Abstract
Teaching physics implies making choices. In the case of teachingquantum physics, besides an educational choice – the didactic strategy – another choice mustbe made, an epistemological one, concerning the interpretation of quantum theory itself. Thesetwo choices are closely connected. We have chosen a didactic strategy that privileges the phenomenological-conceptualapproach, with emphasis upon quantum features of the systems, instead of searching for classicalanalogies. This choice has led us to present quantum theory associated with an orthodox, yet realistic,interpretation of the concept of quantum state, considered as the key concept of quantum theory,representing the physical reality of a system, independent of measurement processes. The results of theimplementation of this strategy, with three groups of engineering students, showed that more than a halfof them attained a reasonable understanding of the basics of quantum mechanics (QM) for thislevel. In addition, a high degree of satisfaction was attained with the classes as 80% of thestudents of the experimental groups claimed to have liked it and to be interested in learning more about QM.
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Greca, I.M., Freire, O. Does an Emphasis on the Concept of Quantum States Enhance Students' Understanding of Quantum Mechanics?. Science & Education 12, 541–557 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025385609694
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025385609694