On the effectiveness of the early introduction of modern physics in school curriculum: the case of the structure of atom versus wave-particle duality

The dual nature of matter and radiation and the concept of the structure of an atom share a number of key conceptual elements from quantum mechanics. Despite the similarities, we find that the concept of the structure of an atom is well understood by students, in contrast to the wave-particle duality. The study analyzes students' comprehension of these two concepts by conducting a semi-structured focus group interview and questionnaire. Through students' performance in the questionnaire and their descriptive responses, we find that the difficulties in their learning and understandings reflect the treatment of the respective topic in the curriculum. The introduction of the structure of an atom is early and repeated, whereas the dual nature of matter and radiation is introduced late and abruptly. Based on our findings, we propose reforms in the present curriculum that are necessary for an improved way of introducing the concept of modern physics, like wave particle duality, to Indian students.