Conceptual Change Texts Supported by the History of Science to Develop A Qualitative Understanding of the Light Wave

Development of an educational device, based on Arduino, to facilitate the understanding of light diffraction

“…A good conceptual understanding of wave optics is undoubtedly one of the foundations for the development of physical science skills, as it is a prerequisite for understanding solid state physics and quantum mechanics [1]. Yet the majority of students do not have this kind of understanding [1].…”

“…A good conceptual understanding of wave optics is undoubtedly one of the foundations for the development of physical science skills, as it is a prerequisite for understanding solid state physics and quantum mechanics [1]. Yet the majority of students do not have this kind of understanding [1]. This is partly due to traditional teaching methods, which do not help students to develop an appropriate understanding of physical concepts [2,3], including the role of slits in the formation of the diffraction pattern [1].…”

“…Yet the majority of students do not have this kind of understanding [1]. This is partly due to traditional teaching methods, which do not help students to develop an appropriate understanding of physical concepts [2,3], including the role of slits in the formation of the diffraction pattern [1].…”

“…Diffraction occurs when light encounters an aperture or obstacle whose width is close to its wavelength. This phenomenon is often used in activities that ask students to measure the thickness of obstacles whose width is similar to the wavelength of the light, but most students make mistakes in determining the width of the central fringe of the diffraction pattern [1]. Based on this assumption, and in order to help students understand the wave nature of light, we propose to use the Arduino board as a tool to demonstrate the diffraction phenomenon.…”

Addressing the cognitive and noncognitive needs of struggling students through an E7 approach in a virtual laboratory environment to improve their motivation and learning achievement

“…In addition, school curricula and classroom practices do not motivate the learning of science. Learning physics in this context, which is naturally difficult for a lot of students because of its abstract and complex concepts [2,3], leads to poor academic performance and lack of interest in science. Therefore, the teaching of physics has to provide the students with meaningful, engaging, motivating and cognitively appropriate teaching opportunities [4].…”