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
- Classroom Management
- 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 in Qualitative Physics Education Research
by V. K. Otero and D. B. Harlow.
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

SEI: Upper-division Electrostatics (E&M I) Course Materials
This web site contains the research-based curricular materials on junior-level Electricity and Magnetism developed by the University of Colorado Science Education Initiative group. This course is the first semester of a two-semester course covering electro- and magneto-statics and closely follows the standard text by David Griffiths, "Introduction to Electrodynamics." The materials provided include concept tests, homework questions, tutorials, lecture notes, instructor guides, and the results of studies of student difficulties with the class.
Find more PER-based Curricular Materials: Course Packages | Student Activities | Pedagogy Guides
Research Instruments

Relativity Concept Inventory (RCI)
The Relativity Concept Inventory (RCI), developed by Aslanides and Savage, assesses student understanding of special relativity concepts commonly taught in introductory physics courses.
PER Events 
Physics Education Research Conference 2025
PERC 2025 will be held August 6-7, 2025 in Washington, DC. The theme will be "A PER lens on the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology."