Physics education research in a nutshell

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to give a brief overview of physics education research as a research field. The paper does not claim to provide a comprehensive overview of physics education research. Physics education research is a small research field with almost no full-time researchers. The research methodology used is that of social sciences and qualitative methodologies have replaced the statistical approaches of the past. The knowledge produced in physics education research differs fundamentally from that produced in physics research and is very context-sensitive and even time-dependent. Great progress has been made in several areas of physics education, however, research results are often applied only cosmetically.