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Solid-state physics has important applications in the development of modern technologies. Although solid-state concepts, such as electric and thermal conductivity, are included in the curricula at all educational levels, even university students have many incorrect ideas about them. The incorrect ideas identified in previous studies are mainly related to macroscopic aspects of solid-state physics. With the aim of gaining a more comprehensive insight into students’ understanding of solid-state physics, we have developed a multiple-choice concept inventory on microscopic models of electric and thermal conductivity of solids (METCS). The inventory has been field-tested with a sample consisting of 233 first-year medical faculty and engineering students from the University of Rijeka (Croatia). METCS proved to have good psychometric features and it helped to uncover many incorrect ideas that have not been reported in the earlier physics education literature. The findings from this study could be a good starting point for the development of evidence-based, university-level tutorials on microscopic models of electric and thermal conductivity.

Knowing the causes of the shortage of physics teachers in primary and secondary schools is necessary for the development of effective educational policies because the shortage of physics teachers is a global and persistent problem with negative consequences for the quality of education, but also for the survival of the physics profession as a whole. The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the opinions of Croatian physics teachers on the causes of the deficit in their profession. For this purpose, we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study using an online survey with Likert-type items and a constructed response item. A total of 390 respondents from all over Croatia participated in the survey, which is 29% of the total population of Croatian physics teachers in the 2022/2023 school year. According to their opinion, the causes of the shortage of Croatian physics teachers are related to the following: lack of incentives and support from the relevant institutions and bodies, the inadequacy of physics content in the curricula, the lack of motivation and negative attitude of students towards physics, impeded professional development, unequal opportunities, and challenges such as excessive workload. The results obtained provide a concrete basis for the development of an effective policy to solve the problem of the physics teacher shortage in Croatia and beyond by governments, universities, and schools.

The shortage of physics teachers is a global and persistent problem, resulting in the employment of nonprofessionals who cannot teach physics in a student-centered, high-quality and effective manner. This situation has implications for the educational policies of governments, universities, and schools. The aim of this study is to identify whether there is a shortage of elementary school physics teachers in Croatia. This type of survey was conducted for the first time in the country. Based on the online survey, we asked elementary school principals how many employees they have working as physics teachers in their schools and the type of education of these teachers. A total of 260 principals responded to the survey, representing 25% of the total population of elementary school principals in Croatia, where physics is taught according to the regular program in the 2020/2021 school year. The respondents did not mention the availability of physics teacher vacancies in their schools. However, they mentioned the engagement of nonprofessional substitute physics teachers accounting for 14% of all physics teaching positions in schools that participated in our study. Among the nonprofessional substitutes, most were from the social-humanities field. Differences in the representation of nonprofessional physics teachers by county were also found, indicating different causes of physics teacher shortages in different geographic areas. The survey results provide a basis for future policy decisions that can lead to better results in resolving the issue of physics teacher shortages in Croatia and beyond.