Didactic innovation in Physics Education: a study on the adoption of the Peer Instruction method in the context of Brazilian programs of professional master in teaching

Abstract

Among other factors, improving the quality of school education requires investments in the didactic-pedagogical training of teachers. This should include pre-service and in-service teacher training, helping them to reflect on their own practices and to build and adapt innovative solutions to face the challenges encountered in their educational contexts. In line with this, this article presents the results of a study on the adoption of one of the most used active methods in the teaching of physics: The Peer Instruction (PI). It is widely adopted in the context of Brazilian Professional Master of Teaching programs (PMTs) in which the development and implementation of an innovative and diffusible educational product is demanded. We chose the participants of our investigation based on a search for dissertations of PMT in which the teachers used the PI in physics classes, in the period from 2004 to 2020. Were selected and analyzed 45 master's degree dissertations and applied a questionnaire about PI to its authors, to investigate the most frequent changes in the method and why these changes were made. The most recurrent changes are related to the preparation assignments and the application of ConcepTests in classroom. In addition, some explanatory hypotheses about it were elaborated and may serve as a starting point for future studies on the topic. Likewise, we compare the results achieved in the Brazilian educational context with the results of North American studies.