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
Search the literature by:
Or find an article by topic:
- Basic Research
- Achievement
- Alternative Conceptions
- Assessment
- Behavior
- Cognition
- Communication
- Learning Theory
- Problem Solving
- Research Design & Methodology
- Sample Population
- Societal Issues
- Student Characteristics
- Teacher Characteristics
- Applied Research
- Active Learning
- Careers
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- Curriculum Development
- Informal Education
- Instructional Material Design
- Learning Environment
- Pedagogy
- Professional Development
- Recruitment
- School Improvement
- Teacher Preparation
- Technology
By Topic:
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:
Getting Started with Research on Epistemologies and Expectations
by A. Elby.
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
Open Source Tutorials in Physics with Teaching Assistant Development
This set of guided inquiry tutorials covers 13 topics regularly covered in introductory physics. The authors also provide supporting materials to help teachers make modifications and train TAs in their use.
Find more PER-based Curricular Materials: Course Packages | Student Activities | Pedagogy Guides
Research Instruments
Magnetism Conceptual Survey
The Magnetism Conceptual Survey (MCS), developed by Singh and Li, is designed to evaluate students' conceptual understanding of magnetism up to Faraday's law. It is written for algebra- and calculus-based introductory courses.
PER Events 
Physics Education Research Conference 2026
PERC 2026 will be held July 22-23, 2026 in Pasadena, CA. The theme will be "Potentials and Perils from AI in Physics Teaching and Learning."
Foundations and Frontiers of Physics Education Research: Puget Sound 2026
The sixth FFPER: Puget Sound conference will be held August 20-23, 2026 at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. FFPERPS is a regional conference open to physics educators in the Cascadia region and beyond.
Latest Additions 
Latest Discussion Posts
July 13 at 5:36 PM EST
Paul DeStefano
posted Re: PER Central "request approver"
to the US - Solo Physics Education Researc... thread.
July 13 at 12:56 PM EST
Steve Maier
posted PER Central "request approver"
to the US - Solo Physics Education Researc... thread.
January 8 at 7:58 PM EST
Paul DeStefano
posted AAPT COMMUNITIES and Discord for Solo PER
to the US - Solo Physics Education Researc... thread.
May 6 at 2:00 PM EST
Tom Foster
posted Think Aloud Protocol
to the US - Solo Physics Education Researc... thread.




