Visualizations in particle physics - Learning aids or obstacles?

In education context “competency” is an increasingly popular term. According to Eriksson et al. (2014) it can be defined as knowing “what to focus on in a given situation and how to interpret it in an appropriate, disciplinary manner” (p.168). In teaching particle physics various visualizations are used to illustrate abstract concepts, but little is known on what learners discern from such representations, even though everyday conceptions may be barriers to disciplinary discernment [7]. This diploma thesis is a report on a study involving the discernment of students and teachers. In total 174 participants with various backgrounds participated in a survey about two different visualizations concerning particle physics. A video about the structure of matter and a representation of a measurement with a pixel detector and corresponding user interface were analyzed. The study approach was interpretive-hermeneutic and category-based. The reference categories were the five Levels of Discernment which had been introduced for an astronomical representation in form of the Anatomy of Disciplinary Discernment (ADD) by Eriksson et al. (2014). There are two main analytical outcomes: Firstly, the conclusions of the study correspond to the ADD. This means that it is also valid for visualizations in particle physics. Secondly, the participants answers were used to give recommendations to improve the analyzed visualizations.