International Journal of Physics and Chemistry Education

Comparing Different Uncertainty Measures to Quantify Measurement Uncertainties in High School Science Experiments

Karel Kok, Burkhard Priemer — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Interpreting experimental data in high school experiments can be a difficult task for students, especially when there is large variation in the data. At the same time, calculating the standard deviation poses a challenge for students. In this article, we look at alternative uncertainty measures to describe the variation in data sets. A comparison is done in terms of mathematical complexity and statistical quality. The determination of mathematical complexity is based on different mathematics curricula. The statistical quality is determined using a Monte Carlo simulation in which these uncertainty measures are compared to the standard deviation. Results indicate that an increase in complexity goes hand in hand with quality. Additionally, we propose a sequence of these uncertainty measures with increasing mathematical complexity and increasing quality. As such, this work provides a theoretical background to implement uncertainty measures suitable for different educational levels.

Guided school visits to a research center: Perspectives from teachers and staff

Kalliopi Giannakoudaki, Dimitris Stavrou — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0300

This study investigates (i) the educational program offered by one of the largest research centers in Greece and (ii) the teachers’ and staff’s perspectives for the school visits. Data came from interviews of teachers, staff of the research center and observation of the school visits. Though the majority of the teachers were satisfied of the visit, and they perceived the trip as a unique experience for their students, it was mostly inconsistent with recommendations of informal science teaching literature, as science teachers perceived the visit as an isolated one-day occurrence with no connection to the curriculum and no intention of planning any pre- or post-visit activities. This fact, combined with the demonstrated gap between teachers’ and staff’s perspectives, gave little or no learning orientation to the visits. Finally, this study assists in developing guidelines that would serve both teachers and research centers in collaborating together for better school trips.