Symmetry as Core-idea for Introducing Secondary School Students to Contemporary Particle Physics

The main goal of the study is to test teaching materials designed for making particle physics conceptually relevant for secondary school students. In designing the materials the concept of symmetry has been assumed as core-idea because of its structural and foundational role in particle physics, its crosscutting character and its epistemological and philosophical value. The materials have been tested in a pilot-study which involved 19 students of a regular class (grade 13) of an Italian school. The data have been collected through: a) a questionnaire on a selection of the teaching materials; b) audio-recordings of a lecture (2 hours) and of a classroom discussion (1 hour); c) individual written essays. The data analysis shows that the students were in their “regime of competence” for grasping subtle nuances of the materials and for providing important hints for revising them.