Hans Niedderer

A Learning Pathway in High-School Level Quantum Atomic Physics.

In this paper, one students learning process in a course on quantum atomic physics in grade 13 of a German gymnasium (secondary school) is described. The course lasted 16 weeks for a total of approximately 80 lessons. The aim of the present study is to elaborate the students cognitive system for atomic physics as a hypothetical pragmatic model to describe, analyse and explain his thinking and learning while interacting with the teaching input. In this paper, the students learning pathway is described as a sequence of several meta‐stable conceptions of the atom, starting from a planetary model. His final cognitive element ‘atom’ following teaching is displayed as an association of three parallel conceptions including his initial planetary model, a state‐electron model and an electron‐cloud model. These different conceptions influence his thinking in different ‘strengths’ and ‘status’. In addition, the students meta‐cognitive beliefs on physics and the way they are affected by a quantum world view are b...

Issues and Questions Regarding the Effectiveness of Labwork

The effectiveness of labwork can be defined in two ways. A first definition is seen in comparing the actual activities of students during labwork to the intended activities (effectiveness 1). Determining effectiveness in this way makes sure that only the effectiveness of the labwork is determined, not of the whole teaching and learning approach. In a second definition, effectiveness is determined by comparing the actual learning outcomes after labwork with the aims and objectives set for a specific lab (effectiveness 2). The learning outcome of course isthe ultimate goal of teaching, but in most cases it can not be attributed to the effects of labwork alone.

Talking Physics in Labwork Contexts - A Category Based Analysis of Videotapes

This study has two aims: to give some overview of methods used previously by other researchers for analysing labwork in science education and to describe a new method for analysing labwork using a category-based analysis of videotapes from labwork (CBAV). In this CBAV method, two types of categories are defined: categories for labwork contexts and categories for verbalised knowledge during work in these contexts. The method was used in five studies of labwork in France and Germany in upper secondary school and university physics classes (see contributions of Buty, Theysen et al., Hucke et al., and Sander et al., all in this volume; Haller 1999). Specific results can be found there. The method among others can help to answer questions about the link between theory and practice in different labwork contexts. It can be used complementary to other methods and permits to analyse a lot of video data in a relatively short time.

Learning Process Studies

Learning processes will be analysed as “evolution of student’s ideas” or as “conceptual change” on a timescale of several hours. The idea is to follow a single student’s constructions “during” the whole process of learning in more detail, including analyses of learning effects. Part two discusses theoretical and methodological issues of such learning process studies. Here, the focus is on the unit of analysis (expressed ideas or conceptions) and on the relation between teaching and learning. In part three, a more recent study about the evolution of students’ ideas about gases is presented, describing learning by using three categories: A student expresses a new idea, a student increases the domain of validity of an idea, or a student establishes a link between several ideas and develops a network. In part four, another more recent study about analysing learning effects of the learning environment on single students learning is presented. Here, different types of resonances are used as categories, e.g. congruent or disgruent resonance, spontaneous or retarded resonance. Both studies come to grounded hypotheses how to improve teaching. In part five, more general issues about learning process studies are discussed

Teaching quantum atomic physics in college and research results about a learning pathway

Our approach is centered around the concepts of “state” and “orbital.” Its primary aim is to explain and calculate phenomena and basic facts like size, spectra and energies of different atoms, molecules and solids. Our approach makes use of the analogy with standing waves and uses model building with the computer (STELLA) to avoid high mathematical difficulties. Finally we give very short results of a case study of one student following this course. We show four different states of his learning pathway to a model of the atom, starting with a planetary model and coming to a model of a distributed electron cloud. A short characterization of his final cognitive state follows.

An analytical tool to determine undergraduate students' use of volume and pressure when describing expansion work and technical work

In undergraduate chemical thermodynamics teachers often include equations and view manipulations of variables as understanding. Undergraduate students are often not able to describe the meaning of these equations. In chemistry, enthalpy and its change are introduced to describe some features of chemical reactions. In the process of measuring heat at constant pressure, work is often disregarded. Therefore, we investigated how undergraduate students describe expansion work and technical work in relation to enthalpy and its change. Three empirical studies (ntot = 64, ntot = 22, ntot = 10) with undergraduate chemistry students taking their first or fifth chemistry course at two Swedish universities were conducted. Questions on enthalpy and its change, internal energy and its change, heat and work were administered in questionnaires, exam questions, hand-ins and interviews. An analytical matrix was developed and qualitative categories with respect to pressure and volume were formed. The results indicate that work in general and even more so expansion work and technical work are difficult processes to describe and relate to the definition and formula of enthalpy change. Work is mainly described without reference to pressure and volume. The properties of volume are more likely to be described correctly than the properties of pressure. The definition of enthalpy change at constant pressure is generalised to constant volume/varying pressure cases. This study gives further insight into the way in which students use pressure and volume as they describe expansion work and technical work as well as the contextual correctness of these descriptions. The matrix and categories can be used by researchers, teachers and students.

Atomic Physics in Upper Secondary School: Layers of Conceptions in Induvidual Cognitive Structure

Several learning studies in the field of science education describe the final state of students’ concepts of, e.g., air pressure or chemical bonding as a multi-layered cognitive conceptual structur ...

Research about the Use of Information Technology in Science Education

In this paper, we investigate some aspects of effectiveness in two different kinds of learning environments with use of information technology. The first part shows research results related to a web-based integrated science environment (WISE) and its effects on changing the role of the teacher, the curriculum, and the student. In the second part, three different approaches for scaffolding conceptual development in physics by using interactive computer models are analysed. Research results about different aspects of their effectiveness are presented. Both parts together show empirical results in relation to different promising approaches of using information technology in science education.

Parallel Conceptions in the Domain of Force and Motion

The basic assumption, for which we try to provide evidence in this paper, is that students always use multiple explanations before and after teaching. Other studies also give evidence of competing conceptions used in one content area, yet often a variation of context is seen as the cause of multiplicity. The study presented here focuses on individual answers within one context. A total of 47 students from grade 7 up to university level participated in interviews which dealt with three qualitative tasks in the domain of force and motion. As the interview technique was based on waiting and asking questions of specification without giving additional information, the context is assumed to be stable when dealing with one task. Data interpretation focused on 27 students from four different schools (age 16), who were interviewed before and after they attended a class in mechanics. Results show that most answers, even with respect to one task, reveal multiple explanations.

Case Studies on Innovative Types of Labwork in Science Education

This paper outlines essential features of ongoing case studies carried out in the frame of the Laboratory in Science Education project. Although not all areas are covered, it is argued that these case studies allow a rich investigation in a variety of contexts of how aspects of understanding science can be facilitated by different types of labwork. Concerning laboratory effectiveness the case studies distinguish two main categories which lead to different sources of information in specific teaching contexts. In the first category students’ activities are related to intended ones during labwork; in the second category students’ achievements in relation to instructional objectives are studied after laboratory teaching.