| The purposes of the current study were to study the potential solutions of the common learning difficulties, insufficient teaching techniques and other significant instructional or conceptual problems encountered while teaching and learning an important branch of physical science, quantum physics (QP), at the senior or junior college year.;Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were utilized in this study. The participants included five physics faculty members with different levels of teaching experience who were teaching one of the quantum physics courses (e.g. Modern Physics, Quantum Physics, and Quantum Mechanics) and 43 senior or junior undergraduate students enrolled in their courses during fall and spring terms of 2006.;The findings of this study revealed that students struggle in QP classes mainly because of (1) complex mathematical tools in QP, (2) abstract concepts and non-parallel construction of QP, (3) QP has a bad reputation that negatively affects students prior to taking it, and (4) the pace in curriculum of quantum physics courses is too fast for the students.;In order to increase students' conceptualization of QP concepts, the faculty members who participated in this study suggested that: (1) more time on solving more abstract conceptual questions should be spent, (2) recitation hours for solving more numerical problems need to be dedicated, and (3) revision of curriculum is necessary. |
