Abstract
According to Einstein, common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before the age of eighteen. Even though experiments have repeatedly confirmed Einstein’s theories, physics education in schools continues to be dominated by a 19th-century point of view. Consequently, the theory of relativity still contradicts the common sense of many. Aiming to make general relativity a part of the intellectual equipment of young learners, this PhD-thesis contributes to the emerging field of Einsteinian Physics education. Proposing a way of turning general relativity into a subject area that can be taught at the secondary school level, this work presents an educational reconstruction of Einstein’s theory of gravity. The research-based development of a digital learning environment sets the stage for studies of student learning processes in general relativity. The recent birth of gravitational wave astronomy creates a fantastic vision of physics for the future. The findings of this research can help teachers and instructors bring this vision into science classrooms.
List of papers
Paper I: Kersting, M., Henriksen, E. K., Bøe, M. V., & Angell, C. (2018). General relativity in upper secondary school: design and evaluation of an online learning environment using the model of educational reconstruction. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 14(1), 010130-1-010130-18. doi:10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.010130. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.14.010130 |
Paper II: Kersting, M., & Steier, R. (2018). Understanding curved spacetime - the role of the rubber sheet analogy in learning general relativity. Science & Education, 27(7), 593–623. doi:10.1007/s11191-018-9997-4. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/ https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-018-9997-4 |
Paper III: Kersting, M. (2019). Free fall in curved spacetime - how to visualise gravity in general relativity. Physics Education, 54(3), 035008. doi:10.1088/1361-6552/ab08f5. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ab08f5 |
Paper IV: Kersting, M. (2019). Navigating four dimensions – upper secondary students’ understanding of movement in spacetime, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1287 012007. doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1287/1/012007. The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1287/1/012007 |
Paper V: Kersting, M. (in press). How History and Philosophy of Science Can Inform Teaching and Learning of General Relativity in Upper Secondary School. The Fifteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting, pp. 1323-1328 (2022). DOI: 10.1142/9789811258251_0190 The article is included in the thesis. Also available at: https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811258251_0190 |