Physics Education Research - The Time is Now!

Abstract

The main objective of this article is to provide insight into the field of Physics Education Research (PER) for readers who may be unfamiliar with it. My journey to graduate school after a 30-year career as a physics educator in India, where I established a home laboratory for designing physics experiments and conducted workshops for students and teachers, plays a central role in this narrative. Given this background, this article is, in part, a story of my lived experiences and personal evolution as a student, teacher, and now a researcher.

PER has now emerged as a distinct sub-field of Physics, drawing upon well-established methods of Educational Research. It is well-documented that adopting research-based strategies to education enhances learner experience in addition to furthering students’ academic success.

There exists a compelling need for physicists to engage with PER. This imperative extends to both educators, who primarily teach, and active researchers in the field of physics. Physics educators at various levels, from schools to universities, should continually reflect on their teaching methods, evaluate curriculum designs, and develop effective assessment strategies. In this context, I have labored into my own experiences, and elaborated on issues which physics educators may generally confront.

Furthermore, it is important to formulate policies to encourage school and college teachers, curriculum designers, educational institutes, policy makers in the government, and other stakeholders to collaborate and evolve systems that would improve the teaching-learning process.

Promoting specialized research within the field of education, particularly focusing on specific disciplines, and concurrently establishing valuable and pertinent professional development avenues for teachers can significantly boost the skill development of the nation's STEM workforce in the 21st century.