DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN HIGH-SCHOOL MODERN PHYSICS TEACHING: POSSIBILITIES, EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE, AND PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Integrating Modern and Contemporary Physics into secondary education is hampered by the high abstraction of its concepts and by the scarcity of directly observable experiments in school settings. This article examines the extent to which the pedagogically planned use of digital technologies — particularly interactive simulations accessed on mobile devices — supports conceptual learning, engagement, and students’ perceptions of the discipline. Drawing on the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative evidence from two quasi-experimental interventions carried out in a public school (the dissertations by Amaral and Afonso), we analyze the teaching of the photoelectric effect and Compton scattering through the lenses of constructivism, meaningful-learning theory, and the TPACK framework. On the final assessment, the group that used simulation apps outperformed the group exposed only to expository instruction across every conceptual item, with a reconstructed mean accuracy of roughly 90.9% versus 44.6%, alongside marked gains in satisfaction and in the perceived relevance of Physics to everyday life. We conclude that the educational value of these technologies lies not in the artifact itself but in the quality of teacher mediation and in the alignment of content, pedagogy, and technological resource. Implications for teacher education and methodological limitations guiding future research are discussed.