Learning the relationship between physics and Sustainable energy system - How do “experts” and students explain, and how can we make a meaningful teaching about it?
Susanne Engström
Department of mathematics and physics, Mälardalen University, Eskilstuna, Sweden
e.mail:
Supervisor: Hans Niedderer, Sten Lindstam, Peter Gustafsson.
The aim of this study is to investigate how a teaching sequence can be created for making students interested in physics related to the concept sustainable energy system, (sustainable is defined in Our common future 1987, Brundtland report)
Interesting questions are; What physic do we have to learn for understanding sustainable development, specially sustainable energy system, and how do we have to understand it? What do we really mean and what are the students learning?
The syllabus in Physics in upper secondary school expresses aims like, for example; students should have the capability to discuss environmental issues with relation to physics. The education would illustrate how the society and our lifestyle can be developed for a sustainable development.
The investigation started with a pilot study.
A questionnaire, for students in the upper secondary school, with aim to find out, for example, how the students describe the utility of their physic knowledge in their future life, typical energy conceptions for example sustainable energy systems. Categories for answers are being developed.
The qualitative part, a case study which involved two students, one boy and one girl, in a physic laboratory were they are video filmed and observed. The students get tasks about Sustainable energy system in relation to energy, heat and physics.
Next steps in the study are including following:
1. An interview study for investigating what ”experts” (physicists, energy experts, physics teachers) mean with sustainable energy system and how it is related to physics.
2. A review over national school documents and what they say about physics education and the connection to sustainable development, especially energy.
3. Developing a teaching sequence!
· Define What and summarise Why.
· Pre-test, Interviews and Post-test.
The Main study
A learning study of the teaching sequence, with qualitatively following 3 different students and checking the learning effects of all students by pre- and post-tests.
The results from the pilot study show that a common argument for physics learning is a wish to explain and to understand ”the world” and a widespread explanation of the notion sustainable as high efficiency, not with relation to environmentally friendly. In the case study the students seem to develop an understanding that sustainable energy system have to do with “the environment” but they do not seem to understand sustainable as an “environmental concept”, they seem to be very attached to physical notions as efficiency.