methodology using a survey questionnaire consisting of 25 Likert-type scale questions to measure physics instructors' attitudes toward using virtual lab simulations in practical investigations’ preparation and delivery. Contrary to what might be expected, the findings came across a number of variables that were not predictors of statistical significance for a physics instructor's virtual lab simulation adoption: gender; level of education; school site; average class size; ways of acquiring technology skills, for instance, self-taught and computer courses; and perceived barriers. The findings support the prediction that the lack of virtual lab simulations in the Jordanian high-school physics curriculum has an impact on Tawjihi students' achievement in physics. Keywords: Simulation, Virtual lab, Roger’s diffusion of innovations theory.

Assessment of Student Learning of Operational Procedures in Electromagnetism

In the Chinese high school physics curriculum, three operational procedures are introduced in electromagnetism, namely right-hand grip rule, left-hand rule, and right-hand rule. This often led to confusion for student to differentiate these rules, and thus often focus on the surface characteristics of the problem or be misled by unrelated details. This study adopts the conceptual framework representation to model student understanding, and use it to guide the design of an assessment test on operational procedures in electromagnetism. The conceptual framework maps out the key concepts and their connections within a student’s knowledge structure. In this study, an assessment tool of operational procedures in electromagnetism was developed and tested among Chinese high school students and college freshmen. Based on the testing results of the assessment, students have memory behaviors when using the right-hand grip rule, the left-hand rule and the right-hand rule, and students’ understanding of electromagnetism can be summarized into three progression levels including novice-like, intermediate-mixed, and expert-like. Therefore, in order to help students develop integrated knowledge structures and deeper understanding, the cross product is an important central idea that needs to be emphasized in instruction.