Students' depictions of quantum mechanics : a contemporary review and some implications for research and teaching

This thesis presents a comprehensive review of research into students’ depictions of quantum mechanics. A taxonomy to describe and compare quantum mechanics education research is presented, and this taxonomy is used to highlight the foci of prior research. A brief history of quantum mechanics education research is also presented. Research implications of the review are discussed, and several areas for future research are proposed. In particular, this thesis highlights the need for investigations into what interpretations of quantum mechanics are employed in teaching, and that classical physics – in particular the classical particle model – appears to be a common theme in students’ inappropriate depictions of quantum mechanics. Two future research projects are presented in detail: one concerning interpretations of quantum mechanics, the other concerning students’ depictions of the quantum mechanical wave function.This thesis also discusses teaching implications of the review. This is done both through a discussion on how Paper 1 can be used as a resource for lecturers and through a number of teaching suggestions based on a merging of the contents of the review and personal teaching experience