Physics Education Research Research Articles

School Science Education and Quantum Physics

Interest in quantum physics among the general public has been increasing along with various practical applications such as quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and quantum sensing, as well as their economic expansion. This close relationship with everyday life highlights the necessity for non-specialists to understand basic concepts of quantum physics, not only for physicists and related fields. Since 2000, there has been a noticeable movement in international physics education journals to include quantum physics in high school curricula, and recent papers suggest some agreement on core concepts that can be covered at the high school level across various countries. In this article, the basic concepts of quantum physics covered in high school physics education in Korea and abroad are reviewed, and suggestions are made for future topics that should be addressed in physics education research.

Utilization Virtual Laboratory in Physics Learning: Bibliometric Analysis

This research aims to find out the trend of the author's topics and keywords that are widely used related to Virtual Lab Physics to find out future research opportunities. The research method used is descriptive analysis method research through the bibliometric approach. The results of a Google Scholar database search found 463,000 articles for 2016-2021 with the keywords "Virtual Lab Physics". Meanwhile, based on the Scopus database, Scopus-indexed articles were obtained for 2003-2021. Search results are stored in the form of RIS and CSV will then be analyzed using the VOSviewer application and Ms. Excel to obtain a visualization in the form of a bibliometric map. The results of data analysis show that the keywords often used and related to the Virtual Physics Lab during 2016-2021 are Physics, Engineering, Science, Physics Education Research, and Interest Laboratories. Indonesian researchers in contributing internationally are still lacking, this research topic is dominated in China and the United States of America with the document types being mostly conference papers. So far, research related to the topic of Virtual Lab Physics is still quiet so it has the potential to be developed. In addition, there are recommendations for Virtual Lab Physics research that can be collaborated with one of the related keywords, namely Engineering as an opportunity for research topics to be developed.

Global Trends of the Teacher Knowledge of Physical Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

Background: Physical Education is an important subject in the formal education curriculum in Malaysia also the development of teacher professionalism to face the 21st century education. The bibliometric methods can help researchers and educators understand the important of the research. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the bibliometric characteristics of motivation in the field of Physical Education from 1989 to 2021 that try to discover the related research context and topics. Methods: By using the keywords “physical education” and “teacher knowledge”, the bibliographic records and references have been retrieved from the Scopus databases (date of search: July 15, 2022). The data was analysed using Microsoft Excel for frequency analysis, VOSviewer for data visualisation, and Harzing's Publish or Perish for citation metrics and analysis. Bibliometrics' large picture is also provided. Finding: This study analysed the progression of teacher expertise in physical education research, based on source title, country, and institution, and the publication's citation pattern. This document recognises notable researchers. The data show that physical education teacher knowledge has been extensively distributed and has had a significant influence, since the number of publications outside of Europe, in North America and Asia, has grown. Practical implications: The paper will identify the leading trends in the journal in terms of papers, authors, institutions, countries, journals and keywords. This study is useful for obtaining a quick snapshot of what is happening in the journal. Conclusion/ Significant of Study: The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the global landscape of research on physical education teacher knowledge. Keywords: physical education, PE, teacher knowledge, bibliometric analysis

Limiting case analysis in an electricity and magnetism course

Limiting case analysis (LCA) is important to practicing physicists. Yet, there is little concrete guidance for physics educators, and a lack of consensus in the research community about how to help students learn, and learn from, limiting case analysis. In this study, we first review existing literature to find commonalities and variations in how instructors encourage and assess students’ limiting case analysis and to highlight how it has been used by practicing physicists. Then, we examine written work from successive cohorts of physics students, all of whom have completed a course with the same instructor who emphasizes limiting case analysis in his teaching. We frame our analysis largely in terms of the theoretical framework of “adaptive expertise,” finding support in the literature for the view that it is the nonalgorithmic and even playful aspects of LCA that are instrumental to its alignment with adaptive expertise rather than routine expertise. Analysis of students’ commentary about how they decide which limiting cases to examine when evaluating the reasonableness of an equation provides new insights into how LCA might be better supported in the classroom so that more students can access this important tool of physics.14 MoreReceived 2 June 2022Revised 4 January 2023Accepted 6 March 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.010125Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasInstructional strategiesScientific reasoning & problem solvingProfessional TopicsUpper undergraduate studentsPhysics Education Research

An interview with Marisa Michelini: IUPAP-ICPE medal, professor of physics-education research at Udine University, GIREP President

The present interview was conceived and realized for the occasion of the first 45 years of endless Physics Education Research activity of Professor Marisa Michelini, a lifetime dedicated to innovate teaching and learning environments to all degrees of instruction, and to design institutional architectures, where rooting these innovations. The interview structure is inspired to the nature of scientific thinking, i.e. inducing more general understanding from concrete observations, in two manners. First, the interview focuses on (ten) topics drawing from three box-cases about physics education research and teachers education in scientific areas: innovations in teaching/learning environments; theoretical and methodological frameworks; and strategies and tools for institutional cooperation between schools and governing bodies to urge policy making. Each topic is introduced by observations, from which the interview questions are induced. Second, each question draws from Marisa Michelini’s contributions, to touch core topics at the heart of science education, science and society.

Student-Created Physics Problems as an Independent and Equitable Assessment Tool

Traditional high-stakes summative assessments—timed, in-class exams accounting for a large percentage of the term’s overall grade—have often received criticism from the educational community. Such assessments tend to prize a particular “narrow bundle of skills,” and have been shown in some contexts to produce disparate outcomes between different demographic groups. Alternative low-stakes assessments (assignments with significantly less impact on the overall grade) have shown potential to improve student engagement and close demographic gaps. At the same time, principles from physics education research suggest to us that students may benefit from the challenge of writing their own physics problems. Conjoining these ideas, we document an assignment (“The Problem Project”) in which students were asked to create and solve a problem of their own design, as an alternative form of assessment, and provide exploratory research into its equity impacts.

Physicality, modeling, and agency in a computational physics class

Computation is intertwined with essentially all aspects of physics research and is invaluable for physicists’ careers. Despite its disciplinary importance, integration of computation into physics education remains a challenge and, moreover, has tended to be constructed narrowly as a route to solving physics problems. Here, we broaden Physics Education Research’s conception of computation by constructing a metamodel—a model of modeling—incorporating insights on computational modeling from the philosophy of science and prior work. The metamodel is formulated in terms of practices, things physicists do, and how these inform one another. We operationalize this metamodel in an educational environment that incorporates making, the creation of shared physical and digital artifacts, intended to promote students’ agency, creativity, and self-expression alongside doing physics. We present a content analysis of student work from initial implementations of this approach to illustrate the very complex epistemic maneuvers students make as they engaged in computational modeling. We demonstrate how our metamodel can be used to understand student practices and conclude with implications of the metamodel for instruction and future research.Received 8 March 2022Accepted 31 January 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.010121Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasEpistemology, attitudes, & beliefsInstructional strategiesLearning environmentScientific reasoning & problem solvingTechnologyProfessional TopicsUpper undergraduate studentsPhysics Education Research

A Social Network Analysis of Global Scholarship on Physical Education Content Knowledge

ABSTRACT We use a co-authorship network analysis to describe and examine the social network of researchers studying physical education content knowledge worldwide. Co-authorship network analysis is a method for determining the scope, trend, and focus of research around a topic. It provides a way to evaluate both the growth of a field and to examine the extent of research collaboration. Our review consists of 101 articles that were examined in our network analysis. Our results show that the research on content knowledge occurs within and among 13 high-income economies. Research productivity in this area is on an upward trajectory since 1990. The research in physical education occurs in a distributed network with some authors serving as key hubs for research collaboration. From a global perspective, there is a need to create links to low-income economies to strengthen their research capacity.

Strategies for conducting online-based physical education research during COVID-19: investigate the lecturer's perception

Purpose
 The many obstacles and difficulties to carry out research in the field of physical education are the gaps and urgency in this research. This study aims to investigate perceptions from lecturers regarding the conveniences and difficulties when carrying out research in physical education during COVID-19.
 Material and Methods
 This study uses a qualitative approach with phenomenological methods through online-based in-depth interviews. Five lecturers from two universities in Indonesia and one lecturers from universities in Hungary were willing to participate in this research. The way to select them was by sending an email to their respective universities and only 10 people participated in this study. However, 4 people did not qualify because they did not have 10 years of research experience. All participants signed a consent letter to participate in this study. The interview started with explanation from participants regarding their research experiences, the conveniences and the difficulties faced when carrying out research during pandemic. After the activity was completed, the results of the interviews were collected and then a qualitative statistical analysis was carried out In this study, statistical analysis used thematic method in the form of interviews transcribed word for word.The transcripts were read repeatedly by researchers and three experts, coding and a collection of phrases were arranged into themes.
 Results
 The findings of this study indicate that there were several conveniences in carrying out research physical education during the COVID-19 period, including the implementation can be done anywhere and anytime, cost-effective and saving time, data collection is easier and faster. Meanwhile, the difficulties were in obtaining research subjects, subjects who have inadequate technological literacy, poor internet network and inaccurate data.
 Conclusions
 Thus, the conveniences and difficulties of carrying out research were important and must be continuously evaluated, in order to ensure the study able to conduct optimally even during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

‘Now I think you have been bewitching and bewildering me’: The utilisation of Aporia in Game-Based Approaches as a means of deconstructing and reconstructing power relations

Work considering the influence of power dynamics and potential confounders such as social status is beginning to receive more attention in physical education literature. While power dynamics deserve particular attention in student-centred and social constructivist pedagogies, exploration of this topic has largely escaped the grasp of Game-Based Approaches (GBAs). This position paper aimed to review current micro-interactional research in physical education and to propose the utilisation of four key principles as a means to disrupt power dynamics in GBAs, namely: (a) teaching paradoxically; (b) ethical dilemmas; (c) unfamiliar games; and (d) Socratic questioning. Two illustrative vignettes present the practical application of these principles to produce a state referred to in Classical Greece as Aporia (impasse or without passage). Building on the work of Joy Butler, we argue that student insights gained in these moments of Aporia are central to the disruption of power-based barriers to learning.

Longitudinal standing waves, mechanical waves, and diagnostics

The Standing Wave Diagnostic Test is a 22-item multiple choice survey designed to assess student understanding of longitudinal standing waves in air. I created it to measure my students’ difficulties with the subject. I also created the Longitudinal Standing Wave Tutorial to address these difficulties. The tutorial uses marked springs, tuning forks, pipes, and plenty of discussion to develop students’ understanding. Both the diagnostic and tutorial are based in physics education research and developed using survey and interview data from college physics classes. I often use the tutorial as a laboratory exercise in my Physics of Music class, which generates some interesting differences from the college physics classes. Some are a result of students’ prior knowledge about sound, while others are influenced by the course material covered prior to the tutorial. I will discuss some of my own results with these materials and put them in context with other physics education research based mechanical wave surveys.

Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (MPEES): A Summary of MPEES-Related Activities in 2022

ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a summary of Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (MPEES)-related activities in 2022. Manuscripts submitted In 2022, original submissions (i.e., not counting revised manuscripts) decreased by ~21% as compared to 2021 when the number of original submissions was 464. However, the number of original submissions in 2022, 367, represented an increase of ~36% when compared to the average (~269) over the previous 5 years (2017–2021). Forty-nine countries were represented across the 367 original manuscripts submitted to MPEES in 2022. MPEES continues to welcome high-quality submissions from around the world in 2023. Manuscripts submitted by section The seven sections of MPEES are (1) exercise science, (2) physical activity, (3) physical education pedagogy, (4) psychology, (5) research methodology and statistics, (6) sport management and administration, and (7) tutorial and teacher’s toolbox. The vast majority of manuscripts submitted to MPEES in 2022 were submitted to one of the four sections: exercise science or physical activity or research methodology and statistics or psychology. MPEES continues to welcome high-quality submissions within each of the seven sections that comprise the journal in 2023. Review process Almost all the original manuscripts submitted to MPEES in 2022 received an initial decision by February 15, 2023 (i.e., 364 of the 367 manuscripts received). When an immediate decision (e.g., desk-rejection) was rendered by the editor-in-chief, it always (i.e., for 303 of 303 manuscripts) occurred within 10 days of receiving the manuscript. When a manuscript was assigned to a section editor by the editor-in-chief, it typically (i.e., for 57 of 61 manuscripts) received an initial decision within 90 days of receiving the manuscript. Nineteen countries were represented across reviewers for the original manuscripts sent out for external review by MPEES in 2022. We gratefully acknowledge, and list in the Appendix, the many scholars (N = 114) from around the world who served as a reviewer for MPEES in 2022. Manuscripts published Volume 26 (i.e., the volume published in 2022) of MPEES published a total of 33 manuscripts. More than three-fourths of the published manuscripts were submitted to one of the three sections: exercise science or physical activity or research methodology and statistics. MPEES continues to strive for publishing high-quality manuscripts within each of the seven sections that comprise the journal in 2023. Sixteen countries were represented across the manuscripts published in Volume 26 of MPEES. MPEES continues to strive for publishing high-quality manuscripts written by one or more authors from around the world in 2023. Impact factor The 2021 impact factor for MPEES was 1.98 representing a decrease of ~14% compared to 2020 when the journal’s impact factor was 2.30. However, the 2021 impact factor for MPEES represented an increase of ~16% when compared to 2019 impact factor for MPEES (i.e., the first year MPEES received an impact factor). The value of the 2021 impact factor placed MPEES in the third quartile (i.e., ranked #173 out of 270 journals) within the Education & Educational Research category of Clarivate Analytics. The 2022 impact factor for MPEES is expected to be released in ~June 2023.

Physics teachers’ conceptions of equity: Access and achievement

Physics teachers’ definitions of equity inform how they identify inequity and take action to transform it. In this paper, we adapted Gutiérrez’s equity framework from mathematics education research to physics education research. The framework defines equity in terms of four dimensions: access, achievement, identity, and power. We used this equity framework to characterize the equity conceptions shared by 23 teachers who participated in an equity-focused professional development. We found that the access and achievement dimensions of equity are popular with teachers compared to the identity and power dimensions, and that teachers share a common understanding of conceptions of access and achievement in ways that is consistent with educational literature and discourses.

CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED BY BACHELOR OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IN CONDUCTING RESEARCH IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN THE NEW NORMAL SET-UP

Conducting research is a complex process, and with the new normal changes, everything becomes constrained and drastically different from the normal. This study investigates the challenges encountered and coping strategies of Physical Education students in conducting Research in Physical Education in the new normal set-up. This study used a qualitative case study design to provide a comprehensive and in-depth description of the bounded phenomena as experienced by physical education students. A semi-structured interview was used to collect relevant data for the study, which was then processed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the participants for this study. Consequently, the results of the study revealed that the emerging challenges encountered by physical education students in conducting research in the new normal set-up are unstable internet connection, participants poor level of cooperation towards the researchers, poor level of cooperation between research partners, and difficulty in time management. This study shows that in response to these circumstances, individuals created individual coping mechanisms to handle the difficulties that made their research experience more challenging. Participants find that effective time management, working cooperatively, making alternative solutions, acceptance, good communication and making use of the internet help them modify and address unforeseen issues during the entire research process. As a result, several of these tactics are recommended to prospective students who may do research under the new normal setup. They are advised to be flexible, work with your groupmates, have patience, do not be afraid to ask for help.

Daryl Siedentop’s Legacy and the French Didactique Tradition: Influences and Convergences

ABSTRACT This article is about Daryl Siedentop’s legacy and the reciprocal influences of his thinking on the French didactique research in physical education (PE). The introduction points out the deep knowledge of French PE Daryl Siedentop had gained through his international activities and how his theoretical and methodological contributions resonated and inspired the French didactique research. A first section presents some key links between the Sport Education model and the didactic approach in terms of curricular choices. The second section emphasizes the distinctive but complementary research perspectives of the classroom ecology and the joint action in didactics for the future of PE. The conclusion returns to Daryl Siedentop’s ontological and epistemological viewpoints and their many common aspects with the French didactique tradition.

The role of undergraduate research in physics education

Research experiences can benefit undergraduate students by providing hands-on experience in research, helping them develop critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills. Also, it helps them in establishing professional networking, career exploration, and demonstrable experience for future employers. In this article, the different types of undergraduate research experience that exist are explored. The article annotates several investigations of the benefits of undergraduate research experiences, including two that relate research experiences to the continuation into graduate school. This work also presents statistical data from the author’s university of affiliation, to conclude that undergraduate research is the strongest motivator there is for students to continue with graduate studies.

Phenomenological Probe on Senior High School Teachers’ Experiences in Teaching Sports Track During the Transition Years of Philippine K To 12

The Philippine education system is currently under transition due to the implementation of Republic Act 10533, also known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act. Since its enactment in 2013, physical education researchers have been examining the initial impact of this transition. Yet, investigations to determine teachers' challenges in the sports Track Program of the senior high school curriculum were barely sufficient. Hence, this research was conducted to probe the challenges of these teachers using a qualitative phenomenology research design. Research participants from selected schools in the Cotabato Province in the Philippines were involved in focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and extensive field observation. Six significant concerns from the research participants transpired; these are difficulties with online learning, mismatched of students’ interests; unrealistic curriculum; inadequate facilities; overloaded teaching loads; and struggles of non-physical education graduates. The findings then served as crucial elements in drawing conclusions and recommendations to better implement the sports track program in the Philippine senior high school curriculum.

Resource Letter CP-3: Computational physics

This Resource Letter provides information and guidance for those looking to incorporate computation into their courses or to refine their own computational practice. We begin with general resources, including policy documents and supportive organizations. We then survey efforts to integrate computation across the curriculum as well as provide information for instructors looking to teach a computational physics course specifically. An overview of education research into computation in physics, including materials from beyond Physics Education Research, is then provided, followed by suggestions for tools, languages, and environments. We conclude with some emerging topics for which only preliminary resources exist but represent important topics for future innovation.

Bibliometric Analysis of Scientific Production in School Physical Education

School physical education is an area of growing academic interest due to its crucial role in the comprehensive development of students. The current study aims to map and analyze the bibliometric indicators of research on school Physical Education. The research was conducted using the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases. The Bibliometrix package in R was used to analyze the bibliometric indicators. A total of 18667 documents involving 30642 authors were identified, published between 1890 and 2023, with an annual growth rate of 4.3%. The studies were published across 3560 journals, with "Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sports" being particularly prominent. Network analysis revealed a broad interconnection of research within three main clusters: pedagogy, health promotion, and motivation. In conclusion, research in school physical education encompasses a wide and diverse research network, with an increasing focus on the intersection between pedagogy and health promotion.

Evaluation of Physical and Health Education Online Learning in Elementary Schools: PLS-SEM Approach

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning in physical and health education encountered multiple barriers and resistance. Barriers faced in online learning include inadequate facilities and infrastructure, mastery of technology by teachers, and limited internet networks. So, to measure the achievement of PESH learning objectives, an evaluation process is needed. The Physical Education, Sport, and Health (PESH) quantitative survey research aims to evaluate the success of PESH online learning in elementary schools. It used random sampling technique and obtained a sample of 188 respondents in Yogyakarta. In addition, students, teachers, principals, and vice-principals in five elementary schools participated in the research respondents. The second-order partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was used to test the structural model because of the complexity of the constructs and indicators, which consisting of 5 measurements, 13 aspects, 43 constructs, and 21 hypotheses. The evaluation of the measurement and structural models has met the cut-off values in this literature. Overall, each indicator can explain the variance of the success of online learning evaluation with an average of 88.821%. Each variable has a significant influence on the average success of learning outcomes. The overall recapitulation of the online learning evaluation results obtained >80% with the input variable obtaining an average of 90.359%. Student characteristics and facilities and infrastructure learning are the most dominant in the acquisition of learning evaluation achievements. The recommendation that researchers put forward is that schools should increase the provision of facilities and infrastructure and internet networks so that the implementation of technology and mastery of the material by teachers can be carried out better.