Research has highlighted difficulties experienced by students when studying quantum physics in introductory courses. In this paper, we present a teaching and learning sequence (TLS) aiming at introducing a quantum model of emission and absorption of radiation and we assess its impact on the students' learning about atomic spectra. The TLS has been…

Students' difficulty in learning and suitably understanding the concept of the algebraic variable has been studied with a number of tools and documented for several populations. Little research has been conducted, however, using the same tool to explore understanding of the notion among populations from different countries in an attempt to…

This paper presents a model of how children generate concrete concepts from perception through processes of differentiation and integration. The model informs the design of a novel methodology ("evolutionary maps" or "emaps"), whose implementation on certain domains unfolds the web of itineraries that children may follow in the…

Problem Statement. What the self-perceptions of higher officials in Spanish universities are about the main competencies required in their daily tasks. Purpose of Study. To analyze what the main competencies are in the professional behaviour of higher officials at Spanish universities. The improvement of their competencies through a systematic…

This paper is part of an investigation into 11-year-old students' interpretations of events in the environment. In particular, we analyse the use of a scale model constructed and manipulated by students when simulating a forest fire. We consider that their explanations involve the interrelation of three levels of organisation: the level at which…