A Comparative Study Of Physics Experiments In Physics Textbooks Of Chinese And American High Schools

Physics is a subject based on experiment. The physical experiment in textbook plays an important role in students’practical skills and innovative thinking. Thus, the select,the design and the presentation of experiment in physical textbook influenced greatly on the fulfillment of teaching goal. With the proceeding of the new curriculum reform, the new curriculum standards of our country advocated the strengthening of the training of scientific inquiry and the ability of physical experiment, but the improvement of experiment in physical textbook is not obvious. There still have a widely gap in physical experiment between our country’s physical textbook and foreign mainstream ones. America is strong in education. The educational thought in it is very advanced. Therefore, the American textbook based on it must be worthy of our learning and using for reference. Compare the select,the design and the presentation of the physical experiment contents between Chinese textbook and American one. So that we can view our physical textbook with an international vision and improve the redaction of the experiment content in our physical textbook.This article based on the theory of constructivism, development psychology, curriculum development and educational dissemination. And then, the author construct the comparing model of physical experiment in textbook, which is based on the studying of existing research results about textbook comparison on experimental design and the characteristics of physical experiment. Using the constructed comparative model, the author statically compare three aspects between people’s education press edition physical textbook and the American one which is called "Physics:rPrinciples and Problems", which are experimental content,experimental design and experimental presentation. The research conclusion is as follows:1. With the number and distribution of experiment, the two physical textbooks both set a lot of experiments in themselves. And the number of experiments in Chinese textbook is greater than the number of America’s. When it comes to the content, they both concentrate on mechanical,optics and electromagnetic. And the distribution of experiments in Chinese textbook in more centralized.2. With the selection of experimental equipment, both the two kinds of textbook are variety and have a widely range. And the Chinese textbook focus on the means of obtaining experimental data, so the experimental equipment is mainly composed by laboratory categories. Compared with the Chinese textbook, The selection of American textbook is more about life,it usually uses life items as experimental equipment.3. With the design of experimental types, the American textbook have more inquiry and open experiments and fewer demonstration experiments than Chinese one. The design of the qualitative experiment is not a has little difference between the two types of textbook.4. With the structural arrangement of experiment, by longitudinal comparing, the experiments are interspersed among the main text and coordinate with teaching content as a whole in the two physical textbooks. But the layout of experiments in American textbook is more clearer. By horizontal comparing, both the two countries focus more on the design of inquiry experiment. And both of them are composed by the process of scientific inquiry. But the experiments’ guidances of American textbook is stronger and emphasis more on comprehensiveness of inquiry link.5. With the aspect of setting columns, both Chinese physics textbook and American physics textbook elaborately set up a variety of kinds of experiment columns. But the experiment columns in Chinese textbook are more plentiful. While the American textbook pays more attention on the presentation of the experiments’ safety.6. With the illustration of experiment, the American textbook mainly use real photos as illustration to present experimental scenario. And the Chinese textbook has more illustrations with backgrounds which are about experiment principle and experiment equipment.7. With the statement of experiment, the means of expression in Chinese textbook to state experiment are more accurate, logically, rigor and tend to use more imperative sentences than the American one; However, the means of expression in American textbook is more concise, comprehensive and tend to use more simple sentences, pay more attention on humanization of statement than Chinese one.Finally, according to the conclusion of the research, the author provides four suggestions for the redaction of the experiment part in our physics textbook from three aspects, which are experimental content,experimental design and experimental presentation.