QUANTUM PHYSICS ORIGINS TEACHING METHODOLOGY FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS: A PEDAGOGICAL AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article presents a pedagogical methodology for teaching the history of quantum physics origins in general secondary schools. The study addresses the cognitive difficulties students face when learning abstract quantum concepts (wave-particle duality, energy quantization, Heisenberg uncertainty principle) that contradict classical intuition. A mixed-method research design was implemented, including theoretical analysis of the curriculum, development of interactive problem-based learning materials, and experimental testing. The experiment involved 52 11th-grade students divided into control (n=26, traditional teaching) and experimental (n=26, proposed methodology) groups. The experimental group demonstrated a 42.3% increase in high-level mastery (from 15.4% to 57.7%) compared to 11.6% in the control group. Low-level students decreased from 34.6% to 7.7% in the experimental group versus 34.6% to 19.2% in the control. The methodology integrates digital simulations (PhET), animated visualizations, problem-based learning, SWOT analysis, peer assessment, and differentiated assignments. Results confirm that modern pedagogical technologies significantly improve conceptual understanding, scientific reasoning, and long-term retention of quantum physics fundamentals.