A formação de professores está presente entre as questões mais atuais da pesquisa em educação e em muitos dos discursos que balizam as políticas públicas. Documentos oficiais, como as diretrizes para a formação de professores da Educação Básica, de 2002, sinalizam necessidades de mudanças na formação inicial, especialmente no que diz respeito à superação de fragmentações. Isso significa, no caso específico da física, que, por exemplo, a formação inicial não pode se reduzir à superposição do aprender física com o aprender a ser professor. Diante desse quadro, buscamos investigar qual é o papel dos saberes de física na formação do professor, que espaços e formas esse saber ocupa nos currículos dos cursos de licenciatura e quais relações se estabelecem entre esses e os outros saberes presentes na formação inicial. Para isso, utilizamos referenciais teóricos da área de formação de professores e de teorias de currículo. Delimitamos três âmbitos de investigação, ainda que interdependentes: (i) políticas públicas gerais, (ii) resultados de pesquisas em ensino de ciências, expressão da comunidade de pesquisa da área, além dos (iii) espaços de concretização das práticas, referente aos cursos de licenciatura propriamente ditos. Para tanto, pesquisamos documentos oficiais e obras de cunho histórico sobre a formação de professores e a escola básica no Brasil; analisamos artigos presentes nas atas de eventos da área de ensino de ciências; investigamos cursos de licenciatura e mudanças curriculares, com atenção especial ao estudo em caso de um curso específico de licenciatura em física. Em todos esses momentos, procuramos caracterizar quais saberes específicos de física e quais saberes pedagógicos estavam sendo considerados, além de qual articulação entre esses saberes estava sendo proposta. Na maior parte do material analisado, constatamos que os saberes de física estão fortemente naturalizados. Isso significa que, a despeito das sinalizações de mudanças mais recentes, os saberes de física presentes nos cursos de licenciatura não têm sido alvo de questionamentos, problematizações ou propostas expressivas de modificações. São considerados como decorrentes de certa lógica interna da ciência, já instaurada nos cursos superiores de física. Nossos resultados sinalizam que sem tais reflexões, em que as questões das finalidades formativas ganhem destaque, será muito difícil superar a dicotomia entre saberes. No entanto, no caso específico analisado, há indícios positivos, apontando possibilidades de inovação. A partir dos resultados obtidos, defendemos que se faz urgente a rediscussão dos saberes de física na formação inicial em suas formas, espaços, objetivos e valores. / In the last decades, special attention has been devoted to researches related to teacher role in education process and its professional qualifications. Government documents, like the Diretrizes para a formação de professores da Educação Básica, published in 2002, called attention to the lack of connections between different approaches along teachers initial education programs. In the specific physics situation, this means that being a physics teacher must includes more than just learn physics and learn to be a teacher. In this frame of reference, we developed an investigation about how and which physics knowledge and other knowledge happen to integrate the curriculum of a physics teacher formation program. With this purpose, elements from curriculum theories and from teacher education proposals and reflections were discussed and incorporated. The investigations were developed in three interdependent scopes: (i) documents concerning educational general policies related to teachers programs as well as historical notes, (ii) results related to teachers education in the field of science learning researches and (iii) physics education curriculum, programs and courses (licenciaturas) in their self. In these different materials and moments we try to identify the aspects and selections concerning the physics knowledge that were being considered and which correlation was established in between this and the other knowledge to be a teacher. In almost all the cases that were analyzed we found that there is no discussion about which physics must be presented, as if there is just one and unique way of doing it. As a consequence, it means that the physics content remains unavailable to eventual changes and reproduces what is done in all physics undergraduate courses, granted by a casual epistemological science status. Our results indicate that the ultimate purposes of physics teaching are seldom considered, preventing from promoting a more autonomous teacher role. In this sense, we urge for a more comprehensive discussion about the kind of knowledge needed in the physics teacher education programs, including physics selections and organization, taking in account purposes, intentions and desired values to be promoted.

O presente trabalho visa apresentar uma proposta e uma breve análise do potencial pedagógico do tema da Astrofísica Estelar, uma vez que a teoria da formação e da evolução das estrelas é uma fusão da Astronomia com a chamada Física Moderna. O assunto proposto está idealmente situado para iluminar e reforçar a base física do Ensino Médio (termodinâmica básica, propriedades da luz, gravitação newtoniana etc.) por meio dos conceitos da Astrofísica Estelar na escola, já que eles se relacionam com o conteúdo que os alunos estavam aprendendo naquele momento. O trabalho se desenvolveu a partir da realização de quatro aulas aplicadas em cinco turmas da 2.a série do Ensino Médio, que tinham, no total, 69 alunos, em uma escola pública da cidade de São Paulo. O tema das aulas se relacionou com a formação e a evolução estelar; porém, também discorreu-se sobre questões mais gerais da Astronomia, como as constelações e o conceito de galáxia, a fim de introduzir o assunto para os estudantes. Toda a atividade foi elaborada a partir de uma apresentação de slides enriquecida com imagens e simulações. Como fonte de dados, utilizou-se um Questionário Inicial e um Final, aplicados durante a atividade, além da gravação das aulas e de outras anotações, sendo a pesquisadora a própria professora da turma. Analisou-se o aprendizado do grupo como um todo e a evolução conceitual de alguns alunos ao longo das aulas. Identificou-se defasagem nos conteúdos de Física dos alunos. Nesse sentido, as aulas sobre estrelas contribuíram de alguma maneira para o aprendizado dos estudantes, conforme verificado. Os resultados mostraram um progresso significativo, destacando-se alguns conceitos físicos agora integrados, tais como a luz e a gravitação. / This study aims to present a proposal and a brief analysis on the pedagogic potential of Stellar Astrophysics, since the theory of formation and evolution of stars is a merger of astronomy and the so-called Modern Physics. The proposed theme is ideally posted to enlighten and enhance the high school basic physics (basic thermodynamics, properties of light, Newtonian gravity, etc.), addressing stellar astrophysics concepts at school, since they relate to the subjects the students are learning simultaneously. The work has been developed through the application of four lessons for five different second year high school groups of students, totaling 69 students from a public school in the city of São Paulo. The subject of the lessons was related on star formation and stellar evolution, although more general topics related to astronomy were also addressed, such as constellations and the concept of galaxy, in order to introduce the topics to the students. All activity was developed through a slide show enriched with images and simulations. For the data survey, initial and final questionnaires were used during the activity, in addition to the classes records and other notes, being the researcher the class teacher. An analysis of the learning of the group as a whole was made as well as a study of the conceptual evolution of some students throughout the classes. We identified a discrepancy in students\' physical contents. For that matter, the lessons about star contributed somehow to the students\' learning, as verified. The results showed a significant evolution, highlighting some physical concepts now integrated, such as light, gravitation and others.

Jovens estudantes reclamam de suas aulas de física no ensino médio. Professores reclamam da superficialidade das aulas e da falta de condições objetivas de trabalho. Cientistas reclamam da fraca formação de base e do baixo investimento em pesquisa e educação. Pesquisadores em ensino de física desenvolvem propostas, projetos, metodologias e materiais e compreendem processos internos, externos, históricos e fenomenológicos. Os governos insistem que estão ampliando os investimentos em educação. E os jovens estudantes continuam a reclamar das aulas de física que frequentam no ensino médio. A precariedade do ensino de física no Brasil é notória e muito tem sido feito nas últimas décadas em termos de pesquisa, de apresentação de resultados e de mudanças na legislação. Neste trabalho, parto da hipótese de que o ensino de física de nível médio no Brasil está muito aquém do que se produz em pesquisa científica e tecnológica e de que os professores estão insatisfeitos com sua prática cotidiana, e defendo a tese de que é preciso romper com a atual estrutura de trabalho do professor se for almejada uma formação científica cidadã, autônoma, crítica e plena em democracia. Foi estudado como o trabalho docente esteve organizado ao longo das últimas décadas e como está estruturado neste início de século, segundo a lógica do capitalismo contemporâneo (MÉSZÁROS; BRUNO; BERNARDO; MARX; PARO), como a física vem sendo construída nos últimos milênios (ZANETIC; KUHN; MENEZES; FEYNMAN) e o que tem sido produzido recentemente na pesquisa em ensino de física (SALEM; KAWAMURA). A coleta de dados se deu a partir da aplicação de um questionário envolvendo a organização do trabalho docente, a física enquanto ciência e cultura e a pesquisa em ensino de física, respondidas por professores de física de nível médio de escolas públicas da cidade de São Paulo, englobando unidades municipais, estaduais e federais. A realidade do trabalho dos professores de física lhes impede que preparem melhor suas aulas e que tornem a física mais viva, como eles têm vontade; terminam por manter aulas expositivas, ensinando a física clássica de modo tradicional. Há a necessidade urgente de mudarmos a forma e o conteúdo do trabalho docente. / Young students complain about their physics classes in high school. Teachers complain about the superficiality of the classes and the lack of objective conditions of work. Scientists complain of poor basic education and low investment in research and education. Researchers in physics education develop proposals, projects, methodologies and materials and they understand historical, phenomenological, internal and external processes. Governments insist they are increasing investments in education. And the young students still complain of physics classes they attend high school. The precariousness of physical education in Brazil is notorious and much has been made in recent decades about research, presentation of results and changes in legislation. In this work, i\'ve started from hypothesis than the secundary physics education in Brazil it\'s far away of what is produced in scientific and technological research and that teachers are dissatisfied with their daily practice, and I argue that it is necessary to break with the current teacher\'s work structure if desired a citizen, autonomous, critical scientific education in a full democracy. It was studied as the teaching work has been organized over the past decades and it is structured this century, according to the logic of contemporary capitalism (MÉSZÁROS; BRUNO; BERNARDO; MARX; PARO), as physics has been built in the last millennia (ZANETIC; KUHN; MENEZES, FEYNMAN) and that has recently been produced in physics education research (SALEM, KAWAMURA). The data collection was carried out from the application of a questionnaire involving the organization of teaching, physics as a science and culture and research in physics teaching, answered by physics teachers from secundary public schools in the city of São Paulo encompassing local, state and federal units. The reality of physics teachers\' work prevents them better prepare their lessons and to make physics more alive as they will; they end to keep expositive lectures, teaching classical physics in the traditional way. There is an urgent need to change the form and content of teaching work.

O presente trabalho visa apresentar uma proposta e uma breve análise do potencial pedagógico do tema da Astrofísica Estelar, uma vez que a teoria da formação e da evolução das estrelas é uma fusão da Astronomia com a chamada Física Moderna. O assunto proposto está idealmente situado para iluminar e reforçar a base física do Ensino Médio (termodinâmica básica, propriedades da luz, gravitação newtoniana etc.) por meio dos conceitos da Astrofísica Estelar na escola, já que eles se relacionam com o conteúdo que os alunos estavam aprendendo naquele momento. O trabalho se desenvolveu a partir da realização de quatro aulas aplicadas em cinco turmas da 2.a série do Ensino Médio, que tinham, no total, 69 alunos, em uma escola pública da cidade de São Paulo. O tema das aulas se relacionou com a formação e a evolução estelar; porém, também discorreu-se sobre questões mais gerais da Astronomia, como as constelações e o conceito de galáxia, a fim de introduzir o assunto para os estudantes. Toda a atividade foi elaborada a partir de uma apresentação de slides enriquecida com imagens e simulações. Como fonte de dados, utilizou-se um Questionário Inicial e um Final, aplicados durante a atividade, além da gravação das aulas e de outras anotações, sendo a pesquisadora a própria professora da turma. Analisou-se o aprendizado do grupo como um todo e a evolução conceitual de alguns alunos ao longo das aulas. Identificou-se defasagem nos conteúdos de Física dos alunos. Nesse sentido, as aulas sobre estrelas contribuíram de alguma maneira para o aprendizado dos estudantes, conforme verificado. Os resultados mostraram um progresso significativo, destacando-se alguns conceitos físicos agora integrados, tais como a luz e a gravitação. / This study aims to present a proposal and a brief analysis on the pedagogic potential of Stellar Astrophysics, since the theory of formation and evolution of stars is a merger of astronomy and the so-called Modern Physics. The proposed theme is ideally posted to enlighten and enhance the high school basic physics (basic thermodynamics, properties of light, Newtonian gravity, etc.), addressing stellar astrophysics concepts at school, since they relate to the subjects the students are learning simultaneously. The work has been developed through the application of four lessons for five different second year high school groups of students, totaling 69 students from a public school in the city of São Paulo. The subject of the lessons was related on star formation and stellar evolution, although more general topics related to astronomy were also addressed, such as constellations and the concept of galaxy, in order to introduce the topics to the students. All activity was developed through a slide show enriched with images and simulations. For the data survey, initial and final questionnaires were used during the activity, in addition to the classes records and other notes, being the researcher the class teacher. An analysis of the learning of the group as a whole was made as well as a study of the conceptual evolution of some students throughout the classes. We identified a discrepancy in students\' physical contents. For that matter, the lessons about star contributed somehow to the students\' learning, as verified. The results showed a significant evolution, highlighting some physical concepts now integrated, such as light, gravitation and others.

As Histórias em Quadrinhos (HQ) vêm, há mais de um século, divertindo, informando e educando seus leitores. Seu código de formatação próprio e linguagem universal têm influenciado a formação cultural de várias gerações. Dado esse potencial, o presente trabalho enfoca a utilização das Histórias em Quadrinhos como instrumento para o ensino de física. Com essa perspectiva, apresenta-se nessa investigação uma proposta de utilização das HQ em sala de aula e analisa-se os resultados de sua implementação para o ensino do princípio da inércia. Embasados em um referencial construtivista de ensino, e partindo da hipótese de que a História em Quadrinhos apresenta uma série de características lúdicas e psico-lingüísticas apropriadas ao processo de ensino e aprendizagem, elaboramos uma HQ que buscasse instigar o aluno na busca da resolução de um problema envolvendo a 1a lei de Newton, procurando interpretar a influência desta proposta à luz da Teoria de Mudança Conceitual. Os dados do estudo, obtidos através de questionários, entrevistas, observações de aulas e documentos com cerca de 50 alunos de duas classes da oitava série do ensino fundamental, evidenciam resultados e indícios favoráveis quanto à aprendizagem do referido conceito científico, envolvimento e possibilidades de criatividade por parte dos alunos que utilizaram a História em Quadrinhos no ambiente escolar e à apropriação da proposta por parte da professora que aplicou o projeto em sala de aula. / The Comics Books, for more than one century, have been being entertaining, informing and teaching their readers. Their own formatation code and universal language have been influencing severals generations cultural formation. According to this potential, the present work emphasis the Comics Books usage as Physics teaching instrument. From this point of view, we are showing in this investigation an usage proposal of Comics Books during the classes, and we are, preliminary, analyzing the results of its implementation to the inertia principle teaching. Utilizing a construtivist theory of teaching, and supposing that Comic´s Books have several playing and psico-linguistics characteristics that can be used in the process of teaching and learning, we make a Comic Book that would instigate the student to solve a problem that involved the 1st Newton´s law, interpreting the influency of this proposition through the Conceptual Change´s Theory. The studying data, obtained through questionnaires, interviews, classes observations and documents with 50 students, approximately, of two classes from the last year of the elementary school, show us very favorable results and evidences in relation with the learning of scientific concept, involving e criative possibilites by the students that utilize the comics books in their school enviroment, and the proposal appropriation by the teacher who applies the project in the classes.

Representations (such as pictures, diagrams, word descriptions, equations, etc.) are critical tools for learning, problem solving, and communicating in science, particularly in physics where multiple representations often serve as intermediate steps, a means to evaluate a solution, and highlight different aspects a physical phenomenon. This dissertation explores the representation choices made by students in the University Modeling Instruction (MI) courses on problems from across introductory physics content. Modeling Instruction is a two-semester introductory, calculus-based physics sequence that was designed to guide students through the process of building, testing, applying, and refining models. As a part of this modeling cycle, students have explicit instruction and practice in building, evaluating, and coordinating representations in introductory physics. Since I am particularly interested in representations across all of introductory physics, this work was situated in the second semester of MI. To address students' representation choices, the Problem Solving and Representation Use Survey (PSRUS) was developed as modified card sort survey, which asked students to simply list the representations that they would use on 25 physics questions from across introductory physics. Using non-parametric statistical tests (Mann-Whitney-Wilcox, Wilcoxon-Ranked Sign, and Cliff's Delta), I compare the number and variety of representations that students choose. Initially, students who took the first semester of MI use significantly more representations in their problem solving when compared to those who did not; however, there are significant gains in the number of representations that these students choose over the semester across the introductory physics content. After significant changes to the second semester MI curriculum, the difference between these two groups disappears, with both groups increasing their representation choices when compared to the previous semester. Using network analysis to compare students' concurrent representation choices, I also show that students use a consistent set of representations on mechanics problems; whereas, they choose a wider variety on electricity and magnetism (EM) problems. In both mechanics and EM, pictures serve as an important connecting representation between the others. I use these results to make suggestions for instructors, curriculum developers, and physics education researchers.

Depuis 2004, mes travaux se sont développés au sein de deux axes thématiques assez distincts de la recherche en didactique de la physique : le premier s'inscrit dans la continuité de ma thèse et se pose comme une contribution à l'exploration des liens entre histoire de la physique, recherche en didactique et enseignement ; le second concerne un domaine de la recherche en didactique encore peu exploré et vise à éclairer quelques questions liées à l'apprentissage de la cinématique relativiste. Ce second axe de recherche s'est développé à la suite de l'obtention d'un contrat ANR-blanc en mai 2009 (ANR EVEILS) dont la visée est le développement de scénarios d'apprentissage adaptés à un environnement virtuel immersif 3D. Derrière l'apparente disjonction de ces deux orientations, se cache un objectif commun. Dans les deux cas en effet, les difficultés des élèves (et des étudiants) et les raisonnements qu'ils mettent en œuvre pour résoudre telle ou telle situation physique constituent des éléments d'orientation pour l'élaboration de scénarios didactiques qui, dans un cas, vont se donner pour but d'aborder la physique par son histoire, dans l'autre cas, vont permettre d'approcher certains aspects de la physique relativiste (non-simultanéité des évènements, déformation spatiale des objets...) à travers l'utilisation d'un environnement virtuel immersif 3D. Des questions liées à l'évaluation de l'impact de la mise en œuvre de ces scénarios sur l'apprentissage émergent dans un cas comme dans l'autre.

Die vorliegende Arbeit versammelt zwei einleitende Kapitel und zehn Essays, die sich als kritisch-konstruktive Beiträge zu einem "erlebenden Verstehen" (Buck) von Physik lesen lassen. Die traditionelle Anlage von Schulphysik zielt auf eine systematische Darstellung naturwissenschaftlichen Wissens, das dann an ausgewählten Beispielen angewendet wird: Schulexperimente beweisen die Aussagen der Systematik (oder machen sie wenigstens plausibel), ausgewählte Phänomene werden erklärt. In einem solchen Rahmen besteht jedoch leicht die Gefahr, den Bezug zur Lebenswirklichkeit oder den Interessen der Schüler zu verlieren. Diese Problematik ist seit mindestens 90 Jahren bekannt, didaktische Antworten - untersuchendes Lernen, Kontextualisierung, Schülerexperimente etc. - adressieren allerdings eher Symptome als Ursachen. Naturwissenschaft wird dadurch spannend, dass sie ein spezifisch investigatives Weltverhältnis stiftet: man müsste gleichsam nicht Wissen, sondern "Fragen lernen" (und natürlich auch, wie Antworten gefunden werden...). Doch wie kann dergleichen auf dem Niveau von Schulphysik aussehen, was für einen theoretischen Rahmen kann es hier geben? In den gesammelten Arbeiten wird einigen dieser Spuren nachgegangen: Der Absage an das zu modellhafte Denken in der phänomenologischen Optik, der Abgrenzung formal-mathematischen Denkens gegen wirklichkeitsnähere Formen naturwissenschaftlicher Denkbewegungen und Evidenz, dem Potential alternativer Interpretationen von "Physikunterricht", der Frage nach dem "Verstehen" u.a. Dabei werden nicht nur Bezüge zum modernen bildungstheoretischen Paradigma der Kompetenz sichtbar, sondern es wird auch versucht, eine ganze Reihe konkrete (schul-)physikalische Beispiele dafür zu geben, was passiert, wenn nicht schon gewusste Antworten Thema werden, sondern Expeditionen, die sich der physischen Welt widmen: Die Schlüsselbegriffe des Fachs, die Methoden der Datenerhebung und Interpretation, die Such- und Denkbewegungen kommen dabei auf eine Weise zur Sprache, die sich nicht auf die Fachsystematik abstützen möchte, sondern diese motivieren, konturieren und verständlich machen will. / This book is a collection of two introductory chapters and ten essays that address questions concerning "experiential learning" in physics. Traditionally, physics education has been trying to convey a systematic picture of salient scientific knowledge, which would then be applied to selected experiments and phenomena. However, within such a framework, students' real life experiences and interests can hardly be related to. This problem is well known, but typical solutions within science education address merely the methods and conditions of learning, thereby treating symptoms and missing the underlying problem. For our discussion we have chosen a different point of departure: The fascination of science arises from its investigative nature, which allows us to relate to our world in novel ways. Accordingly, we should teach how to inquire nature, rather than giving canonical answers. What would be the practical consequences of such an approach, and what would the theoretical framework look like? These collected essays investigate a number of approaches toward this issue: phenomenological optics and its rejection of kinematic pictures, the distinction between mathematical reasoning and scientific evidence, the potential of non-conventional interpretations of science teaching, the meaning of "understanding" etc. This discussion merges into the current discourse about competence, while illustrating a kind of physics teaching that encourages "expeditions" into the realm of physics. Here, the key concepts, methods of investigation, and ways of reasoning are not simply based on the established edifice of physics, but rather serve to motivate, clarify, and elucidate its structures and practices.

Solving physics problem in university physics education with a computational approach requires knowledge and skills in several domains, for example, physics, mathematics, programming, and modelling. These competences are in turn related to students' beliefs about these domains as well as about learning, and their motivation to learn. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the role of university physics students' knowledge, beliefs and motivation when solving and visualizing a physics problem using a computational approach. The results showed that expert-like beliefs about physics and learning physics together with prior knowledge were important predictors of the quality of performance. Feelings corresponding to control and concentration, i.e., emotions that are expected to be good indicators of students' motivation were also good predictors of performance. However, intrinsic motivation, as indicated by enjoyment and interest, together with beliefs expressing students' personal interest and utility value, did not predict performance to any higher extent. Instead, my results indicate that integration and identification of expert-like beliefs about learning and concentration and control emotions during learning are more influential on the quality of performance. Thus, the results suggest that the development of students' epistemological beliefs is important for students' ability to learn from realistic problem-solving situations with many degrees of freedom in physics education. In order to investigate knowledge and beliefs structures network modeling has been applied as a novel tool for analysis. Students' epistemic frames are analyzed before and after the task in computational physics using a network analysis approach on interview transcripts, producing visual representations of mental models. The results show that students change their epistemic framing from a modelling task, with expectancies about learning programming, to a physics task, in which they are challenged to use physics principles and conservation laws in order to troubleshoot and understand their simulations. This implies that the task, even though it is not introducing any new physics, helped the students to develop a more consistent view of the importance of using physics principles in problem solving. When comparing students' framing with teachers,' it is shown that although teachers and students agree on the main features of simulation competence in physics, differences in their epistemic networks can be distinguished. For example, while teachers believe that numerical problem solving facilitates fundamental understanding of physics and mathematics, this is not obvious to students. This implies that university teachers need to be aware of these differences as well as students' beliefs in order to challenge students' expectations and to give support concerning the learning objectives of the assignment.

In Sweden today women are greatly under-represented within university physics and the discipline of physics is also symbolically associated with men and masculinity. This motivates in-depth investigations of issues of physics, learning and gender. This thesis explores how physics students' simultaneously constitute the practice of physics as enacted in student and research laboratories and their physicist identities in relation to this practice. In particular, it focuses on how these constitutions can be understood as gendered. Previously, physics education research has often limited 'gender perspective' to focusing on comparisons between man and woman students, whereas this study conceptualises gender as an aspect of social identity constitution. A point of departure for the thesis is the theoretical framework which combines situated learning theory and post-structural gender theory. This framework allows for a simultaneous analysis of how students 'do physics' and 'do gender', thereby making a theoretical contribution to physics education research. In the empirical study twenty-two undergraduate and graduate physics students were interviewed about their physics studies, with a particular focus on laboratory work. The analytical outcomes of the study illustrate a wide variety of possible identity constitutions and possible ways of constituting the physicist community of practice. For example, the students expressed conflicting interpretations of what are suitable practices in the student laboratory in terms of the value of practical versus analytical skills. The boundaries of the physicist community of practice are constituted in relation to, for example, other disciplines, interdisciplinary practices and a traditional femininity practice. Thus, the thesis demonstrates the complexity in physics students gendered negotiations of what it can mean to be a physicist. The ambition of the thesis is further to promote discussions about gender and physics, by engaging readers in critical reflections about the practice of physics, and, thus, to inform the teaching practice of physics.