Abstract
The experiment is a key component of physics as a science and it can be in many ways incorporated into physics teaching and learning. This contribution describes the development of a questionnaire dealing with how Czech physics teachers use experiments in their lessons. The description of the follow-up research using this instrument and some of its preliminary results are also provided.
The questionnaire was primarily created on the basis of interviews with experienced physics teachers about the main aspects of experimental work and their experience with its inclusion into physics instruction. Minor parts of the instrument are also inspired by research studies previously administered at our department, enabling comparisons over time.
The instrument has three logical parts - the metadata about respondents is the first one. The second part aims at describing the current state regarding experimental work in physics lessons at upper secondary schools. In the third part, respondents are asked about their view of the "ideal state" concerning experimenting in their physics lessons. Over 2,000 teachers had been approached with a request to complete the questionnaire and more than 300 of them responded. While evaluating the data from the third part of the instrument still continues, this paper presents some of the results obtained from its first and second part.