Education research is our focus
Welcome to PER-Central, a resource collection for physics education researchers. Here you may find articles, theses and dissertations, research groups, curricular material, and news and events of interest to the PER Community. Learn more about PER-Central.
PER Literature
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- Basic Research
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Astronomy, Classical Mechanics, Electricity & Magnetism, Fluid Mechanics, General Physics, Mathematical Tools, Modern Physics, Optics, Oscillations & Waves, Other Sciences, Quantum Physics, Relativity, Thermo & Stat Mech
Reviews in PER
Volume 2 of Reviews in PER is dedicated to helping researchers get started in Physics Education Research.
In this review article, a member of the PER community presents an overview of an area of PER:
Identifying and Addressing Difficulties: Reflections on the empirical and theoretical basis of an influential approach to improving physics education
by P. R. L. Heron.
Find more articles introducing PER research methods in Volume 2 of Reviews in PER.
Community Resources
PER Programs
Browse the different PER groups and their descriptions on the PER Program Map.
For the Classroom
University of Pittsburg E&M Tutorial Series
This set of research-based student tutorials cover the topics of Coulomb's Law, the superposition principle, and symmetry in electrostatics. The materials are appropriate for a calculus-based introductory physics course. Optional pre- and post-tests are available.
Find more PER-based Curricular Materials: Course Packages | Student Activities | Pedagogy Guides
Research Instruments
Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment
The Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA), developed by Chabay and Sherwood, assesses student understanding of basic electricity and magnetism concepts. It is written for college-level calculus-based introductory physics courses.
