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
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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:
Peer Instruction: Engaging Students One-on-One, All At Once
by C. H. Crouch, J. Watkins, A. P. Fagen, and E. Mazur.
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
Intermediate Mechanics Tutorials
This web site provides small-group learning materials for teaching intermediate mechanics. The physics is Newtonian with very little Lagrangian formalism. Materials are a mix of conceptual, mathematical, and problem solving University of Washington-style tutorials, as well as related research results, examination questions, and suggested course outlines.
Find more PER-based Curricular Materials: Course Packages | Student Activities | Pedagogy Guides
Research Instruments
Symmetry and Gauss's Law Conceptual Evaluation
The Symmetry and Gauss's Law Conceptual Evaluation, developed by Chandralekha Singh, is a research-based multiple-choice test designed to evaluate students' conceptual understanding of symmetry and Gauss's Law. The test is appropriate for research in calculus-based introductory physics courses or upper-level undergraduate E&M 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.




