Research

We study teaching and learning of physics and other sciences. We wish to understand the knowledge structures on which physical understanding and deductions are built. Our aim is to produce information that is directly useful for teaching and teacher education.

We also study student preconceptions, motivation and other factors influencing their studies. We wish to understand not only how students succeed in their studies but also student well-being and ways to support it.

Research topics

Attitudes and commitment

There are many factors in play when people decide if they want to pursue studies and on what topic. Likewise, whether or not they graduate is also influenced by many things. We research these factors in various ways. We are interested in how student attitudes affect studying and how studying affects attitudes. We also research the role of external factors in students’ motivation and commitment.

Representations

Different kinds of representations such as images, plots, equations, simulations and demonstrations are central in the theory and teaching of physics. We study how these representations are used when learning and how they could be better used in teaching. We are especially interested in comparing concrete and abstract representations such as demonstrations and mathematical equations.

Scientific procedures

Procedures such as modelling, explaining and experimenting are thought to be important ways to learn physics. We are interested in the role of such procedures in learning and teaching.

Our publications