Theoretical Models of Learning in Physics and Science Education

Managing cultural diversity, valuing individual potential, and creating inclusive learning environments are key challenges in science education and in Horizon research programs.

This research group has long explored the connection between physics learning and the development of personal identity, contributing both theoretically and empirically in areas such as quantum physics, thermodynamics, and complex systems.

Guided by the motto “make things simple, but not too simple,” the group designs complex learning environments that foster interactions between the real world, disciplinary knowledge, and students' cognitive systems.

This led to a model based on the construct of appropriation, and to strategies for orchestrating classroom dynamics that promote authentic and diversified student engagement with disciplinary content.

Another research focus concerns sense-making processes, which led to the development of the construct personal-inflected sense-making, integrating cognitive, aesthetic, and experiential dimensions. In parallel, the concept of personal-epistemological consonance/dissonance was developed to analyze the interplay between identity, epistemological beliefs, and emotions.

Finally, recent studies have investigated the role of epistemic emotions in scientific discovery, showing how they influence motivation, learning, and the very way physics is taught and experienced, highlighting its potential to be more inclusive, engaging, and personally meaningful.