Effectiveness of Ninth-Grade Physics in Maine: Conceptual Understanding

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dc.creatorO'Brien, Michael
dc.creatorThompson, John
dc.date2009-01-29
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T12:56:54Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T12:56:54Z
dc.descriptionThe Physics First movement - teaching a true physics course to ninth grade students - is gaining popularity in high schools. There are several different rhetorical arguments for and against this movement, and it is quite controversial in physics education. However, there is no actual evidence to assess the success, or failure, of this substantial shift in the science teaching sequence. We have undertaken a comparison study of physics classes taught in ninth- and 12th grade classes in Maine. Comparisons of student understanding and gains with respect to mechanics concepts were made with excerpts from well-known multiple-choice surveys and individual student interviews. Results indicate that both populations begin physics courses with similar content knowledge and specific difficulties, but that in the learning of the concepts ninth graders are more sensitive to the instructional method used.
dc.description15 pages, 2 tables, 0 figures, to be published in The Physics Teacher
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/0901.4692
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/0901.4692
dc.identifierPhys. Teach. 47 (4), 234-239 (2009)
dc.identifierdoi:10.1119/1.3098211
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/224742
dc.subjectPhysics Education
dc.titleEffectiveness of Ninth-Grade Physics in Maine: Conceptual Understanding
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