Development of teaching-learning sequences on quantum physics for the Italian secondary school

Abstract

In the past 15 years, quantum mechanics has been included in most secondary school standards, including the Italian ones, but still in a rather marginal way. The conceptual complexity of quantum mechanics is often a hurdle for students as well as for teachers; as a consequence, most teachers and textbooks opt for narrative/historical approaches which, however, are not sufficient to grasp the deepest conceptual aspects of quantum physics, nor to deal with its technological applications. Teaching quantum physics in secondary school is therefore a challenge that calls for a close collaboration between physics teachers and physics education researchers. The goal of this work is to develop and test research-based teaching-learning sequences (TLS) based on the study of relevant literature in physics education research and on a survey to be conducted with secondary school teachers. More specifically, the thesis work will include the following phases. A review of the literature on the teaching and learning of quantum mechanics, with particular reference to the proposals developed in the Italian context. A survey with a sample of secondary school physics teachers aimed at understanding the needs and difficulties of teaching quantum mechanics. On the basis of the literature and of the results of the survey, development of a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) on quantum mechanics for the fifth year of the Italian “liceo scientifico”. Testing and evaluation of the TLS in a real classroom context