Radioactivity, Radiation, and Particle Physics in General

Abstract

It is difficult to define the scope of a topic like “nuclear physics and radioactivity”. From our knowledge of the research literature, however, we decided that topics of radioactivity, invisible electromagnetic radiation, and elementary particles should be discussed in this chapter. Physics education research in these three topics has been sparse over the last decades in comparison to research on, say, mechanics, optics or electric circuits. This is particularly the case of research in learning about particle physics, although recent efforts of, e.g., CERN, have started to change this in recent years. Our focus in this chapter will be on students' conceptions, but we will not limit our discussion to that. We will also discuss curricula and teaching approaches that have been developed to facilitate student learning. Most of this discussion will concern teaching approaches that are supported by research and corresponding publications in research journals. Finally, we will discuss results from physics education research on socio-scientific issues, like the perceived dangers and risks from radiation.