On the role of developing and working with models in modern physics education

Abstract

This thesis investigates how students construct and use models when learning modern physics, with a particular focus on abstract phenomena where mapping between mathematical and formal definitions and prior experiences are difficult. Previous research on models in science education has established that engaging students in model-based activities can enhance learning outcomes. However, a persistent challenge lies in making model use, refinement, and development meaningful for students in ways that mirror how scientists engage with models. This thesis comprises five interrelated studies to address this challenge. Three examine how Swedish upper-secondary students (and pre-service teachers in the last one) learn with novel model systems: a mechanical Paul trap as an analogue for a linear Paul trap (PapersI and II), an acoustic levitation apparatus paired with generative artificial intelligence tools (Paper III), and a simplified diagrammatic formalism for quantum teleportation (Paper VI). Two additional studies analyse representations and analogies relevant for quantum physics education: pictorial representations of the Bohr atomic model in upper-secondary and undergraduate textbooks (Paper IV), and the development of a new educational analogy for simple atoms based on optical levitation (Paper V). Methodologically, the studies employ a design-based research approach (Papers I and II) and an exploratory case study with narrative analysis (Paper III) with variation theory as a theoretical lens, and a qualitative, phenomenographic, single-group intervention study (Paper VI). In Paper IV, a new analytical approach is developed, drawing on embodied cognition and variation theory in a complementary manner to explore connections between image schemas and necessary aspects of objects of learning. Additionally, Paper V uses mathematical similarities as a basis for discussing the pedagogical value of a new educational analogy. This thesis argues for the crucial role of developing and working with models in physics education based on three overarching findings. First, students' prior knowledge and experiences have a strong influence on the outcomes of model-based learning by shaping what is likely to be noticed and identified metaphorical connections to previous embodied experiences of the world. Second, successful use of idealised models in laboratory settings, regardless of whether the idealised model is the physical phenomenon and the concepts to be learned are abstract, or vice versa, requires explicit attention to developing model descriptions. Third, when learning quantum teleportation through a diagrammatic formalism, students exhibit qualitatively different ways of experiencing the phenomenon, where powerful ways of understanding are related to a more developed abstract model for mapping between representations. Based on the findings, this thesis introduces the term modelising to highlight how students are engaged in model-based science in a particular way such that a previously developed model system can be used to understand a novel phenomenon.