The role of interesting topics and contexts in physics education

Previous studies showed that students’ interest differs across physics topics such as mechanics or electricity, as well as different contexts in which these topics are taught such as medicine or sports. The aim of Sarah’s PhD was to find out which physics topics and contexts are interesting for today’s students. In particular, she investigated students' perception of modern physics topics, since open questions of current research might be able to spark students’ interest. Moreover, contexts suitable to narrow the gender gap will be identified. Therefore, questionnaires and interview guidelines had been developed, adapted, and tested, and data from students from various backgrounds had been collected and analyzed.