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Alice Gasparini

Publications and source records attributed to Alice Gasparini.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Using tablets and smartphones as experimental tools in the physics classroom: effects on learning and motivation

According to the literature, mobile devices as experimental tools (MDET) can offer educational benefits by creating authentic, real-life contexts for physics learning, enhancing student motivation through the use of familiar technology, and supporting cognitive processes by providing multiple representations of phenomena. However, concerns have been raised about potential distractions and cognitive overload. Regarding these conflicting perspectives, few empirical studies on the impact of MDET in real classroom settings of regular, full-length physics courses are available, focusing on a non-specialized high-school target group. We present a study of a mechanics course in such a new setting, addressing the tight curricular, material, and practical constraints inherent to it. A quasi experimental pre post design comparing a treatment group using MDET and a control group without (same content, lesson plan, and teachers) was used. The 19-week teaching sequence focused on conceptual learning and motivational outcomes, controlled by several predictor variables. Findings reveal substantial pre post learning gains for both groups (Cohen d = 0.9) and small gains for perceived relation to reality (d = 0.29). But no significant differences between treatments were found, indicating that MDET do not outperform conventional teaching under the given constraints. Moreover, no evidence of negative effects such as distraction or cognitive overload was observed, and little to no interactions with predictors such as gender or prior knowledge were found. In conclusion, MDET show considerable potential as an effective option for integrating technology into teaching, offering learning outcomes comparable to those of successful conventional teaching, but not better.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2024

Cosmology and general relativity (GR) in upper secondary school through new targeted teaching materials: a study on student learning and motivation

Cosmology and GR remain largely inaccessible to high-school teaching due to the advanced prerequisites to master these topics. Integrating them into upper secondary teaching is a significant challenge that remains unresolved. This contribution reports on an implementation study of a GR and cosmology course for upper secondary school students as part of an educational project launched during the centenary of GR and tested ever since for several years. The course aimed to expand students' knowledge to include current physics topics while highlighting their foundations in areas of classical physics such as Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism, and waves. Targeted teaching and learning materials are focused on conceptual and qualitative understanding, while systematically combined with a mathematical treatment accessible at the upper secondary level, avoiding oversimplification. A key element is an active learning approach, incorporating activities and tasks such as engaging applications related to current research, reflective exercises, thought experiments, and hands-on tasks. The main research objective was to explore whether a conceptually deep and educationally effective GR and cosmology course could be successfully implemented for non-specialist upper secondary students. A pre-post study assessed both conceptual learning and affective outcomes, including interest, curiosity, self-concept, and perceived relevance of science. Results showed encouraging gains in both learning and motivation, with large to very large effect sizes for conceptual learning of core principles. Additionally, no or small effects of predictors such as gender were observed. We conclude that the integration of GR and cosmology into upper secondary physics teaching, in the form of courses and materials that are engaging, comprehensible, and impactful, is feasible.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2006

Sensitivity of a small matter-wave interferometer to gravitational waves

We study the possibility of using matter wave interferometry techniques to build a gravitational wave detector. We derive the response function and find that it contains a term proportional to the derivative of the gravitational wave, a point which has been disputed recently. We then study in detail the sensitivity that can be reached by such a detector and find that, if it is operated near resonance, it can reach potentially interesting values in the high frequency regime. The correlation between two or more of such devices can further improve the sensitivity for a stochastic signal.

gr-qc↗
arXiv2004

Electronic contribution to the oscillations of a gravitational antenna

We carefully analyse the contribution to the oscillations of a metallic gravitational antenna due to the interaction between the electrons of the bar and the incoming gravitational wave. To this end, we first derive the total microscopic Hamiltonian of the wave-antenna system and then compute the contribution to the attenuation factor due to the electron-graviton interaction. As compared to the ordinary damping factor, which is due to the electron viscosity, this term turns out to be totally negligible. This result confirms that the only relevant mechanism for the interaction of a gravitational wave with a metallic antenna is its direct coupling with the bar normal modes.

gr-qc↗