We are back with the new PER talk series of 2025/26. For the month of September, Apekshya Ghimire, PhD Candidate from University of Pittsburgh, PA is presenting ” The Role of Peer Collaboration in Physics Education: Conceptual Understanding, Academic Performance and Self-efficacy”.

Peer collaboration can play a crucial role in physics education by fostering deeper conceptual understanding, improving academic performance, and enhancing self-efficacy. In this talk, I present findings from three research studies that examine unguided peer collaboration at different levels of physics learning. First, I discuss results from graduate-level students who completed the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) and the Magnetism Conceptual Survey (MCS) individually and then collaboratively. The results highlight the effectiveness of peer interactions in refining conceptual understanding. Second, I explore the relationship between peer collaboration, academic performance, and self-efficacy among introductory physics students. Together, these studies emphasize the power of peer collaboration as a learning tool across different levels of physics education. By providing opportunities for students to articulate their reasoning and learn from each other, collaborative learning can enhance and reinforce both cognitive and psychosocial aspects of learning. The findings underscore the need for physics educators to actively promote peer collaboration both inside and outside the classroom to support students’ academic and personal growth.

Date and Time: Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. US ET

(Nepal Time: Saturday, Ashoj 11, 2082 at 7:45 p.m.)

Where?: WebEx (Registration required for Non-ANPA members)

Please register to get the WebEX link into your mailbox.