The Need to Clarify the Relationship between Physics and Mathematics in Science Curriculum: Cultural Knowledge as Possible Framework

AbstractPhysics and mathematics present two areas of intellectual activity deeply interwoven through the long history of science. Yet, they preserve two separate ideological entities. This situation implies complexity to school curriculum of both disciplines. Our study investigated the views of physics teachers regarding the interrelation of the two disciplines. We performed twenty individual interviews using the constructive-qualitative research method. The constructed profile of teacher's views on the role of mathematics in the physics curriculum revealed variety of opinions: complementary views and certain perplexity. We learn that although student's level of mathematics preparation apparently correlates with their performance in physics class, it does not necessarily predict their success in physics class. While it is clear that learning physics requires mathematical knowledge, the exact dependence of physics education on mathematics should still be refined in order to guide teaching to effectively support students’ understanding of physics. The appeared complexity was that two teachers – those of mathematics and physics – often present the same mathematical tools, such as derivatives, equations, functions, emphasizing different aspects of the same concept. If not explicitly related by specifying the essential complementarity, the two perspectives might cause confusion of students and teachers. Establishing complimentary perspectives may provide students and teachers with the cultural knowledge of the shared concepts (Galili, 2012). This clarification may shed light on better interaction of mathematics and physics in education and lead to a more effective educational policy able to correct the existed distortion and shortcomings of physics education