Analysis of pre-service physics teachers’ mental models of and reasoning about the Higgs boson using the SOLO taxonomy

Philipp Bitzenbauer; Angela Fösel

doi:10.29333/ejmste/17028

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Philipp Bitzenbauer ¹ ^* , Angela Fösel ²

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¹ Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, GERMANY² Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, GERMANY^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The Higgs boson, a cornerstone of the standard model, poses exceptional conceptual challenges for learners and future teachers due to its abstract, quantum-field nature. We conducted an interview study with 29 pre-service physics teachers who had completed an experimental particle physics course. The participants responded to eight targeted questions about the Higgs boson. Their answers were first analyzed qualitatively through the lens of the cognitive dimensions Fidelity of Gestalt and Functional Fidelity and were then coded according to the structure of the observed learning outcome (SOLO) taxonomy (pre-, uni-, multi-, relational). The results showed a dominance of dual thinking and pre-/uni-structural reasoning, with only a minority of relational responses indicative of integrated, expert-like reasoning. These patterns echo recent findings from physics education research and inform classroom practice.

Keywords

particle physics
pre-service teachers
Higgs boson
qualitative analysis
reasoning
SOLO taxonomy

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 21, Issue 10, October 2025, Article No: em2706

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17028

Publication date: 01 Oct 2025

Online publication date: 16 Sep 2025

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Article Downloads: 425

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How to cite this article

APA

Bitzenbauer, P., & Fösel, A. (2025). Analysis of pre-service physics teachers’ mental models of and reasoning about the Higgs boson using the SOLO taxonomy. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(10), em2706. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17028

Vancouver

Bitzenbauer P, Fösel A. Analysis of pre-service physics teachers’ mental models of and reasoning about the Higgs boson using the SOLO taxonomy. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2025;21(10):em2706. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17028

AMA

Bitzenbauer P, Fösel A. Analysis of pre-service physics teachers’ mental models of and reasoning about the Higgs boson using the SOLO taxonomy. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2025;21(10), em2706. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17028

Chicago

Bitzenbauer, Philipp, and Angela Fösel. "Analysis of pre-service physics teachers’ mental models of and reasoning about the Higgs boson using the SOLO taxonomy". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2025 21 no. 10 (2025): em2706. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17028

Harvard

Bitzenbauer, P., and Fösel, A. (2025). Analysis of pre-service physics teachers’ mental models of and reasoning about the Higgs boson using the SOLO taxonomy. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 21(10), em2706. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17028

MLA

Bitzenbauer, Philipp et al. "Analysis of pre-service physics teachers’ mental models of and reasoning about the Higgs boson using the SOLO taxonomy". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 21, no. 10, 2025, em2706. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/17028