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
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- Applied Research
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- 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
Over the past two decades, the PER community has developed a number of effective instructional strategies for calculus-based university physics classes.
This review article helps to bring a set of those results to the instructional community:
Investigative Science Learning Environment - A Science Process Approach to Learning Physics
by E. Etkina and A. Van Heuvelen.
Find more articles that help to bridge research and practice in Volume 1 of Reviews in PER.
Community Resources
PER Programs
Browse the different PER groups and their descriptions on the PER Program Map.
For the Classroom
Paradigms in Physics: Quantum Activities
This web page provides activities for Quantum Mechanics classes. Each activity includes learning goals and a guide for instructors. Activities for Operators, Eigenstates, Probability Densities, Stern-Gerlach Simulations, Schrödinger's Equation, and Time Evolution are included.
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 2013
The biennial FFPER conference will be held June 17-21, 2013 in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Physics Education Research Conference 2013
The theme of PERC 2013 is From Fearing Physics to Having Fun with Physics: Exploring the Affective Domain of Physics Learning from Multiple Perspectives. The conference will be held July 17-18, 2013 in Portland, OR following the Summer AAPT meeting.
