Göttingen 2025 – scientific programme

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DD: Fachverband Didaktik der Physik

DD 27: Poster – Lehr-Lernforschung

DD 27.6: Poster

Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 16:15–17:45, ZHG Foyer 1. OG

An analysis of demographic and educational factors affecting secondary student's performance in hellenic national physics competitions — •Nikolaos Papadimitriou¹, Rizos-Theodoros Chadoulis², Kostas Vourlias³, Stelios Orfanakis⁴, and Denis Vavougios⁵ — ¹Physics Dept., Univ. Patras — ²Informatics Dept., Aristotle Univ. Thessaloniki — ³Pefka High School — ⁴OpenUp, Panhellenic Sci. Assoc. of Innovation — ⁵Physics Dept., Univ. Thessaly

The Hellenic Physical Society organizes annual national physics competitions for students at various educational levels. This study examines the performance patterns of secondary school students focusing on demographic and educational factors such as origin, gender and school type. Anonymized data from student responses to competition questions were analyzed using detailed statistical methods to identify common areas of difficulty, alternative ideas and knowledge gaps. The questions were classified based on the physics area they address, the task type, the assigned difficulty level and the underlying alternative ideas. By examining response patterns and success rates, we explored performance disparities among different student demographics, paying particular attention to differences in knowledge levels related to educational environment and background. Our findings provide valuable insights into student learning patterns and performance challenges, offering perspectives to improve competition frameworks and refine educational aspects, with an emphasis on targeted support for diverse demographic groups and fostering a more inclusive learning environment that addresses specific educational needs across various backgrounds.

Keywords: Physics competitions; Secondary education; Student performance; Demographic factors; Educational environment