EPJ ST Collection: Research in Physics Education and History of Physics: Focus on Teacher Training and the Teaching of Quantum Mechanics

Details

Published on 27 January 2026

Guest Editors: Marina Carpineti, Marco Giliberti, Luisa Lovisetti, Marisa Michelini, Salvatore Esposito

Submissions are invited for a Special Issue of EPJ-ST dedicated to “Research in Physics Education and History of Physics: Focus on Teacher Training and the Teaching of Quantum Mechanics”. The issue will include selected contributions presented at the national COOFIS-08 4th meeting on “Research in Physics Education and History of Physics" with a focus on teachers’ formation and on quantum mechanics education that will take place from December 11th to 13th 2025 at the Università degli Studi di Milano (Italy). The conference is a forum for discussion of the Coordination of physics education research in Italy among most of the researchers working in this field.

This issue will focus on fundamental studies and applications related to research in Physics Education and the History of Physics, specifically regarding teacher training and the teaching of quantum mechanics—two distinct yet highly relevant and interconnected topics. The issue will address both theoretical and methodological aspects, as well as experimental ones, in classroom settings or more general contexts including outreach to the general public, provided they are strongly research-based and highlight problems, approaches, and proposed research-driven solutions. Particular attention will be given to contributions that integrate both themes, such as studies on teacher training in quantum mechanics or approaches that intertwine historical and educational perspectives.

The submission is open to everyone working in the field, independently on the participation to the COOFIS-08 4th meeting. We invite interested authors to contact the guest editors providing a tentative title and a short abstract of their contribution. All submitted papers will undergo standard peer-review.

We invite contributions focused on teacher training at all educational levels and/or all aspects of quantum mechanics. Topics of interest include:

• the use of Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) as a central pedagogical tool;
• the role of history and philosophy of science in enriching teachers’ understanding and practice;
• the integration of hands-on experiments as foundational components of teacher preparation;
• promoting gender balance in physics education and the crucial role teachers play in shaping inclusive learning environments;
• approaches to teacher training that emphasize the cultural and interdisciplinary dimensions of science;
• well-being and self-efficacy in schools and university;
• contributions on historical developments relevant to teaching quantum mechanics;
• the role of mathematics in quantum physics education;
• strategies for introducing quantum mechanics at the secondary school level;
• diverse pedagogical approaches to quantum theory;
• the use of quantum applications in education;
• quantum computing and emerging quantum technologies;
• the educational value of games in teaching quantum physics;
• foundational issues in quantum mechanics and their implications for instruction.

Articles should be submitted to the Editorial Office of EPJ ST via the submission system, and should be clearly identified as intended for the topical issue “Research in Physics Education and History of Physics: Focus on Teacher Training and the Teaching of Quantum Mechanics”.

More detailed author information including paper types can be found in the Submission Guidelines. For the preparation of the manuscripts a special latex template (preferably single-column layout) is available here.

Guest Editors:

Marina Carpineti, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Marco Giliberti , Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Luisa Lovisetti , Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Marisa Michelini, Senior full professor in the University of Udine, Italy, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Salvatore Esposito , Dipartimento di Fisica “Ettore Pancini, Università “Federico II” di Napoli, Italy, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Open Access: EPJST is a hybrid journal offering Open Access publication via the Open Choice programme and a growing number of Transformative Agreements. If the institution of the CORRESPONDING AUTHOR is part of such a Transformative Agreement, the Open Access fee will be covered by the agreement partner. All agreements are listed with more details under TRANSFORMATIVE Agreements. Eligibility will be automatically verified when the corresponding author is requested to complete the relevant affiliation information after acceptance of the paper during the production process. Corresponding authors not affiliated to institutes with Transformative Agreements are redirected to proceed with “Please select your publishing model” and have to decide between paying the current Open Access fee or choosing the subscription option without any publication charges.