University Students Understanding of the Behavior of Light and Their Reasoning to the Particle-like Nature of Light in the Photoelectric Effect

Abstract

University students understanding of the photoelectric effect is investigated through semi-structured interviews and a written questionnaire. For the purpose of our study, we distinguish between two kinds of reasoning: the construction of a photon model of light to explain the experimental results of the photoelectric effect and one interpreting the nature of light in the context of the photoelectric effect. It was found that many students only had an energy description for the interaction between light and an electron and did not further elaborate on the physical processes. Students also struggled to explain the experimental results using the concept of the photon. We also investigated students reasoning in linking the photoelectric effect and the particle-like nature of light. Students in the study believed that the effect refuted the classical model, yet, did not sufficiently link the effect to the particle-like nature of light. Furthermore, they did not well describe the particle-like properties of light revealed in the photoelectric effect. Their particle conceptions were not clearly related to the photons properties. Finally, we suggest the implications of this study on the future teaching of the photoelectric effect and how the work relates to previous studies in this area.