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:
An Overview of Physics Education Research on Problem Solving
by D. P. Maloney.
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
Connecting Meaning and Mathematics
This page contains step-by-step tutorials and guided inquiry activities designed to help students discover physical properties and concepts by developing understanding from mathematics. Most of this material is written for upper level classical mechanics courses. Connections are made with the Intermediate Mechanics Tutorials by Ambrose and Wittmann.
Find more PER-based Curricular Materials: Course Packages | Student Activities | Pedagogy Guides
Research Instruments
Rotational and Rolling Motion Conceptual Survey
The Rotational and Rolling Motion Conceptual Survey, developed by Singh and Rimoldini, is designed to evaluate students' conceptual understanding of rotational and rolling motion. The survey is based on investigations of students' difficulties in introductory- and junior-level physics courses.
PER Events 
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.
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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
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May 6 at 2:00 PM EST
Tom Foster
posted Think Aloud Protocol
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