The March issue of Nature Physics, a premier academic publication, was all about education. Physics education research (PER) is a field of scientific research in which researchers collect and analyze data related to learning environments.
“The physics curriculum and education system have remained largely unchanged for decades, and there is much that can be done to improve them,” said an editorial in the same issue. “Nature Physics provides an overview of the current state of physics education research and how to make learning environments more equitable and inclusive, diversifying graduates' skill sets and equipping them to tackle important societal problems and challenges. We will provide you with recommendations.”
The editors have carefully selected contributors who focus on PER from a variety of perspectives. Ramon Barthelemy, assistant professor in the US Department of Physics and Astronomy and founder of the Peru Group, is co-author of a commentary titled “Racial Equity in Physics Education Research.'' AtTheU spoke to Barthelemy about his contribution to this groundbreaking issue.
Nature Physics does not typically focus on education. Was this a big problem?
Yes, it is! The editor contacted my wonderful colleague, Dr. Geraldine Cochran from Ohio State University, who brought in a bunch of people from the United States and Brazil. I was excited to hear that Nature Physics had chosen to include a racial equity perspective in their journal, and thrilled that Dr. Cochrane had invited me to participate.
How did you and your coauthors decide which aspects of racial equity to include in PER?
Dr. Cochran created the overall framework, within which each of us brought our own unique perspectives. For me, it was very important to at least mention the LGBTQ+ community, for example. We are very intersectional in the work that we do. Although the main focus is on race, we cannot talk about race in a way that ignores the sociocultural, sociohistorical, and sociopolitical differences that actually affect people.
A major focus of all physics education research is identity. How can we get all students to identify themselves as physicists? When we talk about certain identity categories, we talk about gender identity, sexual identity, income level, whether their parents attended college, etc. , you need to think about it in terms of other categories as well. It was a real pleasure to work with a group of people who recognize that he is not the only influence on us, but that everything influences success in physics.
Why is identity an important aspect for the physics education research field?
Physics has historically faced one of its greatest challenges, not only in terms of diversifying the representation within the field, but also in terms of diversifying the experience of being a physicist. When we look across the physics literature, we are not seeing the progress that we would like to see in the experiences of women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people. The same issues that people were talking about in the '70s and her '90s are the same issues that I and my colleagues are talking about today when we interview people in our own research. Therefore, we need to put this at the forefront of the broader physics education discussion, as physics, unfortunately, is not seeing the same changes that we are seeing in other fields.
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Ramon Barthelemy, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Utah.
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Why is identity important in physics education?
To succeed in the field of physics, you must be able to see yourself as a physicist. We need to make physics a place where anyone interested can participate, regardless of their identity. For us, it is important how we can remove barriers, not just in the classroom, but in the education system itself. We're not just talking about the United States. As an American scholar, I speak about our country. It is no secret that access to K-12 schools in the United States is unequal. Additionally, unequal access to K-12 schools means that students do not have the same opportunities to take AP Calculus, AP Physics, or AP Statistics, which are the foundations for future physics studies. yeah. If we want to make physics more equitable, we need to ensure that our education system, especially at the tertiary level, is responsive to student realities. It is very important to have a program that a student can complete in her five years, regardless of academic preparation or background. In fact, a university degree is very flexible in physics.
But we can't simply claim that people from diverse backgrounds are not adequately prepared. It's also about the cultural experience they have when they enter the field. It's about embracing people of all different identities, ensuring they have the resources to support them, and allowing them to participate in research and in the classroom. And there are many ways to set up policies and practices that enable that group to happen.
How can you ensure that students from all backgrounds can succeed in physics?
Students may feel anxious if they did not take as many advanced preparation courses in high school as other students. In the classroom, it is important to rely on a classroom model in which students generate knowledge on their own through problem solving, discussion, or working in small groups. It's also important to establish a culture at the beginning of the class that it's okay to ask questions. We all make mistakes. Even role modeling mistakes can be really powerful. I always tell my students up front that they are going to make mistakes and that they should tell me what they are doing so I can correct them. And a few times a semester, you'll be told, “Oh, Ram, you got your integral wrong or you forgot the minus sign.” In fact, there is great power in students who see their professors themselves make mistakes and realize, “Oh, no one is perfect because even experts and professors aren't perfect and no one is always right.'' begins to take hold.
At departmental level, we need to ensure that we bring in speakers from different types of institutions and from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds. It's also important to tell your students about their own stories, especially if you have first-generation students. You don't have to have exactly the same identity as the student. Perhaps they were both working as undergraduates. In fact, it's not uncommon for professors to have never had a real job outside of academia. When I meet with students, one of the first things I ask is, “Do you have a job?” Next, I'll tell you a little bit about my background and how I worked during my undergraduate years. Anyone can do physics if they do it and find mentors and opportunities.
find the perfect comment in the field of natural physics. Co-author is Geraldine Cochran of The Ohio State University. Miguel Rodriguez and Ximena Cid of California State University, Dominguez Hills; Diana Sakpajidi of the University of Maryland; Catemari Rosa of the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil.
