Physics Education Research Research Articles

Exploring Factors That Influence Taekwondo Student Athletes’ Intentions to Pursue Careers Contributing to the Sustainability of the Korean Taekwondo Industry Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

Due to recently declining fertility rates and the social climate of job preferences in professional occupations in South Korea, the number of teenagers practicing elite Taekwondo has decreased, and Korean Taekwondo is in crisis. In this regard, it is essential for Taekwondo coaches to create a favorable environment preventing student athletes from abandoning careers in Taekwondo and for physical education researchers to explore factors directly or indirectly influencing the intentions to pursue such careers. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationships among mentoring, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and career pursuit intentions by applying the theory of planned behavior, as well as investigating the moderating influence of Taekwondo identification on these relationships. We collected data from athletes with more than a year of elite Taekwondo experience attending one of 15 high schools in South Korea. We asked a total of 270 athletes to participate in the survey. Of these, 250 completed the survey. We eliminated data for 15 athletes due to repetitive response patterns; thus, we analyzed 235 usable responses. We assessed the measurement scale’s validity and reliability with confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, and correlational analysis. Structural equation modeling evaluated the effects of four factors—mentoring, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control—on career pursuit intentions. Additionally, we performed a hierarchical regression analysis to confirm the moderating effect of Taekwondo identification. The results revealed positive impacts of (a) mentoring on attitudes (0.760, p < 0.001), (b) attitudes on career pursuit intentions (0.681, p < 0.001), (c) subjective norms on career pursuit intentions (0.141, p < 0.01), and (d) perceived behavioral control on career pursuit intentions (0.138, p < 0.05). However, Taekwondo identification did not moderate the relationships among the research variables.

Preservice Physics Teachers’ Development of Physics Identities: the Role of Multiple Representations

Identity-based research in physics education has been receiving increased attention in the past few years given the potential of identity in producing novel insights into the ways’ students engage in physics. In this study, we examined the development of preservice physics teachers’ physics identity through a specific instructional practice: a specially designed course incorporating the use of the multiple representations. Although specific programs and instructional practices have been found to influence the development of physics identity, there is no clear evidence about the kinds of instructional practices that might support its development. To examine the influence of multiple representations on each component of physics identity, we designed and implemented a physics course that used a multiple representation (MR)-based instructional approach with a group of 61 preservice physics teachers at a public university in Indonesia. Data were collected with a pre- and post-questionnaire on physics identity, a conceptual understanding test, and a post-test that examined differences between identity components before and after the course, conceptual understandings, as well as the participants’ views about the use of the MR-based instructional approach. The findings revealed a significant improvement of two components of physics identity, namely, competence and interest, and point to the potential of MR-based instruction in physics courses.

Editorial: Call for Papers Focused Collection of Physical Review Physics Education Research Qualitative Methods in PER: A Critical Examination

Editorial: Call for Papers Focused Collection of <i>Physical Review Physics Education Research</i> Qualitative Methods in PER: A Critical Examination

Intersectional analysis of Advanced Placement Physics participation and performance by gender and ethnicity

Access and performance in advanced high school physics have been persistently inequitable when considering student ethnicity and gender. This quasiexperimental, observational study examined access and performance of students in four Advanced Placement (AP) Physics courses in 2018–2019: AP Physics 1 (N=150 451), AP Physics 2 (N=20 466), AP Physics C Mechanics (N=49 951), and AP Physics C Electricity & Magnetism (N=21 602); this analysis utilized an intersectional lens of ethnicity and gender in identifying enrollment and performance disparities. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted to determine whether the distribution of student ethnicities and genders of students who took the examinations was similar to that of U.S. schools. Further analyses were conducted to determine whether achievement on AP Physics examinations varied by 14 unique intersectional groups characterized by gender and ethnicity. Results indicated that AP Physics 1 was a relatively accessible course, though enrollment disparities among genders, ethnicities, and intersectional groups grew as the AP Physics courses became more advanced with physics and/or calculus prerequisites or corequisites. There were large decreases in course enrollments from first- to second-year AP Physics courses, particularly for women who were also underrepresented ethnic minorities. In terms of performance, AP Physics 1 had the lowest overall weighted average, with the majority of students failing the examination. Women who were traditionally underrepresented ethnic minorities were found to have failure rates of over 80% on the AP Physics 1 examination, and failure rates near 50% for AP Physics 2 and the AP Physics C courses compared to nonminority men who had approximately half the failure rates. In most cases, men outperformed women who shared their ethnicities. These results present opportunities for physics education policy makers and researchers to design interventions for students in intersecting marginalized social groups, many of whom have disproportionately low representation and achievement in advanced high school physics, which occurs at a critical juncture in the physics pipeline.Received 2 April 2021Accepted 17 June 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.020105Published 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 AreasDiversity & inclusionEducational policyPhysics Education Research

Framework for evaluating statistical models in physics education research

Physics education researchers developing predictive models using statistical techniques should articulate the data management procedures, the model evaluation methods, and the way results are defined and communicated.

Probing the delivery of tertiary physical education among the generation Z students in the transition years of Philippine K to 12

Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines are currently under transition due to the implementation of Republic Act 10533, also known as Enhanced Basic Education Act, which aims to strengthen the curriculum content and increase the number of years of basic education in the country. Since its implementation in 2013, Physical Education researchers have been examining the initial impact of this transition yet, investigations to determine the problems in tertiary Physical Education were barely sufficient. Hence, this research was conducted to probe the challenges of generation Z Students in the delivery of tertiary Physical Education in one of the leading state universities in the Philippines using a qualitative phenomenology research design. A total of 110 research participants were involved in focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and extensive field observations. Five (5) significant concerns transpired during the triangulation of the results. These were: duplication of activities from senior high school Physical Education, stress due to very high Physical Fitness Test standards, very time-consuming take-home tasks in Physical Education that affect their time for other matters, very high teachers’ expectations, and teachers’ absenteeism. These concerns were, for them, the leading factors that affect their interests and experiences in tertiary Physical Education. The findings served as crucial elements in drawing recommendations to better implement and contextualize the learning experiences for tertiary Physical Education adequate for generation Z Students.

Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (MPEES): A Summary of MPEES-Related Activities in 2020

ABSTRACT The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a summary of Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science (MPEES)-related activities in 2020. In 2020 original submissions (i.e., not counting revised manuscripts) increased by ~84% as compared to 2019. Fifty-three countries were represented across the 386 original manuscripts submitted to MPEES in 2020. MPEES continues to welcome high-quality submissions from around the world in 2021. The seven sections of MPEES are as follows: (a) exercise science, (b) physical activity, (c) physical education pedagogy, (d) psychology, (e) research methodology and statistics, (f) sport management and administration, and (g) tutorial and teacher’s toolbox. More than three-fourths of the manuscripts that were submitted to MPEES in 2020 were submitted to one of the three sections: exercise science or physical activity or research methodology and statistics. MPEES continues to welcome high-quality submissions within each of the seven sections that comprise the journal in 2021. All of the original manuscripts that were submitted to MPEES in 2020 had received an initial decision by May 3, 2021 (i.e., 386 of the 386 manuscripts received). When an immediate decision (e.g., desk-rejection) was rendered by the editor-in-chief it always (i.e., for 288 of 288 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 90 of 98 manuscripts) received an initial decision within 90 days of receiving the manuscript. Twenty-three countries were represented across reviewers for the original manuscripts that were sent out for external review by MPEES in 2020. We gratefully acknowledge, and list in the Appendix, the many scholars (N = 176) from around the world who served as a reviewer for MPEES in 2020. Volume 24 (i.e., the volume published in 2020) of MPEES published a total of 32 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 2021. Eleven countries were represented across the manuscripts published in Volume 24 of MPEES. MPEES continues to strive for publishing high-quality manuscripts written by one or more authors from around the world in 2021. The 2019 impact factor for MPEES (released in ~June 2020) was 1.75. The value of this impact factor placed MPEES in the second quartile (i.e., ranked #115 out of 263 journals) within the Education & Educational Research category of Clarivate Analytics.

Development of a Test Instrument to Investigate Secondary School Students’ Declarative Knowledge of Quantum Optics

This article reports the development and validation of a test instrument to assess secondary school students’ declarative quantum optics knowledge. With that, we respond to modern developments from physics education research: Numerous researchers propose quantum optics-based introductory courses in quantum physics, focusing on experiments with heralded photons. Our test instrument’s development is based on test development standards from the literature, and we follow a contemporary conception of validity. We present results from three studies to test various assumptions that, taken together, justify a valid test score interpretation, and we provide a psychometric characterization of the instrument. The instrument is shown to enable a reliable (α = 0.78) and valid survey of declarative knowledge of quantum optics focusing on experiments with heralded photons with three empirically separable subscales.

Exploring the Coherence of Student Reasoning when Responding to Questionnaires on Thermally Activated Phenomena

Many research results show that students often highlight “mixed-type” reasoning when tackling problematic situations and problems. This reasoning is based on the simultaneous use of common-sense and mere descriptions of facts, perceived as sufficient to build an “explanation” of observed or proposed situations and problems. This fact can be interpreted as a lack of coherence. In this paper, we study the coherence of responses that a sample of undergraduate chemical engineering student give when they are asked to face real-life situations, to create explanations, and to use models in different contexts. We administered open-ended questionnaires before and after a twenty-hour Inquiry-Based workshop related to phenomena activated by a thermal overcoming of a potential barrier. Based on the Physics Education Research literature on student understanding of relevant physics contents, the student responses are analysed by using researcher-generated categories of reasoning and their coherence is studied. Finally, we discuss some implications of the results to improve the development of students’ explicative skills.

Bullying in physical education of children and youth with visual impairments: A systematic review

Bullying is prevalent in youth but occurs at a higher rate of incidence in children with visual impairments in comparison to children without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of literature from the past 20 years on bullying research in physical education of youth with visual impairments. This review examined studies on bullying in physical education for school-age children with visual impairments. Articles that did not include children with visual impairments or blindness, physical education, or any type of intentional bullying were eliminated. After a thorough screening of the articles obtained in the search, 14 were selected and analyzed thematically. Results revealed that of the 114 participants in these studies, 86% experienced social–relational bullying, 64% experienced verbal bullying, and 21% experienced physical bullying. Children with visual impairments were bullied in physical education class by their teachers (50%), paraeducators (7%), and their peers (93%). The bullying occurred in class (93%), in the locker room (21%), and at various locations outside of class. Generalization of these findings to all children with visual impairments is limited due to a lack of quantitative studies found with our search criteria. However, the findings indicate a need to educate teachers and paraeducators about proper modifications to class structure and assessment practices, as well as variations to sports and physical activity, to reduce bullying. In addition, teaching self-advocacy to children with visual impairments may minimize bullying and help with peer acceptance and support in the classroom.

Fostering experimental competences of prospective physics teachers

Physics teachers are often faced with the challenge of having to set up difficult experiments, or they have to consciously manipulate parameters in order to be able to demonstrate a phenomenon convincingly. Comprehensive laboratory courses are standard procedure in any study program for prospective physics teachers. However, many students, even after completing standard laboratory courses, show difficulties in standard experimental situations, such as measuring an electric current. We report on a new seminar concept for students in physics teacher study programs. This concept is based on the current state of research in physics education, on the teachers’ professional competences, and on the modelling of experimental competence, justifying its embedding in teacher training. We present first results of a pilot study carried out to evaluate the seminar.

Delphi study on the term ‘students’ conceptions’

The concept of students’ conceptions is central in science education and research. However, a concise and accurate definition of the German term ‘Schülervorstellungen’ (engl. students’ conceptions) is still absent. Therefore, a Delphi study, inviting more than 200 professors and postdoctoral researchers in the field of German-speaking physics education research (PER), was conducted. Main purpose was to find opinions about the necessity for a general definition and if possible, definitions used implicitly in the scientific community of PER. First results indicate a need for a concise definition, especially for its use in physics teacher education. Based on our results, a broader discussion among other subject educational research communities dealing with this term is necessary.

Learning motion concepts using Augmented Reality Active Learning (AnReAL) activities

Active learning and discovery-based laboratory curricula for the understanding of kinematics using motion sensors have extensively been studied in Physics Education Research for more than thirty years and provided strong evidence of their usefulness in terms of students learning and retention. More recently, activities based on video analysis software have also been developed and have become an important part of Physics Education Research. In this work we present a setup based on Virtual Reality (VR) headsets that may be used both for activities that are currently based on motion sensors and also for motion tracking. Our setup is based also on cameras that can be attached to the headsets in order to achieve an Augmented Reality experience. While VR headsets are mainly sold as gaming devices, they can be very interesting for Physics Education active learning activities: we called such an activity an Augmented Reality Active Learning (AnReAL) activity. As it will be shown, many curricula based on motion sensors or on video tracking can almost automatically be translated into AnReAL ones, while also being open for many new opportunities. In fact, following the emerging theory of Embodied Cognition, Virtual and Augmented Reality setups such as the presented one could prove to be very beneficial for information retention.

Preface

This journal contains 94 selected contributions of the GIREP-ICPE-EPEC-MPTL 2019 Conference held 1-5. July 2019 in Budapest Hungary in the premises of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.This conference coincided with the centenary year of Roland Eötvös to commemorate his achievements in physics. Also the UNESCO was associated with this celebration. Roland Eötvös (1848-1919) was a Hungarian physicist, who was not only an outstanding scientist-measuring the strict proportionality of the inertial and gravitational masses to a precision unprecedented before-, but was also an excellent educator and reformer of the Hungarian science education system.More than 350 participants gathered from 47 countries all over the world to share their newest results on physics education research with their colleagues. There were 7 invited keynote talks (60 mins each), 10 symposia (90 mins)-containing altogether 39 oral presentations-, 11 workshops (90 mins each), 173 oral presentations (15 mins +5 mins discussion) and 76 posters.The main international scientific bodies organizing the conference were the following:• Group International de Recherche sur l’Enseignement de la Physique (GIREP)• Physics Education Division (PED) of the European Physical Society (EPS)• International Commission on Physics Education (ICPE) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)• Multimedia Physics Teaching and Learning (MPTL).The leading organizing body was GIREP, which is an international membership organisation founded in 1966, open to academics, teachers, curriculum developers and all other stakeholders with the concern to improve physics teaching and learning by means of Physics Education Research, Innovative Experimentation in Physics Teaching/Learning, Innovative Materials and Methods, Suggestions for Stakeholders, International Cooperation in Conferences, Seminars, Selected Paper Books.The key topics of the Conference were the following:A. Strategies and methods to improve Physics learning and teachingB. Multimedia in Physics Teaching and LearningC. Contemporary Physics and Modern Physics in SchoolD. Physics Curriculum: Development and ImplementationE. Experiments in Physics EducationF. Early Science LearningG. Environmental PhysicsH. Teacher Education and postgraduate educationI. Informal learning and science centresJ. Outreach of PhysicsThere are several papers in this journal about most of the topics above. The papers were subject of double blinded reviewing process, and only those got accepted, which have met the high standards set by the referees.During the Conference also Symposia were organized where groups of researchers working on the same fields shared their results and discussed the actual problems of the field. Also reports of some of those symposia are published here in the Journal.In addition to these interesting topics GIREP also launched a new initiative during the Conference: The Community on Teaching/Learning Quantum Physics. This explains why the readers find here especially large number of papers about this very hot topic.We also draw the attention of the interested reader that some selected papers will be published soon in Springer book series “Challenges in Physics Education” under the title: “Teaching-Learning Contemporary Physics – from Research to Practice”.We, as main local organizers of the Conference, would like to express our thanks to the many organizations who contributed and helped organizing this Conference. Firstly, the international organizations mentioned above, who not only assured the high scientific standards, but also contributed financially. We are also indebted to the Budapest University of Technology and Economics who provided its nice premises and infrastructure and welcomed all lectures, workshops and meetings. We express our thanks also to the Hungarian Education State Secretary for the financial help and continuous encouragement. Last, but not least our thanks goes to the many institutions-in the country or abroad-who offered some sponsorship which enabled us to keep the finances of the conference under control, and to keep the participation fees at an acceptable height.Budapest, 20. April 2021.Beata Jarosievitz and Csaba Sükösd editorsContacts:Prof. Beata Jarosievitz, Dennis Gabor College Budapest e-mail: jarosievitz@gmail.comProf. Csaba Sükösd, Budapest Univ. of Technology and Economics e-mail: sukosd@reak.bme.hu

LAPEN Symposium: Active Learning of Physics in Latin America

This symposium proposed by the Latin American Physics Education Network (LAPEN) is devoted to show some results on Physics Education research for high school and university level carried out in the Latin-American region. We focus in the Active Learning of Physics methodologies. There are three contributions from Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico: The topics studied are: (1) The teaching of Special Relativity Theory with Peer Instruction, developed in the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral in Guayaquil, Ecuador. (2) Active Learning of Electromagnetism for engineering students, developed in the University Antonio Nariño in Bogota, Colombia. (3) Rasch Analysis and Active Learning of electrical circuits for high school students, developed at the COBAY school Xoclán Plantel, in Mérida Yucatán in the south of Mexico The Active Learning methodologies are important because there are good results in the literature about their implementation in different educational levels. Besides, it is a way to innovate the physics class, unfortunately in the Latin America region their effectiveness has been little studied. This brief report sheds more light on the matter.

Mapping the intellectual and conceptual structure of physical education research: Direct citation analysis

Background and Study Aim. The aim of the study is to identify and explore the intellectual and conceptual structure of physical education research. It is focused around the following study questions: (1) What are the most influential publications within the research field? (2) What are the research fronts in physical education studies?&#x0D; Material and Methods. As a result of the research sampling process, the 10,334 publications indexed in the Scopus database were selected by the title search for the phrase ‘physical education’. Citation analysis, one of science mapping methods, was employed to conduct the analysis. The study process and the visualization of its findings were supported by the VOSviewer software. In the process of citation analysis, we used the following weight attributes: (1) custom weight attributes: the number of citations received by a document and the normalized of citations for a document, and (2) standard weight attributes: the number of citation links.&#x0D; Results. Firstly, the most prominent references have been pointed out and discussed. The study of the effects of the SPARK physical education program in regard to physical activity of elementary school pupils by Sallis et al. (1997) is found to be the most cited publication in the physical education research field. The systematic literature review and meta-analysis of research on application of self-determination theory in the physical education context by Vasconellos et al. (2020) is recognized as the publication of the highest value of the normalized number of citations. The application of self-determination theory of motivation in physical education is the topic attracting a lot of attention of the top cited publications in the field. The prominent and central position of these references is confirmed by the analysis of citation links. Secondly, the following research fronts in physical education studies have been identified: (1) motivation in physical education, (2) physical education programmes, (3) development of physical education, (4) self-determination in physical education, (5) physical education and students’ academic achievement, (6) support of physical activity autonomy, (7) gender and physical education, and (8) long-term effects of physical education. Combining the research fronts identified with co-word analysis and direct citation analysis, the two-dimensional matrix mapping the conceptual structure of the physical education research field has been developed. The matrix categorizes publications according to their themes and the age of students / the levels of education, which are the object of the analysed studies.&#x0D; Conclusions. The study contributes mainly to development of theory through mapping the scientific output within the physical education research field. Identification of core references provides valuable information for the scholars cultivating the field about the most recognized classical works receiving the highest number of citations and ‘emerging stars’ of the highest normalized number of citations. Such information is crucial for any theoretical reviews regarding the issues of physical education. Discovering research fronts points out the themes of the highest prominence and may be an indication for searching prospective research topics by authors. Developing the matrix to be used for mapping the conceptual structure of the research field is another contribution of the study.

Trending Research Topics in the Field of Physics Education from 2017 to 2019 in Highly Reputable International Journals

This study aims to map the physics education research topics trending in the last three years in highly reputable international journals. This is a descriptive study that analyzed 511 articles using content analysis. All articles were selected from the top 3 academic journals: International Journal of Science Education (IJSE), Research in Science Education (RISE), and Science Education (SE). All three journals have JSRs above 0.8 with a quartile of Q1. Data collection and analysis were carried out from April to September 2020. The results showed that the top research topics in the IJSE journal were science learning: contexts, characteristics, and interactions with a percentage of 15.05%. Likewise, in the RISE journal, the topics of science learning: contexts, characteristics, and interactions also ranked first with a percentage of 16.30%. Meanwhile, the top research topics in the SE journal were STEM/STEAM, with a percentage of 13.28%. Based on the results, it can be concluded that overall, the top three research topics highlighted by physics researchers in highly reputable international journals from 2017 to 2019 period were science learning: contexts, characteristics and interactions, STEM/STEAM, and curriculum and assessment.

Influence of motor activity on indicators of physical state of student youth

The article describes the influence of motor activity on the physical condition of student youth. It is established that there is a tendency to decrease motor activity among modern youth. The positive effect of physical activity on physical fitness, health and psycho- emotional state has been studied. The importance of motivation for physical education classes and increase of motor activity is revealed. It was found that one of the valeological factors that contributes to the formation of the foundations of health and longevity of modern youth is physical activity; Excessive educational workload in higher education institutions has a negative impact on the process of students' recovery. In order to determine the level of physical health of student youth and motivation of physical education classes, a questionnaire and research were conducted according to the method of O. Pirogova. Harmonious development of personality provides adequate motor activity and cultural and aesthetic activities. Students of pedagogical specialties are not able to fully organize their motor activity. This is due to a fairly large mental load, low motivation to engage in physical education, non- adherence to a healthy lifestyle and insufficient efficiency of modern organization of physical education of students.&#x0D; One of the most common reasons is the deterioration of the diet, reduced efficiency of traditional preventive measures, reduced physical activity due to the rapid development of information and communication technologies.

Reconceptualizing Teacher Identity: Teachers’ Becoming in the Dynamic Complexity of Teaching Situations

Research in physical education often focuses on how to improve the education of teachers and the achievement of students, based on an assumption of a relatively stable teacher identity. The focus of this study is to unsettle this perspective, drawing on complexity thinking and the concept of becoming to reconceptualize teacher identity as a fluid, dynamic identity performance that depends on multiple levels of interacting elements in teachers’ contexts, and significantly challenges the concept of being embedded in ideas of “best practice.” The results of an in‐depth qualitative study with seven health and physical education teachers showed that each teacher performed an adaptive multiplicity of self that responded to constraints in each moment of context‐specific teaching. The results suggest the need for a reconceptualization of teacher identity that understands it as comprised of many different performances of “teacher” and expressed in context‐specific moments ofteacher becoming.

Preface

On behalf of the Steering Committee, I have the pleasure of welcoming you to the 3rd International Conference on Research and Learning of Physics (ICRLP 2020), which will be held online, in Padang, West Sumatera, Indonesia from September 3 (Thursday) to 4 ( Friday), 2020.This 3rd ICRLP is organized by the Department of Physics, Universitas Negeri Padang. The main objective of this conference is to provide a platform for academics, researchers, professionals practitioners, observers, teachers and students to present their current research in physics and physics learning. In addition, it also aims to discuss strategic issues in related fields. The theme of the conference is “The Challenges of Physics and Physics Education Research in Pandemic Covid-19 Era”.I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the participants, financial sponsors, exhibitors, supporting organizations and all the committee members who has made 3rd ICRLP successful. With these strong support, we are sure 3rd ICRLP will be beneficial to all the participants. Finally, I would like to thank the members of reviewers for their kind assistance in reviewing the papers.Dr. Hamdi, M. SiGeneral Chair, 3rd ICRLP 2020List of Organizing Commitee, Editorial Team are available in this pdf.