Experimental Environments in PER: A Critical and Comparative Evaluation of the International Literature—Trends

Abstract

Education is considered the cornerstone needed for the smooth integration of any individual into society. It is of fundamental importance for all people and one of the most valuable means that contributes to the improvement and development of their lives and the society in which they live, create and produce. Education and its process concerns all academic subjects, and it is not limited exclusively to the theoretical level, but it extends to the practical exercise of the knowledge acquired. Within the educational framework, science education is also of major importance. To this end, effective teaching, aiming at the understanding of science and physics concepts, in particular, has been a diachronic interest of all those involved in the educational practice (students, teachers, stakeholders). Physics Education Research (PER) is a multilevel process that contributes to the above goal by constantly allowing education participants to broaden their knowledge in many areas of physics, leading to the improvement of physics concepts knowledge and understanding. Experimental practice, pertaining to a greater or lesser extent to all areas of PER (social aspects, technology, evaluation of instructional interventions or instructional material and more), constitutes an important research field for education and physics learning. In addition, through continuous feedback of the experiment-teaching-research and technology process, new combined motivating experimental and learning environments are constantly being created, incorporating interdisciplinary and cross-curricular approaches in physics education.