Implementation of Radioactivity Workshop in Science Center and its Improvements During the First Year in Action Research Design

About me

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• Ph.D. student
• Physics Education and General Problems of Physics
• Prague (Praha/Prag), The Czech Republic
• Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University

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Radioactivity in Czech schools

Framework Educational Programmes - very concise but contain radioactivity

• Lower secondary (6 - 9)
• Forms of energy - ... , nuclear energy, fission reaction, nuclear reactor, nuclear power plant; protecting people from radioactive radiation
• Upper secondary (10 - 13) - prep for a university = "gymnázium"
• The pupil - uses the knowledge of quantizing radiation energy and microparticles to solve physical problems; assesses the nuclear transformation in terms of input and output particles as well as the energy balance; uses the law of radioactive transformation to predict the behavior of radioactive substances, suggests possible ways of protecting humans from hazardous radiation
• Atoms - the quantization of electron energy in the atom; spontaneous and stimulated emission, laser; nuclear energy; synthesis and atomization of nuclei; chain reaction, nuclear reactor
• But it is usually in the last year of physics at the level
• Some schools do not have experimental equipment

Workshops

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• Program for schools/classes/groups
• Actively engaging the students
• Different sciences
• Many different topics
• Primary (1 - 5)
• e.g. "Magnetomania", "Unrestful water"
• Lower secondary (6 - 9)
• e.g. "Science toy", "Hearing and listening"
• Upper secondary (10 - 13)
• e.g. "Energy", "Science in kitchen"

Workplaces

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• Workplaces with a measurement
• Distance of radioactive source from detector
• Thickness of shielding material
• Different materials (5 metals + air)
• Alpha radiation and shielding of that
• Other activities
• A protective suit
• Nuclear power plant (scheme)
• Model of tokamak
• Dates of important events connected with radiation

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Some pictures

nuclear power plant

protection suit

distance dependence

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What is action research?

In short -> see picture

Useful design

• provides concrete feedback
• researcher in closer contact with researched activities, more active
• -> description of interventions

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Our action research

• Observation
• Preparation of workshop
• Pupils working; during some workshops
• Analysis of worksheets
• Tests for participants
• Feedback

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In spite of 1 year cooperation -> just preliminary results

Dealing with operational problems

• Sometimes 6th grade without any prior knowledge
• Workshops are according the demands of schools

Workplaces

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• Some thoughts about natural radioactivity
• Takes too much time to measure properly
• Radioactivity of natural sources
• Not so much radioactive (except for pitchblende (uranium ore))
• Possible new workplace?
• Radioactivity in medical care - just thoughts, it should be interactive

Worksheets

• New workshop -> provisional worksheets this year (black and white) - possible to change texts
• All worksheets start with "flavor text"
• Improvements of textation, placement of texts, highlighting
• e.g. chosing of metal for measurement of the shielding
• Added and removed some questions
• Added - question about the number of nuclear reactor in the Czech Republic (9 - NPP Dukovany (4), NPP Temelín (2), Řež (2) and FNSPE in Prague (1))
• Just now printing colourful version (see higher)

Tests

• Pretest/Posttest -> gain
• 5 simple open-ended questions
• Anonymous, evaluated as group
• The research tool is not optimal
• Motivation of participants
• Writing takes time
• Retention?
• Results
• Depends on the group
• Often seemingly almost no improvement
• Can be influenced by - lack of motivation, they want to go to the exposition, lack of self confidence, maybe complicated questions...
• This is not conclusive - small sample, improvements on-go

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