EIU Department of Physics

Physics Education Research Group

Physics is often considered a very difficult subject to learn.  The optimal way to present Physics so that learning is maximized is the thrust of this research.  The Science of Teaching and Learning encompasses methods of presenting the material, testing methods, interactive learning, and other aspects of the teaching process.  The fact that different people think about things in different ways leads to many possibilities for presenting material.  The Physics Education group is led by Ms. Cherie Lehman.

Physics Education and Gender Differences:

Women are an underrepresented group in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) areas.  Physics is certainly a field in which women are a minority.  Questions abound as to why this is.  Answers are harder to come by.  The process of getting an advanced degree in Physics has many pitfalls.  From middle school on students find barriers that may stop them from continuing in this field.  What are those barriers?  How do we reduce and remove those barriers (especially for women)?  This research focuses on these and other questions about the process of teaching and learning Physics.