Psychological methods in research on didactics of physics

Abstract

The development of electronics, digital technology, and IT tools has been progressing quickly in all aspects of human life in recent years. The significant development and the contribution of physics to the formulation of new items, e.g. semiconductors, new types of data storage, or lasers, has resulted in the miniaturisation of devices, a drop in their cost, and made them more common. This is also the case with modern instruments, both measuring as well as diagnostic and surgical. The widespread development and the possibility of miniaturisation causes extremely advanced diagnostic and measuring devices to be available. Relevant substantive knowledge and practical skills regarding the use of such devices is usually not as widespread. Those who undergo surgery lack this kind of knowledge as well. An example of this are biofeedback centers, which make use of a wide variety of advanced measuring devices for various purposes, while the most important criterion is financial gain. Searching for “biofeedback” online results in advertisements offering participation in sessions that claim to improve eyesight, correct vision defects, cure cancer, or solve sexual dysfunctions. There are also many fields, e.g. detailed didactics, including physics didactics, in which cutting-edge technology use spreads relatively slowly, even though physics and physicists are the basis of technological progress. The aim of this work is to attempt an adaptation of the newest measuring tools and techniques based on the accomplishments of electronics and medical diagnostics, as well as to present the basic non-invasive methods of measuring human psychophysiological parameters and to attempt an adaptation of these techniques for the purpose of obtaining information related to the cognitive activity of the subjects. The aim of the trials is research related to measuring parameters indicating motivation, focus, stress, as well as to monitoring the task solving strategies of pupils and students. Furthermore, the results are to be used in teaching methodology, especially in physics education, as a supplement of existing methods, such as surveys or observation sheets. This is possible due to the creation of a new cognitive didactics laboratory in the Didactics of Physics Department at the Pedagogical University of Cracow.