This doctoral thesis concerns the designs, creation, and a pilot survey of real remotely controlled laboratories that can be used for the introduction to modern physics within the integrated e-learning strategy. With grant support four new remote laboratory experiments could be created, featuring some innovations like the possibility to modify experimental setup, and the design allowing to make a mistake and to obtain nonsensical experimental data in order to test students' critical thinking. The new remote experiment topics are: laws of radioactivity, polarisation state of light, photoelectric effect, and the origin of spectral lines. The emphasis is put on easy experimental data acquision (measurement, record, and download) for further scientific statistical or advanced graphical data proces- sing. The pilot survey aims to select adequate research designs, tools, and data sources and it describes the results and experience from the observation at several Czech secondary schools. The most interesting findings were revealed by action log file analysis and interviews with teachers and students. Finally, real usability of remote laboratory experiments in lessons and physics education is discussed. 1

The doctoral thesis is divided into two parts - Thermal analysis in physics education on high school and Material research of Al-Zn-Mg(-Cu-Sc-Zr) alloys. Within the first part, the areas of crystallization and/or melting of selected foods were determined using differential scanning calorimetry. A practical lesson for high school physics has been created and tested. The study text focused mainly on differential scanning calorimetry and its use was made. In the second part of the doctoral thesis, there was analysed thermal evolution of the phase transformation in the Al- Zn-Mg(-Cu) alloys with Sc and Zr addition. The effect of (cold and hot) deformation on the decomposition sequences was studied. The hardening effect after annealing above 300 řC in the Sc and Zr alloys is caused by the precipitation of the secondary Al3Sc,Zr) particles. These particles were observed by transmission electron microscopy after annealing up to 360 řC in all studied AlZnMg(Cu)ScZr alloys. In the AlZnMgCu alloy the partial recrystallization was observed after annealing at 350 řC/10 hours and after annealing at 450 řC/10 hours the grain size was 50-200 m (depending on the treatment of the alloy). The addition of Sc, Zr in the AlZnMgCuScZr stabilizes grains and there is no recrystallization in the AlZnMgCuScZr alloy at temperature...

Keine andere Wissenschaft ist in einem so hohen Maße mathematisiert wie die Physik. Aufgrund dieser engen Verbindung beider Wissenschaften muss geklärt werden, welche Rolle die Mathematik im Physikunterricht spielen soll. Um einen theoretischen Rahmen bereitzustellen, wird ein didaktisches Modell erarbeitet, das mathematik- und physikdidaktische Erkenntnisse mit wissenschaftstheoretischen Argumenten zur Rolle der Mathematik in der Physik verbindet. Unter der daraus resultierenden Perspektive der konzeptuell-mathematischen Physik wird die Aufgabenkultur im Physikunterricht beleuchtet und neue Aufgaben zum Themengebiet der Mechanik konstruiert, die die Übersetzung zwischen physikalischer Bedeutung und mathematischen Strukturen thematisieren. Auf diesen Aufgaben basiert die qualitative empirische Studie, die die Verständnisprobleme von Schülerinnen und Schülern neunter und zehnter Klassen verschiedener Gymnasien beim Verbinden von Physik und Mathematik untersucht. Die Analyse ergibt verschiedene Problembereiche, wobei sich insbesondere beim Übersetzen zwischen physikalischer Bedeutung und mathematischen Strukturen problematische Vorstellungen zeigen. So werden teilweise funktionale Abhängigkeiten zwischen den Faktoren eines Produktes gesehen. Andererseits zeigt sich aber auch, dass der Abgleich zwischen der mathematischen Herleitung und der physikalischen Interpretation der entscheidende Faktor für das erfolgreiche Lösen einer Aufgabe sein kann.

The strategic goal of the research presented in this diploma thesis is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of physics teaching at secondary schools. During the research, we focused on the following two questions: Which quality parameters are typical for teaching led by physics teachers whose students continue their studies at MFF UK? How do teachers affect students gifted in physics and motivated for it? A case study was chosen as the research plan. Specifically, we focused on teaching of three teachers, whose students continue to study physics at university to an increased extent. The quantitative part, in which the pedagogical observation of teaching took place, was led as ex-post-facto research. This was followed by a qualitative part, in which semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Thanks to them the obtained information was put in a broader context. The research results showed that fulfillment of several parameters is common for the teaching of all the teachers (e.g. physics expertise, mathematics model, abstraction, students' expressing), in other parameters their teaching differs (e.g. teaching aids, lecturing, students' interest, use of assessment) and some parameters are almost non-existent in teaching (e.g. work with text, heuristic method). Several research...

The main purpose of this diploma thesis is to obtain information on how Matfyz can improve its cooperation with high school students and their physics teachers to increase students' interest in physics. To obtain these information a questionnaire was sent to physics teachers, who had been mentioned by Matfyz students as teachers who had had a positive effect on them. The questionnaire itself consists of four parts - events for students, events for physics teachers, Mat- fyz activities, and teaching. The data was processed using both quantitative and qualitative methods, whereas larger part of research was build on quantitative methods. The collected data showed that according to respondents the most im- portant task is to focus on non-Prague students. Thus, organizers should organize events in various places in the Czech Republic or use modern technologies and organize events on-line (that also applies to events for physics teachers). High school students might also meet with scientists and university physics students, visit laboratories except for visitors' days (e. g. during excursions, internships) or have an opportunity to find out how physics in companies is used. Respondents expressed support for writing a new physics textbook on Matfyz, one containing more difficult parts for talented students.

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<p>  </p> <p>The dissertation study presented here explores what higher education instructors believe about problem-solving. Beliefs about problem-solving pedagogy and the influences that change pedagogical approaches in the post-secondary realm of physics education require more robust exploration. The level of change that occurs through the day-to-day teaching cycle and the support that garners improvement are essential aspects of teaching in higher education that need robust understanding.</p> <p>Insight into higher education could illuminate the transitional experience of students between high school and college-level physics. This study explores the beliefs of Indiana college and high school educators, all of whom teach college-level physics content, and probed how those beliefs shaped higher education instructional strategies and teaching philosophies. The study was conducted using a Constructivist Grounded Theory approach.</p> <p>The findings show that physics educators in college and high school learning environments lacked support explicitly geared toward them and physics. All the educators included in the study taught college-level physics. Four of the six participants were the only ones teaching physics in their schools. Despite the isolation, all participants noted the importance of peer-to-peer learning for themselves and their students, noting interactions with exterior training opportunities (e.g., educational conferences or online educator communities). However, the most crucial source of change in their teaching beliefs and approaches that the participants noted was the feedback they received from students.</p>

<p>  </p> <p>In order to comprehend complex and abstract phenomena, students must partake in the process of learning by integrating complex and invisible components without ever physically encountering or manipulating such components. Prior knowledge and experiences will influence the way students assimilate and model new experiences and knowledge. If prior knowledge possesses a degree of non-normative conceptions, students' understanding of abstract phenomena may diverge dramatically from accepted scientific explanations. Embodied cognition proposes that learning about natural phenomena can develop from information gained via interactions between the body and the physical environment. Multimodal experiences can shape students' conceptual understanding of abstract phenomena.</p> <p>Incorporating technology tools to explore science concepts is a trend utilized to give high-quality education. The use of physical and virtual manipulation tools in science instruction has favored the improvement of modeling science phenomena in general. Visuohaptic simulations are also learning manipulatives that blend physical and virtual manipulation affordances as a unison experience. </p> <p>The current dissertation proposed the implementation of a learning experience where students engage in experimentation with a visuo-haptic simulation to explore and model reaction forces on truss structures. The study examined undergraduate students’ conceptual understanding, graphical representations, and the modeling refinement process of reaction forces on truss structures before, during, and after engaging with visuo-haptic simulation on truss structures using different modalities. A design-based research methodology was implemented to design, explore, and refine a learning experience with a visuo-haptic simulation of truss structures through two research phases. The learning experience occurred as a laboratory activity in a statics course at a Midwest university.</p> <p>The first phase of this dissertation investigated students' conceptual understanding and graphical representations of reactive forces on a complex truss structure by interacting with a visuo-haptic simulation of truss structures. Students participated in two treatment groups: visuo-haptic exposure and visual-only exposure. The results of the first phase suggested that students that engaged with the visuo-haptic simulation using different modalities improved their conceptual understanding of truss structures significantly. Moreover, students exposed to haptic feedback significantly improved their graphical representations on tasks where the haptic feedback was involved. </p> <p>The second phase of the current dissertation examined students’ developing models of reactive forces on a truss structure before, during, and after engaging with a visuo-haptic simulation of truss structures. Students participated in two sequential treatment groups: visual to visuo-haptic and haptic to visuo-haptic. The quantitative results suggest that both treatment groups performed significantly better in their model representations after being exposed to the learning experience but show no difference across treatment groups. The qualitative results suggest that the visual to visuo-haptic group interpreted their experiences much more coherently, leading to a more sophisticated version of their model of reaction forces on truss structures. </p>

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