Computational Simulations in Physics Education: a critical review of the literature

Abstract

Many articles were published about computational simulations in the last twenty years. However, the extension of the field and the variety of results make it difficult to take up work in this area of research. In spite of some existing reviews about computational simulations, results are dissimilar and they usually focus on outcomes. The strategies and methodologies are often excluded from compilations, which contribute to the confusing scene of this area. In order to meet these needs, this work offers a critical review of the literature of the last 17 years. This review is oriented to give a general view of the actual state of this field and it is focused on the main nucleus of agreement and discussions in the literature, regarding methodological aspects too. A certain tendency was observed from the results: most of articles are characterized for analyzing the impact of using programs to teach. Agreements and points of discussion are exposed.