Reviews in PER Volume 2: Getting Started in Physics Education Research

Charles Henderson and Kathleen A. Harper, editors

Physics Education Research (PER) is a rapidly growing research field within physics departments. There is currently no place for a newcomer to turn for a quality overview of the types of research questions asked by the PER community, the types of research methods used to answer these questions, and the norms for reporting on this research.

For this volume, members of the PER community were invited to present an accessible overview of an area of PER in which they have expertise. We see the primary audience for this volume as people who are interested in beginning to do work in PER. This includes physics faculty and teachers who are not trained in PER as well as graduate students in PER. Of course, we also expect this volume to be a useful reference for current PER practitioners, as no one is an expert in every aspect of this broad field.

These invited articles have been carefully peer reviewed. If you would like to submit a comment on one of these articles, please email Charles Henderson or Kathleen A. Harper. It will be peer reviewed and, if accepted, will be published as an addendum to the articles in each issue.

Getting Started in Physics Education Research

Issue 1 - Spring 2009

• Foreword
  C. Henderson and K. A. Harper

  We welcome comments about this issue, as well as suggestions for topics to be addressed by future issues.

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• An Introduction to Physics Education Research
  R. J. Beichner

  This article aims to introduce the reader to the field of Physics Education Research (PER).

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• An Introduction to Classical Test Theory as Applied to Conceptual Multiple-choice Tests
  P. V. Engelhardt

  The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with a general overview of the key aspects of the development process from the perspective of classical test theory and critical issues that distinguish high-quality conceptual multiple-choice tests from those that are not.

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• Getting Started in Qualitative Physics Education Research
  V. K. Otero and D. B. Harlow

  This article introduces procedures for collecting and analyzing qualitative data and provides a generic approach to qualitative research that is consistent with most qualitative research traditions. Strategies and examples are provided to help both new and veteran researchers to get started in qualitative PER.

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• An Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods in Physics Education
  X. Zou

  This article introduces the reader to quantitative research methods as used in physics education research. Topics include research design, data collection, data analysis, and presentation of findings.

  Forthcoming

Recommended Citation Formats

Reviews in PER Volume 2: Getting Started in Physics Education Research articles may be cited as:

• C. Henderson and K. A. Harper, "Foreward," in Getting Started in PER, edited by C. Henderson and K. A. Harper (American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD, 2009), Reviews in PER Vol. 2, <http://www.per-central.org/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=8805>.
• R. J. Beichner, "An Introduction to Physics Education Research," in Getting Started in PER, edited by C. Henderson and K. A. Harper (American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD, 2009), Reviews in PER Vol. 2, <http://www.per-central.org/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=8806>.
• P. V. Engelhardt, "An Introduction to Classical Test Theory as Applied to Conceptual Multiple-choice Tests," in Getting Started in PER, edited by C. Henderson and K. A. Harper (American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD, 2009), Reviews in PER Vol. 2, <http://www.per-central.org/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=8807>.
• V. K. Otero and D. B. Harlow, "Getting Started in Qualitative Physics Education Research," in Getting Started in PER, edited by C. Henderson and K. A. Harper (American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD, 2009), Reviews in PER Vol. 2, <http://www.per-central.org/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9122>.