An Annotated Bibliography
of
Research Into The Teaching and Learning
of
The Physical Sciences
at
The Higher Education Level.

David Palmer

Return to the LTSN Physical Sciences web site.
.

Notes:

This resource has been commissioned by LTSN Physical Sciences and created by David Palmer and Norman Reid at the Centre for Science Education, University of Glasgow. The resource is located on the web site of the LTSN Physical Sciences Centre but for the most part retains the original formatting and is essentially a separate web. To return to the original web site navigate back to this page and click the link above. (October 2002)
.

This annotated bibliography is aimed at those teaching the physical sciences at the tertiary level who;

• wish to become more informed about teaching related research evidence.
• wish to undertake science education research.

With this in mind, the bibliography seeks to offer:

• An overview of teaching and learning in the physical sciences;
• Key references to research which is orientated toward the teaching and learning of the physical sciences.

Research papers, relevant to tertiary level teaching and learning of the physical sciences, tend to be scattered across many journals. Some are to be found in journals directly relevant to the physics and chemistry communities. However, many are to be found in educational and psychological journals which are not widely read by professional educators in the physical sciences. Where possible, journals which are widely available have, in the hope that they will be readily available in university libraries, been selected. A list of all the journals cited within the bibliography, and (where appropriate) links to online versions, can found here.

In compiling this bibliography, it was noted that, often, those involved in physics education research appear to be unaware of education related research papers in chemistry journals, and vice versa. In general, science education research issues are common to both subject areas and, indeed, other sciences at university, or school level.

The bibliography can be viewed, or downloaded in a variety of formats. A list of these can be found here. There are numerous cross links, brief explanations of ideas and, where appropriate, a glossary of terms.

The intention is that the bibliography should be easily updated, or extended. This will permit, as and when available, the inclusion of both new articles and links to appropriate web resources. LTSN appreciates constructive feedback and/or information regarding key papers which may prove useful for future editing.

Norman Reid, Editor,
Centre For Science Education ,
University of Glasgow