Students see ionising radiation (and possibly ‘radiation’ in general) as harmful to health

Quantum and Nuclear

Misconception RESEARCH REVIEW

Resources to Address This

  • Start a discussion of some the many benefits of radioactivity by exploring the use of radiation in radiotherapy.

    A link to a simple simulation in which the students can explore radiotherapy is provided. This simulation allows students to explore the effects of radiation during radiotherapy. It can be used to compare the does received by different organs and discuss how dose is limited by moving the source relative to the tumour.

    When using these resources, discuss how risks and benefits are both considered during any treatment.

    View Resource

References

  • Eijkelhof, H. M. C., () Radiation and risk in physics education, PhD thesis.

  • Klaassen, C., () A Problem-Posing Approach to Teaching the Topic of Radioactivity, PhD thesis, Netherlands.

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Students’ views about the risk of radiation and radioactive materials are based more strongly on everyday information than scientific ideas

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RESEARCH REVIEW Quantum and Nuclear

Many students hold a range of atom models, including hybrid models consisting of combinations of different models and incorrect ideas

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Some students think that (ionising) radiation only stems from nuclear power plants

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