Abstract: A review of the past and current literature on physics education has revealed to the greater physics community that instructors around the world have struggled to impart a conceptual understanding of physics onto their introductory college students. Several efforts to create a more interactive physics curriculum are evaluated in this paper in an attempt to understand trends in physics education research. A concerted effort to streamline the physics curriculum across physics departments is minimal. Those who have adjusted the curriculum to go beyond lectures still struggle to perform even with enhancements in the curriculum. Several researchers have led the charge to understand the gaps in understanding among novice physics students. By comparing their results and attitudes to expert physicists, researchers were able to determine a curriculum that addresses gaps in understanding for novice students. Last but not least, the idea of self-efficacy is explored because a student’s attitude and behavior towards physics can impact their ability to learn the material. The review of the literature has highlighted a need for physics associations to synchronize an effective curriculum across universities in order to address the cyclical challenges of physics learning that many students and physics faculty have battled for decades.
Keywords: physics education, self-efficacy, conceptual understanding, physics learning.
Title: Physics Educators’ Efforts to Improve Conceptual Understanding in Physics
Author: Philip Suh
International Journal of Mathematics and Physical Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-5736 (Online)
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