In this study, consistent with the interpretivist paradigm, focus group discussions (FGDs) were used together data about tertiary physics students’ multiple ontologies / realities on wave – particle duality. Findings of the study show the need to afford tertiary physics students opportunities to critically think so that they develop ontologies which may contribute to debates aiming to solve pertinent wave – particle issues. Therefore physics educators should expose tertiary physics students to teaching and learning contexts which develop flexible ontologies about wave – particle duality. Such exposure encourages tertiary physics students to engage in exploring alternatives which may be scientifically significant.
In this study, consistent with the interpretivist paradigm, focus group discussions (FGDs) were used together data about tertiary physics students’ multiple ontologies / realities on wave – particle duality. Findings of the study show the need to afford tertiary physics students opportunities to critically think so that they develop ontologies which may contribute to debates aiming to solve pertinent wave – particle issues. Therefore physics educators should expose tertiary physics students to teaching and learning contexts which develop flexible ontologies about wave – particle duality. Such exposure encourages tertiary physics students to engage in exploring alternatives which may be scientifically significant.
A common learning goal for modern physics instructors is for students to recognize a difference between the experimental uncertainty of classical physics and the fundamental uncertainty of quantum mechanics. Our studies suggest this notoriously difficult task may be frustrated by the intuitively realist perspectives of introductory students, and a lack of ontological flexibility in their conceptions of light and matter. We have developed a framework for understanding and characterizing student perspectives on the physical interpretation of quantum mechanics, and demonstrate the differential impact on student thinking of the myriad ways instructors approach interpretive themes in their introductory courses. Like expert physicists, students interpret quantum phenomena differently, and these interpretations are significantly influenced by their overall stances on questions central to the so-called measurement problem: Is the wave function physically real, or simply a mathematical tool? Is the collapse of the wave function an ad hoc rule, or a physical transition not described by any equation? Does an electron, being a form of matter, exist as a localized particle at all times? These questions, which are of personal and academic interest to our students, are largely only superficially addressed in our introductory courses, often for fear of opening a Pandora's Box of student questions, none of which have easy answers. We show how a transformed modern physics curriculum (recently implemented at the University of Colorado) may positively impact student perspectives on indeterminacy and wave-particle duality, by making questions of classical and quantum reality a central theme of our course, but also by making the beliefs of our students, and not just those of scientists, an explicit topic of discussion.
A common learning goal for modern physics instructors is for students to recognize a difference between the experimental uncertainty of classical physics and the fundamental uncertainty of quantum mechanics. Our studies suggest this notoriously difficult task may be frustrated by the intuitively realist perspectives of introductory students, and a lack of ontological flexibility in their conceptions of light and matter. We have developed a framework for understanding and characterizing student perspectives on the physical interpretation of quantum mechanics, and demonstrate the differential impact on student thinking of the myriad ways instructors approach interpretive themes in their introductory courses. Like expert physicists, students interpret quantum phenomena differently, and these interpretations are significantly influenced by their overall stances on questions central to the so-called measurement problem: Is the wave function physically real, or simply a mathematical tool? Is the collapse of the wave function an ad hoc rule, or a physical transition not described by any equation? Does an electron, being a form of matter, exist as a localized particle at all times? These questions, which are of personal and academic interest to our students, are largely only superficially addressed in our introductory courses, often for fear of opening a Pandora's Box of student questions, none of which have easy answers. We show how a transformed modern physics curriculum (recently implemented at the University of Colorado) may positively impact student perspectives on indeterminacy and wave-particle duality, by making questions of classical and quantum reality a central theme of our course, but also by making the beliefs of our students, and not just those of scientists, an explicit topic of discussion.
Abstract Wave-particle duality is included in many secondary school and university physics curricula as a concept central to quantum physics. The very term wave-particle duality suggests that a firm grasp of the individual classical concepts of wave and particle is crucial to studying quantum mechanics successfully. This raises the question whether students’ mental models of these concepts are sufficiently addressed and developed prior to the teaching of wave-particle duality. We explored Dutch upper secondary school students’ mental models of waves and particles using a short questionnaire. It was administered to a total of 147 students from two different groups. One group consisted of secondary school students prior to receiving formal education in introductory quantum mechanics while students from the other group had recently completed the Dutch national curriculum for pre-university education, which includes wave-particle duality. Our findings support the notion that students model classical particles and waves as mutually exclusive phenomena. Mental models of wave-particle duality, which require mixing the two classical models, appear to be only superficially developed. Our findings open avenues for future research on students’ mental models of waves and particles as basis for wave-particle duality.
Physics students, teachers, and preservice teachers (PSTs) struggle with the abstract nature of quantum mechanics (QM), which has led to calls for a more conceptual approach to QM teaching and learning. In response, this study uses a novel analogy between Kundt’s tube and the infinite quantum well to elicit discussion of ontological issues. We investigated PSTs’ use of ontologies, including their interpretation of the wave function. Nine PSTs participated in the analogy lesson; dialogues were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. We identified five different ontologies: one classical and four quantum ontologies. The importance of probabilities in PSTs’ quantum ontologies stood out. Three ontologies (probabilistic particle, particle-wave, and probabilistic wave) expand the particle-wave duality, while the fourth (wave collapse) added a dynamic element to this axis. PSTs often used a single ontology in response to one aspect of the analogy but switched flexibly between ontologies across aspects of the analogy that they discussed. Concerning the wave function, we found both realist and formalist stances, revealing a diversity of interpretations that contrasts with the uniformity of the formalist QM courses PSTs had attended. We conclude that explicit attention to ontological issues in QM, supported by classical-quantum analogies, provides insight into PSTs’ ontological reasoning and offers a conceptual approach to teaching and learning QM. We present recommendations for PST training and implications for QM teaching reform.
Fundamental notions of quantum physics are included in introductory university curricula, in physics teacher training, and even in secondary education, both in Argentina and in various other countries worldwide. Among these fundamental concepts is wave-particle duality (WPD), a key concept and a gateway to the quantum world. This paper presents a critical review of the literature on WPD in specialized journals on physics education and science education at the local, regional, and international context, aiming to gather the most relevant findings regarding its teaching and learning. Preliminary results indicate that these findings can be categorized based on their primary purpose into four categories: Teaching WPD, Learning WPD, Historical and Epistemological Reflections on WPD and Reviews on the Teaching and Learning of Quantum Physics (including WPD).
Just as expert physicists vary in their personal stances on interpretation in quantum mechanics, instructors hold different views on teaching interpretations of quantum phenomena in introductory modern physics courses. There has been relatively little research in the physics education community on the variation in instructional approaches with respect to quantum interpretation, and how instructional choices impact student thinking. We compare two modern physics courses taught at the University of Colorado with similar learning environments, but where the instructors held different views on how to teach students about interpretations of quantum processes. We find significant differences in how students from these two courses responded to a survey on their beliefs about quantum mechanics; findings also suggest that instructors who choose to address student ontologies should do so across a range of topics.