On Beyond Misconceptions: New Directions for Physics Education Research

Steve Kanim

Physics education researchers have been demonstrably effective at improving students' conceptual understanding of introductory physics. By and large, research-based curricular reform has been a result of 1) identifying specific topical student difficulties through in-depth interviews; 2) testing for prevalence of these difficulties in large student populations; 3) designing curriculum intended to address common difficulties; and 4) iterative testing and modification of these materials.

Despite the success of these efforts, however, many researchers have become disenchanted with this model, and the goals and techniques of physics education research programs have become more varied. In this talk I will give two examples of these new directions: investigations into students' epistemologies and their influence on student learning; and the creation and testing of theoretical frameworks that attempt to explain common student errors and variability in student response patterns.