Chapter 18
Student Learning Paths from Exploration
of Optical Diffraction with Online Sensors
to Formal Interpretative Models
Alberto Stefanel
Abstract Physical optics is a part of many national curricula, usually treated in a
reductive way, not effective for students learning. A wide research literature points
out students learning difficulties on the features of the phenomena, the concepts
involved and propose different research-based approaches. The PERG of the University of Udine studied how to exploit the potentialities of new technologies, to
enable students to acquire a coherent vision of optical diffraction. The conceptions of
students were studied involving them in educational labs on light diffraction and
monitoring their learning progressions with inquiry-based learning tutorials. The
qualitative data analysis showed that many students developed initial models based
on a rectilinear path light propagation, progressively adapted to include the main
features of the phenomenology and creating the condition for the construction of a
coherent model.
18.1 Introduction
Physical optics is part of many national curricula (TIMMS 2015), treated usually
according to a minimal approach focused on the relation between wavelength and
maxima/minima positions. This simplified approach provides students of a tool only
apparently effective to tackle the phenomenology. Researches point out many
students’ difficulties concerning for instance the features of the phenomena considered, the maxima/minima interference conditions, the wave models. Inquiry-based
learning (IBL) approaches attack the related learning knots (Wosilait et al. 1999;
Ambrose et al. 1999; Romdhane and Maurines 2007; Colin and Viennot 2000;
McDermott et al. 2012). The new technology offers to that goal many opportunities
for both experiment and modelling (Hirata 1998; Corni et al. 1993; Santi et al. 1993;
COMPADRE 2019).
A. Stefanel (*)
Physics Education Research Unit, DMIF, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
e-mail: alberto.stefanel@uniud.it
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
B. G. Sidharth et al. (eds.), Fundamental Physics and Physics Education Research,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52923-9_18
223
Student Learning Paths from Exploration
of Optical Diffraction with Online Sensors
to Formal Interpretative Models
Alberto Stefanel
Abstract Physical optics is a part of many national curricula, usually treated in a
reductive way, not effective for students learning. A wide research literature points
out students learning difficulties on the features of the phenomena, the concepts
involved and propose different research-based approaches. The PERG of the University of Udine studied how to exploit the potentialities of new technologies, to
enable students to acquire a coherent vision of optical diffraction. The conceptions of
students were studied involving them in educational labs on light diffraction and
monitoring their learning progressions with inquiry-based learning tutorials. The
qualitative data analysis showed that many students developed initial models based
on a rectilinear path light propagation, progressively adapted to include the main
features of the phenomenology and creating the condition for the construction of a
coherent model.
18.1 Introduction
Physical optics is part of many national curricula (TIMMS 2015), treated usually
according to a minimal approach focused on the relation between wavelength and
maxima/minima positions. This simplified approach provides students of a tool only
apparently effective to tackle the phenomenology. Researches point out many
students’ difficulties concerning for instance the features of the phenomena considered, the maxima/minima interference conditions, the wave models. Inquiry-based
learning (IBL) approaches attack the related learning knots (Wosilait et al. 1999;
Ambrose et al. 1999; Romdhane and Maurines 2007; Colin and Viennot 2000;
McDermott et al. 2012). The new technology offers to that goal many opportunities
for both experiment and modelling (Hirata 1998; Corni et al. 1993; Santi et al. 1993;
COMPADRE 2019).
A. Stefanel (*)
Physics Education Research Unit, DMIF, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
e-mail: alberto.stefanel@uniud.it
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
B. G. Sidharth et al. (eds.), Fundamental Physics and Physics Education Research,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52923-9_18
223