Journal Article

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

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

2018

Overview

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.

• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Subject: Classrooms / Collaboration / Computer Uses in Education / Cooperative Learning / Curricula / Design / Distance learning / Education / Educational Environment / Educational Research / Educational Resources / Educational Technology / Focus Groups / Foreign Countries / Interviews / Physics / Program Design / Program Implementation / Reconstruction / Relativity / Research Methodology / Scaffolding / Science Curriculum / Science Instruction / Scientific Concepts / Secondary School Science / Secondary School Students / Secondary Schools / Student Attitudes / Students / Teaching Methods / Technology Uses in Education / Textbooks / Theory of relativity / Web Based Instruction