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Physical Review Physics Education Research

Test on the effectiveness of the sum over paths approach in favoring the construction of an integrated knowledge of quantum physics in high school

Massimiliano Malgieri, Pasquale Onorato, Anna De Ambrosis

Published Jan 3, 2017• 5 citations
Publisher
DOI
10.1103/physrevphyseducres.113.010101

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Test on the effectiveness of the sum over paths approach in favoring the construction of an integrated knowledge of quantum physics in high school

Massimiliano Malgieri, Pasquale Onorato, Anna De Ambrosis

In this paper we present the results of a research-based teaching-learning sequence on introductory quantum physics based on Feynman's sum over paths approach in the Italian high school.Our study focuses on students' understanding of two founding ideas of quantum physics, wave particle duality and the uncertainty principle.In view of recent research reporting the fragmentation of students' mental models of quantum concepts after initial instruction, we collected and analyzed data using the assessment tools provided by knowledge integration theory.Our results on the group of n ¼ 14 students who performed the final test indicate that the functional explanation of wave particle duality provided by the sum over paths approach may be effective in leading students to build consistent mental models of quantum objects, and in providing them with a unified perspective on both the photon and the electron.Results on the uncertainty principle are less clear cut, as the improvements over traditional instruction appear less significant.Given the low number of students in the sample, this work should be interpreted as a case study, and we do not attempt to draw definitive conclusions.However, our study suggests that (i) the sum over paths approach may deserve more attention from researchers and educators as a possible route to introduce basic concepts of quantum physics in high school, and (ii) more research should be focused not only on the correctness of students' mental models on individual concepts, but also on the ability of students to connect different ideas and experiments related to quantum theory in an organized whole.

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Publisher’s Note: Test on the effectiveness of the sum over paths approach in favoring the construction of an integrated knowledge of quantum physics in high school [Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 13 , 010101 (2017)]

Massimiliano Malgieri, Pasquale Onorato, Anna De Ambrosis

Received 19 January 2017DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.13.019901Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.© 2017 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasAssessmentInstructional materials developmentInstructional strategiesPhysics Education Research

Physical Review Physics Education Research•Feb 3, 2017•1 citation

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In this paper, we present an overview of recent developments in the Feynman sum over paths approach for teaching introductory quantum mechanics to high school students and university undergraduates. A turning point in recent research is identified in the clarification of the distinction between the time-dependent and time-independent approaches, and it is shown how the adoption of the latter has allowed new educational reconstructions to proceed much farther beyond what had previously been achieved. It is argued that sum over paths has now reached full maturity as an educational reconstruction of quantum physics and offers several advantages with respect to other approaches in terms of leading students to develop consistent mental models of quantum phenomena, achieving better conceptual understanding and a higher degree of longitudinal integration of knowledge.

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In this paper we present the results of a research-based teaching-learning sequence on introductory quantum physics based on Feynman's sum over paths approach in the Italian high school.Our study focuses on students' understanding of two founding ideas of quantum physics, wave particle duality and the uncertainty principle.In view of recent research reporting the fragmentation of students' mental models of quantum concepts after initial instruction, we collected and analyzed data using the assessment tools provided by knowledge integration theory.Our results on the group of n ¼ 14 students who performed the final test indicate that the functional explanation of wave particle duality provided by the sum over paths approach may be effective in leading students to build consistent mental models of quantum objects, and in providing them with a unified perspective on both the photon and the electron.Results on the uncertainty principle are less clear cut, as the improvements over traditional instruction appear less significant.Given the low number of students in the sample, this work should be interpreted as a case study, and we do not attempt to draw definitive conclusions.However, our study suggests that (i) the sum over paths approach may deserve more attention from researchers and educators as a possible route to introduce basic concepts of quantum physics in high school, and (ii) more research should be focused not only on the correctness of students' mental models on individual concepts, but also on the ability of students to connect different ideas and experiments related to quantum theory in an organized whole.
Received 19 January 2017DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.13.019901Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.© 2017 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasAssessmentInstructional materials developmentInstructional strategiesPhysics Education Research
In this paper, we present an overview of recent developments in the Feynman sum over paths approach for teaching introductory quantum mechanics to high school students and university undergraduates. A turning point in recent research is identified in the clarification of the distinction between the time-dependent and time-independent approaches, and it is shown how the adoption of the latter has allowed new educational reconstructions to proceed much farther beyond what had previously been achieved. It is argued that sum over paths has now reached full maturity as an educational reconstruction of quantum physics and offers several advantages with respect to other approaches in terms of leading students to develop consistent mental models of quantum phenomena, achieving better conceptual understanding and a higher degree of longitudinal integration of knowledge.