Utilizing Physics Teachers’ Epistemological and Pedagogical Conceptions to Develop a Research Instrument for Training Programs

In this research, we used a theoretical framework for physics teachers’ training as a starting point to develop a new research instrument (online questionnaire) for exploring teachers’ conceptions on the epistemology and pedagogy of physics, using thermodynamics as the field of reference. Our goal was to validate the theoretical framework and also use it as a methodological framework to make informed decisions on the design and evaluation of future training programs based on teachers’ ideas. Our analysis (N = 42 in-service physics teachers in Athens, Greece) indicated four factors that can facilitate a practical use of the theoretical framework. These factors addressed the teachers’ prior knowledge, alternative instructional design, traditional framework perception, and intention to change their current instruction. We suggest that further research should address larger populations and make adaptations for additional physics fields to validate and generalize these results.