• Open Access

General relativity in upper secondary school: Design and evaluation of an online learning environment using the model of educational reconstruction

Magdalena Kersting, Ellen Karoline Henriksen, Maria Vetleseter Bøe, and Carl Angell
Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 14, 010130 – Published 25 May 2018

Abstract

Because of its abstract nature, Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity is rarely present in school physics curricula. Although the educational community has started to investigate ways of bringing general relativity to classrooms, field-tested educational material is rare. Employing the model of educational reconstruction, we present a collaborative online learning environment that was introduced to final year students (18–19 years old) in six Norwegian upper secondary physics classrooms. Design-based research methods guided the development of the learning resources, which were based on a sociocultural view of learning and a historical-philosophical approach to teaching general relativity. To characterize students’ learning from and interaction with the learning environment we analyzed focus group interviews and students’ oral and written responses to assigned problems and discussion tasks. Our findings show how design choices on different levels can support or hinder understanding of general relativity, leading to the formulation of design principles that help to foster qualitative understanding and encourage collaborative learning. The results indicate that upper secondary students can obtain a qualitative understanding of general relativity when provided with appropriately designed learning resources and sufficient scaffolding of learning through interaction with teacher and peers.

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  • Received 27 September 2017
  • Revised 3 April 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.010130

Published 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.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Physics Education Research

Authors & Affiliations

Magdalena Kersting*, Ellen Karoline Henriksen, Maria Vetleseter Bøe, and Carl Angell

  • Department of Physics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway

  • *magdalena.kersting@fys.uio.no

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Issue

Vol. 14, Iss. 1 — January - June 2018

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