Foregrounding epistemology and everyday intuitions in a quantum physics course for nonscience majors

Wittmann, Michael; Morgan, Jeffrey T.

doi:10.1103/physrevphyseducres.16.020159

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…and "why do you believe?" [15]. Recent reviews on conceptual change and epistemic cognition report that there is a convincing body of research establishing a connection between more sophisticated epistemologies and deeper conceptual understanding in a particular domain [29,44].…”

Section: Set Of Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…QM represents an ideal context for exploiting this synergy: a focus on epistemology may promote the learning of counterintuitive quantum content; on the other hand, a course of QM may be an opportunity for studying the practices of scientific modelling. Wittmann and Morgan, for instance, structured large part of their course around activities in which students work to build new concepts and create new knowledge, using lecture time to discuss and debate ideas in a peer-instruction format [15].…”

Section: Set Of Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In accordance with the implementation of first and the second design principles, each unit is concluded with a bird's-eye view across contexts on the revision, due to theory change, of the basic concepts and constructs addressed in it. However, except for Unit 1, all the others can be introduced by means of a driving question or a need emerging from previous units, that suggests students the importance to acquire further knowledge [15]. For Unit 2 on the quantum state, the driving question is an issue implicitly raised in Unit 1: how to prepare/identify identical quantum systems if some of the observables are necessarily indefinite (activity explicitly displayed in figure).…”

Section: Iv1 Structure Of the Course And Types Of Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Favoring the development of an integrated model has been a basic aim of Malgieri et al, who implemented Feynman's sum over paths approach with the extensive use of GeoGebra simulations, so as to allow secondary school students to analyze different experimental setups with the same conceptual tools [11]. Wittmann and Morgan pursue the same goal, but their TLS for nonscience majors places special emphasis on personal epistemology (not to be confounded with scientific epistemology) as a means to help students work with nonintuitive contents and to strengthen their understanding of scientific modelling [15]. The controversial nature of the physical interpretation of QM and the discussion of students' beliefs about it has been made a topic onto itself by Baily and Finkelstein, who designed a reformed modern physics course for engineering majors aimed to help them develop more consistent views of quantum phenomena, more sophisticated views of uncertainty, and greater interest in QM [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Promoting the transition to quantum thinking: development of a secondary school course for addressing knowledge revision, organization, and epistemological challenges

Zuccarini¹,

Michelini²

2023

Preprint

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Section: Set Of Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Set Of Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Iv1 Structure Of the Course And Types Of Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Promoting the transition to quantum thinking: development of a secondary school course for addressing knowledge revision, organization, and epistemological challenges

Zuccarini¹,

Michelini²

2023

Preprint

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“…Specifically related to quantum mechanics, Wittmann and Morgan focused on the integration of analogies within lecture, emphasizing student experiences in a non-majors quantum physics course. Through emphasis of everyday experiences and situations, analogies aided student sense-making about quantum mechanics [15]. Schermerhorn et al investigated the use of analogy-based tutorials to teach students upper-division quantum mechanics based on students' prior classical mechanical knowledge [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tools for Understanding the Microscopic World of Quantum Mechanics: Analogies in Textbooks

Ryder,

Verostek,

Zwickl

2023

2023 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings

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Analogies are known to be powerful tools for making sense of unfamiliar ideas in terms of already understood concepts. Science students regularly encounter unfamiliar ideas, such as microscopic objects that are invisible to our everyday experience and behaviors dictated by quantum mechanics. An understanding of basic concepts of quantum mechanics is useful in many disciplines, especially with the growing field of quantum information sciences and technologies. Physics researchers often use analogies in their own research and science communicators use them to make quantum ideas accessible to K-12 students and across STEM disciplines, but analogy use in upper-division teaching has been less researched. Our research goal is to understand how analogies are used to teach quantum mechanics, and specifically, what prior knowledge is used as a basis for analogies within two widely used quantum mechanics textbooks. This textbook analysis shows the most common bases for analogies include: mathematical structures from linear algebra, which are applied to model quantum systems; everyday life examples, which are used to make quantum systems more familiar and understandable; and macroscopic classical phenomena, which are used to highlight differences between classical and quantum mechanics. We also find authors use different conventions, based on the various cue words that authors use to indicate analogy-based reasoning. In the STEM classroom, this research has implications for enhancing student learning about abstract topics in science.

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Can a one-day event trigger interest in quantum physics at the university level?

Anttila,

Lehtinen,

Koskinen

2024

Eur. J. Phys.

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The ongoing second quantum revolution and the growing impact of quantum technologies on our society and economy are making quantum physics education even more important. Consequently, there is a lot of research on quantum physics education for university students and even the general public. However, studying quantum physics or any other topic is primarily voluntary and thus a matter of personal interest—and it can only grow from a seed planted earlier. Here, we describe and test how a one-day event designed to trigger interest and change perceptions about quantum physics among physics and mathematics students at the University of Turku, Finland succeeded in meeting its goals. The data was collected from participants through questionnaires and complementary interviews. We found that the event made attitudes and views toward quantum physics more positive, versatile, and realistic. Although the event was too short to notably or permanently elevate the phase of interest when evaluated externally on a four-level scale, self-evaluations still reported an increased interest for most participants. Thus, it appears that even a short event can cultivate the ground to make it fertile for maintaining and developing interest further, for example, by well-designed and -timed quantum physics curriculum.

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Foregrounding epistemology and everyday intuitions in a quantum physics course for nonscience majors

Cited by 4 publications

References 24 publications

Promoting the transition to quantum thinking: development of a secondary school course for addressing knowledge revision, organization, and epistemological challenges

Promoting the transition to quantum thinking: development of a secondary school course for addressing knowledge revision, organization, and epistemological challenges

Tools for Understanding the Microscopic World of Quantum Mechanics: Analogies in Textbooks

Can a one-day event trigger interest in quantum physics at the university level?

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