Connecting Physics Education Research and Practice (Challenges in Physics Education)

This book presents a selection of the most recent research results from the Italian physics education research community, aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning of physics. The motivation for this publication arises from the lack of a comprehensive reference for teachers on research results in physics education. Despite various physics curriculum reform initiatives, such as the introduction of modern physics into high school curricula, their effectiveness in improving the quality of physics teaching in schools has been limited.

The book offers a contextualized view of the main topics in physics education, along with a comprehensive overview of the current challenges faced by physics education in Italy and abroad. It also presents research findings that could potentially enhance students' learning of physics. Throughout the book, the implications of these studies are outlined, acknowledging issues and knowledge gaps that will guide future research in physics education. Specifically, rather than covering all the contents addressed in the physics curriculum, the book presents research contributions that suggest potentially effective strategies, methods, and practices at different school levels, from primary school to secondary school and university level. Regarding physics content, the book presents teaching proposals highlighting conceptual aspects and exemplary methodologies of interpretation in physics, such as the physics of fluids and quantum mechanics. It also includes research contributions on different methods and proposals for implementing practical activities, reflecting on the role of the laboratory in learning the discipline and providing examples of integrating experimental and cognitive skills.

The book also addresses the role of affective variables, such as physics identity, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward physics in the learning process. Additionally, studies on teachers’ professional development are presented, which can inform the design of proposals for educational paths and methods, within a framework of close collaboration between schools and physics departments.

Marisa Michelini is Senior Full Professor of physics education at the University of Udine. She is President of the Scientific Committee of the GEO University Italian Consortium, president of the Physics Education Research Italian Community, and Board Member of the International Commission on Physics Education of IUPAP (C14) and of the PED section of the European Physical Society (EPS) since 2016. She served as President of the International Research Group on Physics Education (GIREP) from 2012 to 2022 and was Board Member of Multimedia Physics Teaching and Learning (MPTL) from 2014 to 2022. Her research in physics education focuses on innovative educational pathways in various topics, including modern physics, strategies and prototypes for laboratory experiments, multimedia resources for physics learning, professional development for teachers, and informal education. She has received three major awards: the Italian Physical Society Award for the Exhibit Games Experiments Ideas (1989), the IUPAP-ICPE International Award for research in physics education (2018) and GIREP medal for the contribution in physics education research (2024).

Italo Testa is Professor of Physics Education at the Federico II University of Naples. Since the beginning of his career, his research has focused on the professional development of secondary school teachers, designing teaching sequences in physics based on active learning approaches such as inquiry and socio-scientific questions, analyzing visual language in physics, modeling, and the Nature of Science. For over ten years, he has concentrated primarily on astronomy education research, the role of affective variables in learning physics, and quantitative analysis methods for assessing learning in physics and science. He has authored more than one hundred articles in national and international journals and serves on the editorial boards of Physical Review Physics Education Research (PRPER) and Astronomy Education Journal (AEJ). Additionally, he is coordinator of the Science Teaching Processes and Instructional Design strand of the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA).

Salvatore Esposito is Professor in the History of Physics at the Federico II University of Naples, past President of the Italian Society for the History of Physics and Astronomy (SISFA), and Research Associate at the Naples unit of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Research (INFN). He has authored over 300 journal articles, mathematical reviews, and book reviews and has written or edited 13 books. His scientific interests currently span the history of physics, physics education, and scientific dissemination. Recognized as the world's leading expert on Ettore Majorana's work, his expertise also covers various topics in eighteenth- to twentieth-century physics. He is actively involved in initiatives to integrate the history of physics into teaching practices.