Resumen de Secondary and University Students’ Descriptions of Quantum Superposition

Nicoline Berit Campbell Birkeland, Maria Vetleseter Bøe

• This image signals that this contribution is a featured part of the special collection on “Quantum Science and Technology in the Introductory Physics Classroom.” Physics is undergoing rapid developments in quantum technology, and physics students need updated and relevant quantum physics education to equip them for the future. Quantum measurement and superposition are important concepts in quantum technology, but there are few studies on the teaching and learning of these in secondary education. In this paper, we use interview data to study how Norwegian upper secondary students described superposition after having worked with digital learning resources emphasizing qualitative understanding and visualizations, and we compare them to descriptions from university students having completed an introductory quantum mechanics course. Using pedagogical link-making as a lens, we discuss how upper secondary physics can support students’ knowledge building without access to all the building blocks that university students have.