Orientador: Leandro Londero da Silva / Banca: Maria José Pereira Monteiro de Almeida / Banca: Roberto Nardi / Resumo: A Física das Radiações é um conteúdo previsto nos currículos escolares. Nota-se, no entanto, que ela não tem sido um item prioritário na prática pedagógica da maioria dos professores da escola básica. A partir da constatação de que o ensino da Física das Radiações constitui um desafio para professores, objetivamos investigar o funcionamento da leitura e da interpretação da Física das Radiações Ionizantes por alunos do ensino médio quando da leitura de textos de divulgação científica. Procuramos encontrar resposta para o seguinte problema: Como acontece e que aspectos marcam o funcionamento da leitura e a interpretação da Física das Radiações Ionizantes por alunos do ensino médio quando da leitura de textos de divulgação científica? Optamos por um modelo de pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, na qual identificamos livros e textos de divulgação científica que abordam a "Física das Radiações Ionizantes" para a elaboração e implementação de um episódio de ensino. O episódio foi implementado em turmas de 3° ano do Ensino Médio. Como instrumentos de coleta de informações, damos ênfase ao uso de produções textuais e vídeo-gravação. Para a análise dos dados, levamos em consideração os aportes teóricos da Análise de Discurso de linha Francesa, a partir das produções de Michel Pechêux e das obras de Eni Orlandi. As análises indicaram que: a) a leitura de textos de divulgação científica e a utilização de questionários formulados com questões abertas podem favorecer o surgimento de... / Abstract: Radiation Physics is intended content in school curriculum. On the other hand, it is noteworthy that it has not been a priority item in pedagogical practice of most of the Primary School teachers. Based at basic observation that the teaching of Radiation Physics is a challenge for teachers, we aim to investigate the reading and interpretation of Radiation Physics by high school students when reading scientific texts. According to the proposed objective, we formulated the problem that structures this research and we present it as follows: How and what aspects mark the functioning of the reading and the interpretation of the Physics of Ionizing Radiation by high school students when reading texts of scientific dissemination? We chose a research model with a qualitative approach, in which we identified books and texts of scientific divulgation that approach the "Ionizing Radiation Physics", so that they could be developed with the students. As instruments of information gathering, we emphasize the use of textual productions and video-recording. For the analysis data, we take into account the theoretical contributions of French Discourse Analysis, based on the production by Michel Pechêux, and Eni Orlandi's oeuvre. The reading of texts of scientific dissemination and the use of questionnaires formulated with open questions can favor the emergence of discussions. This being not restricted only to the contents of Physics addressed to in the text. Though there was a predominance of ... / Mestre

Banca: Álvaro de Souza Dutra / Banca: Messias Borges da Silva / Banca: Estaner Claro Romão / Banca: Carlos Alberto Moreira dos Santos / Bancs: Durval Rodrigues Junior / Resumo: Neste trabalho nosso objetivo foi o de estudar as possíveis contribuições para o ensino de conceitos científicos de um laboratório de Física que disponibiliza experimentos controlados remotamente. A intenção foi compreender como a experimentação controlada remotamente pode constituir-se em uma ferramenta útil a professores e alunos que não dispõem de infraestrutura adequada e necessária para à realização de experimentos em aulas de Física no Ensino Médio. A partir dessa perspectiva, concebemos e construímos experimentos que reproduzem fenômenos naturais e possibilitam a coleta de dados reais a partir de um dispositivo conectado à internet, sem perder de vista às idiossincrasias de alunos do Ensino Médio que iniciam seus estudos em Física. Dessa forma, os experimentos foram concebidos e construídos para permitir aos estudantes a livre manipulação dos aparatos experimentais, evitando a existência de "caixas-pretas", tornando possível a observação de todo efeito ocorrido em função de uma ação efetiva do estudante. Buscamos estudar, também, a melhor maneira de se utilizar tal recurso do ponto de vista didático, considerando para isso não apenas a consulta da vasta publicação na área sobre o uso do laboratório e das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) no Ensino de Física, mas também a opinião de professores de Física do Ensino Médio. Os resultados apontaram para a facilitação do trabalho do professor em realizar atividades experimentais em sala de aula, a melhoria da compreensão de conceitos científicos por parte dos alunos, a ampliação das possibilidades de interação social em sala de aula, considerando o debate sobre os resultados experimentais obtidos e os modelos explicativos do fenômeno observado, além, ainda de maior protagonismo dos alunos no processo de ensino e de aprendizagem / Abstract: This work aimed to study the process of building a laboratory with remotely controlled experiments aimed at the teaching of Physics at the Middle level and investigate the impact of this resource on the teaching and learning process of scientific concepts. The intention was to understand how the experimentation can remotely be a useful tool for teachers and students who do not have adequate and necessary infrastructures to perform experiments in Physics classes in High School. From this perspective, we studied techniques that could be used to construct apparatuses that reproduce natural phenomena and enable the collection of real data online, attending to the idiosyncrasies of high school students who begin their studies in Physics. In this way, the experiments were constructed to allow the students to manipulate the experimental apparatus, through the computer connected to the internet, in afreely, avoiding the existence of "black boxes", making possible the observation of any effect occurred due to a Effective action of the student. We also sought to study the best way to use such a resource from the didactic point of view, considering for this, not only the consultation of the vast publication in the area on the use of the laboratory and information and communication technologies (ICT) in Teaching Physics, but also the opinion of teachers of Physics of High School. The results point to the facilitation of the teacher's work in carrying out experimental activities in the classroom, improving students' understanding of scientific concepts, increasing the possibilities of social interaction in the classroom, considering the debate about experimental results obtained and The explanatory models of the phenomena observed and the greater protagonism of the students in the process of teaching and learning

This dissertation is a case study of a school district in the Pacific Northwest that developed three-year high school science curricula using a Physics First course sequence (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), with the crosscutting concept Patterns as the central theme of the courses. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of the implementation of the 9th grade course, Patterns Physics, on teacher practice and beliefs about science teaching and determine whether this new approach facilitated teacher classroom practices and beliefs congruent with those expressed in A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Results from this study indicate that the implementation of Patterns Physics positively impacted teacher confidence in teaching the NGSS science and engineering practices. Professional development that provided teachers multiple opportunities to engage with the curriculum--in the role of a student, in professional discussions with colleagues, and over several years were critical to support a change in practice consistent with three-dimensional (3D) teaching called for by the Framework and NGSS. Teacher participants viewed the Patterns PCB (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) sequence as an appropriate course sequence, with strong agreement that a 9th grade physics course needs to be tailored to the needs of students, such as added support for students with minimal mathematics skills. The NGSS, with an emphasis on 3D learning (science content knowledge, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices), had a significant positive impact on instructional practice.

Thesis (MSc. (Physics)) --University of Limpopo, 2015 / This study investigated the extent to which learners from rural and peri-urban areas understand what the symbols represent and their roles in simple direct current resistive electrical circuits. The emphasis was on simple direct current resistive electrical circuits that consist of batteries and bulbs. The study was carried out with Grade 12 learners at high school level in the Limpopo Provincial Department of Education. It used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods to investigate learners’ understanding of direct current resistive electrical circuits at rural and peri-urban schools. It used questionnaires and structured interviews to collect the data so that the results could provide in-depth understanding and generalizability. The results revealed that learners knew the symbols used in direct current resistive circuits, however, when the circuit was populated with a number of known symbols it became complex to such an extent that some learners struggled to identify the symbols. As it appeared, learners could not conceptualize the role played by a battery, conductor, ammeter and voltmeter in direct current resistive electrical circuit. In addition, the study also revealed that learners experience difficulties when translating a real circuit to a schematic circuit. This study suggests that deeper focus has to be directed towards developing leaners’ understanding of the working and role played by each symbol in a schematic circuit. Learners were operating at far lower conceptual basis and thought of conductor as a hollow pipe like material. Results were also compared in terms of geographical location of the school, and findings indicate that the rural school was performing better than peri-urban school. The results highlight a number of the frequently encountered alternative frameworks which learners come across when they are faced with schematic circuit diagrams. Most of the alternative frameworks found are well documented in literature (for example current consumption, difficulty with understanding electric concepts, difficulty with concept differentiation, and no firm alternative frameworks). vi The participants in this study were not exposed to practical work. This suggests the results might be different with learners exposed to practical work. It is therefore recommended that future studies look at the understanding of the role played by individual electrical components with learners who had practical experience with real electrical circuits. Majority of learners in this study could not communicate their scientific conclusions using English, as the English is their second language.

This Thesis explores the application of Tangible User Interfaces to Education. For this, a research study was conducted by building and testing an interactive game called Tangram Bridge. This Tangram based game was designed to teach players about basic physics principles such as balance, friction and motion on inclined planes. The focus of this Tangram Bridge is middle school physics, and therefore concerns children aged 11 years and up, their instructors and care givers. This research also lays a lot of emphasis on constructive play amongst children. Tangram Bridge is a versatile platform that can be scaled for younger or older populations A comparative study of existing Tangible User Interfaces ( TUIs) revealed opportunity spaces for this project. Through a compilation of related research in the fields of education, hands on learning, Tangible interaction and understanding play and learning amongst children, the constructionist views on learning are explored as guidelines for the design of this study. Through the analysis of comparative research studies, trends on TUI with relation to education emerged, informing the design process for Tangram Bridge. This research study discusses the application of Tangible user interfaces to education. It combines the research data collected through market research, user testing and literature reviews to explore the efficacy of TUI as teaching tool for abstract concepts that require imagination and experimentation.

This study describes first and second year university physics students' understanding and reasoning of the concepts, angular speed and angular acceleration. The analysis was based on student responses to various tasks presented to them during one hour long interviews. These responses were characterized from a phenomeno graphic research perspective developed by Marton (1981) and his colleagues at Gothenburg University in Sweden. The findings of the study are described by categories of description and by categories of reasoning. Categories of description characterize; students' conceptualizations of angular speed from different frames of reference, and the ways in which students make comparisons of the angular speeds of two objects. Categories of reasoning characterize the ways in which students were thought to reason about the concepts of angular speed and angular acceleration in several task settings. Interpretation of these findings are discussed with reference to the role a typical introductory physics textbook may have had in shaping the way in which students think about these angular kinematic concepts. Finally, instructional implications and directions for future research are given.

This study used a skill theory framework (Fischer & Bidell, 2006) and a microdevelopmental lens to characterize how six grade 8 students' conceptual understanding of conservation of matter changed in the context of a short discussion-based instructional unit. On average, students' conceptual understanding increased significantly, suggesting that a discussion-based approach might be effective in supporting students' learning. The general characteristics of focus students' microdevelopmental pathways were in accordance with those found in other microdevelopmental studies (e.g., Yan & Fischer, 2002), but changes in complexity of misconceptions might be intricately linked to how students learned conservation of matter. The analysis of conversational dimensions suggested that doubting, among other factors, might play an important role in students' learning. This study argues for an integrated microdevelopmental approach that includes conversational dimensions and characterizes changes in the complexity of misconceptions.

There are far fewer high school students enrolled in physics than in chemistry or biology courses within the province of Alberta (Alberta Education, 2007). Students are also completing the highest level math course in larger numbers than those taking physics. It appears that a fear of physics exists within students in our province; this fear seems to be related to a level of difficulty the students associate with physics. Many students either opt to not take physics or enter the course with the expectation of failure. In this study I explored the impact of physics’ reputation upon a group of students who chose not to take physics. In addition, I attempted to determine whether the perception of the difficulty of high school physics is accurate. This was done by investigating the perceptions of several students who took physics. I surveyed students from one high school in a small urban school district using group interviews. The students were in grades 10 to 12 and divided into groups of Science 10, Physics 20 and Physics 30 students. The students were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of what perceptions they have about physics and why they may have them, hoping to identify factors that affect their academic decision to take or not take physics classes. For the students interviewed, I found that the biggest influence on their decisions to take or not take physics was related to their future aspirations. The students were also heavily influenced by their perceptions of physics. The students who took physics claimed that physics was not as difficult as they had believed it to be and they reported that it was interesting, enjoyable and relevant. Those students who had chosen to not take physics perceived it would be difficult, irrelevant and boring. Therefore, a major difference of perception exists between the students who took physics and those that did not. / viii, 221 leaves ; 29 cm

This study examined the performance of the first cohort of learners writing Physical Science in the National Senior Certificate examinations. The critical question that the researcher addressed was: How can the results produced in Physical Science in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the 2008 NSC examination be used to give an understanding of the academic performance of learners? Using the mixed method approach, two data cohorts, namely the results produced by learners in Physical Science and the interview data, were subjected to analysis through the lens of phenomenology and semiotics. Findings of the study reveal that the education system still carries with it the inequalities of the past, with quality Physical Science to a few learners who were fortunate enough to attend privileged schools, identified by their high quintile ranking (5), in the predominately urban areas. The results of learners in poor, predominately rural schools, ranked quintile 1 and quintile 2, reveal that the “cycle of mediocrity” (Khan, 1995, p.128) still prevails. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This creative project is a teacher's manual to accompany the student materials previously developed for "Physics for Freshmen: A Laboratory Survey of Some Major Topics in Physics." The manual is divided into four sections for each of the 62 laboratory investigations. The teaser is intended to arouse interest in the principle to be studied. The equipment list is to aid the teacher in the preparation of materials. The introduction includes directions for preparation of materials, notes for introducing subject matter to the students, and directions and/or references for the operation of the equipment. The conclusion is basically notes to use in leading the students' discussion following their experimental work.The manual is intended for an experienced physics teacher or for someone trained in the field with a great deal of personal reference study.