Does generation Z (and Alpha) need physics as a separate school subject?

Physics teachers and learners collected surveys focused on their belief of teaching and learning physics at secondary and high schools. In the context of the idea of STEM education, physics cannot be replaced by another subject - science - to a sufficient extent. All the interviewed respondents agreed on this. The learning environment is now different, the position of the teacher is different too. But the aim of education is to prepare learners for the life in the 21st century and physics plays an important role. Pupils have to acquire the necessary competences, and skills for their application on the labor market at the time of the so-called fourth industrial revolution. This aim of education is essential but not negligible is their well being at schools. It is known that a crucial trend among young people is the incidence of depression and early school leaving. The outcome of our investigation has shown that in physics a lot of basic cognitive skills are taught. Physics is also a platform for buiding skills needed in the 21st century – communication, creativity, critical thinking. Physics is an essential part of STEM education. The results of the surveys were incorporated into the subjects of the pregraduate physics teacher training. The basic trend in teaching physics is quality versus quantity, the use of physics knowledge in everyday life. The way how physics teachers deal with these new objectives, which methods were chosen will be discussed in this paper.


Introduction
Attention in the field of education is currently devoted mainly to the problem of how to grasp strategies regarding the education of the new generations and their apprenticeship in the labour market.Emphasis is given on the issue of STEM or STEAM education, STEM jobs are widely discussed.In STEM the "S" stands for science and the basic question is what position occupies physics as a teaching subject in this approach physics.Let's ask ourselves a question in this context, "what is physics?" and how to explain the statements to our students?Physics, i.e. "knowledge, the science of nature", is a part of natural philosophy and natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through space and time, along with related concepts such as energy and force.More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted to understand how the universe behaves.New ideas in physics often explain the fundamental mechanisms of other sciences, while opening new avenues of research in areas such as mathematics and philosophy.[1] Physics and philosophy are historically interwined.Philosophy provides methods leading fro example to critical thinking.Philosophy have tools and skills that physics needs and uses -conceptual analysis, accuracy of expression, the ability to detect gaps in standard arguments, etc. [2] Physics also makes significant contributions through advances in new technologies that arise from theoretical breakthroughs.For example, advances in the understanding of electromagnetism or nuclear physics led directly to the development of new products which have dramatically transformed modernday society, such as television, computers, domestic appliances, and nuclear weapons; advances in thermodynamics led to the development of industrialization; and advances in mechanics inspired the development of calculus.
The development of physics has answered many questions of early philosophers but has also raised new questions.Though physics deals with a wide variety of systems, certain theories are used by all physicists.Each of these theories was experimentally tested numerous times and found correct as an approximation of nature (within a certain domain of validity).[1] While physics aims to discover universal laws, its theories lie in explicit domains of applicability.Loosely speaking, the laws of classical physics accurately describe systems whose important length scales are greater than the atomic scale and whose motions are much slower than the speed of light.Outside of this domain, observations do not match their predictions.Albert Einstein contributed the framework of special relativity, which replaced notions of absolute time and space with spacetime and allowed an accurate description of systems whose components have speeds approaching the speed of light.Max Planck, Erwin Schrödinger, and others introduced quantum mechanics, a probabilistic notion of particles and interactions that allowed an accurate description of atomic and subatomic scales.Later, quantum field theory unified quantum mechanics and special relativity.
Physics is a branch of fundamental science, not practical science.Physics is also called "the fundamental science" because the subject of study of all branches of natural science like chemistry, astronomy, geology, and biology is constrained by laws of physics.[1] The results that physics has achieved and the laws that have been formulated are used by all sciences -chemistry, biology, mathematics, brain science, engineering, socio-economic sciences, computer technology, earth sciences, ethics, environmental science, and seismology to mention only some of them.Do we understand the importance of physics?[3]

Methodology and research
Our investigation aimed to discuss with teachers from practice and with students -pregraduate physics teachers, the impact of the subject physics.They were given the question "Does Generation Z (and Alpha) need physics as a separate school subject?
A group of 26 physics teachers and 17 pregraduated physics teachers were interviewed.The main task was to get feedback and insight from the respondents on how it is important for them to teach physics as a separate school subject, and where is the place of physics in STEM education.One part of the teachers and students had an opportunity to visit foreign countries (Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Hungary) and compare the school systems in these countries with the system of education and the way of teaching with those in the Czech Republic.The leading question they answered was: How important is physics in the 21st century and is it important to teach physics as a separate subject?
The methodology of this investigation was based on the processing of qualitative research.The given question led to a wider discussion.An audio recording was made of the interviews which was subsequently evaluated.A partial transcript of the interviews was taken and recurring categories were marked.

Outcomes
Most cited statements were as follow.I will teach physics as a separate subject because: 1. Physics is the foundation of all other sciences, most technology, and most engineering.(96%) 2. Physics is the most concrete science.(81%) 3. Physics is everywhere.(93%) 4. Physics is a fundamental science.It was the first science, only later the history of chemistry, biology, geography started.(98%) 5. Physics is important because it improves the living standard.(79%) 6. Physics made great discoveries in the branch of energy.(72%)7. Modern technology, computers are based on achievements in physics.(84%)8. Majority of equipment at home is based on physics.(68%)There was no significant difference between the statements of graduated and pre-graduated physics teachers.These statements were the basic outcomes of why it is important to teach physics.The emphasis is particularly on the fact that physics is associated with progress in all areas of lifeinformation and communication technology, diagnostic methods in medicine, energy sources, kitchen equipment, transport, lighting, self-driving cars, etc.
It is obvious that high school physics is crucial for STEM education, and for scientific so as mathematical literacy.High school physics is the chief STEM pathway.STEM jobs are growing twice as fast as other fields.[4,5] The physics teacher is the most important element in the educational process, who can explain the basic concepts of our being.Without physics, there would be no understanding of the world around us, and there would be no technology of everyday use (mobile phones, television, vehicles, etc.).Excellent introductory physics courses are important for all students, from those planning to become professional physicists to those majoring in the arts and humanities.Physics also plays a foundational role in the other fields of natural science.Even where the full rigor of physics is not applicable, the approach of physics to characterizing and analysing problems can be very useful.Every field of natural science and engineering has made use of the instrumentation and experimental techniques developed by physicists.[6] How to use the facts in teaching Physics is important but unpopular as a subject.What can we change in our way of teaching and learning the gen Alpha?
Gen Alpha is the latest generation, kids are born since 2011.Let us point out what is important for teachers and the learning process (according to the changes from Gen Z learners).We can see that the kids have more problems in the area of motor skills, and expression, in the social area (parents are very often involved in solving peer problems).Gen Alpha children are subjected to even excessive parental care and protection.Parents often deal with questions like: what is better -Montessori schools or classical ones, should the child attend the forest nursery or not, the vaccination, whether to let the child scream or not, which primary school to choose -which school is the best, how to set the timetable so that the child can attend as many extracurricular activities as possible.Another opposite is that children are left to themselves and spend most of their time with their mobile phones on the Internet.[7] The teacher must realize that our time is characterized by a rapid rise availability of information, the decrease in the price of information technology leads to its greater availability, and the increase in data produced.On the other hand, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are less likely to handle physical objects.They are experts in living in a virtual world but they have some problems to solve tasks of everyday life.That´s why IBSE methodology, solving everyday real problems, and real experiments are so important.
The undergraduate years are a crucial time in the career paths of potential scientists: These years present the first opportunities for in-depth study that may influence career decisions, convincing potential scientists that the excitement of research and discovery is ample reward for the hard work that science requires.There is currently a great need for workers with technical expertise, and a graduate physics education is well-suited to provide that expertise.Strong physics training provides students with broad problem-solving skills and familiarizes them with a wide range of technologies and underlying physical principles.This allows them to adapt easily and contribute to many different areas such as electronics, optics, and computational modelling.
The STEM education system needs to define what foundational knowledge all students need, as well as shift its emphasis from memorization of scientific facts, formulas, and definitions to understanding concepts in context and be ready to use available computational power to accomplish tasks..This clearer definition and shift in emphasis will strengthen traits such as creativity and problem solving.8 Physics is the only subject that teaches systematically metrology.Science literacy is based on concepts that are taught in physics which the student must understand, and grasp.Concepts created by physics are essential to understanding the workings of all systems not only the physical one.
For example, the basic concept "system" used in science subjects can be understood as follows:  System in chemistry -material system, reaction system, structuring system  System in physics -Solar System, electrical circuit, oscillating circuit  System in biology -ecosystem, cell, organism, nervous system Categories of a system can be static (components and relationships thought of as constants, e.g.crystals) or dynamic (components and relations as (or) variables, e.g.systems with energy/material/information flows).Further -an example of an accounting concept would be energy.The concept of energy is central in physics, biology, and chemistry, it is a basic quantity that is conserved and is therefore very important for events in everyday life.The concept of energy is associated with several misconceptions that students bring to class.In teaching physics we should avoid saying energy is the ability to do work, which cannot be generalized because the transfer of mechanical energy is not the only possibility, it can also be the transfer of thermal energy.It is recommended to introduce the concept of energy with many concrete examples and it is advisable to use cluster diagrams showing energy flows.[9] Ideas on how to teach the gen Alpha learners can be demonstrated using the following example.Modules based on the IBSE methodology were prepared by our graduates.[10] Physical nature of breathing Output competencies: children describe the most important properties of the atmosphere of planet Earth, state the difference between the pair of terms negative pressure and positive pressure, design and create a functional model of human lungs using simple tools (figure 1), explain and demonstrate the physical essence of the process of external respiration on their functional model human lungs.This module can be elaborated for older learners by topics dealing with the thermodynamics of the atmosphere, the environmental physics -energy flows in the atmosphere, climate change, and renewable resources (wind energy, water energy, solar panels).The terms energy, and entropy are widely used in media and news, it is important to teach learners to use physical equipment that is used to obtain the presented data, to understand and to correctly interpret graphs and information.

Figure 1. Lung model using simple tools
The mysterious behaviour of water Output competencies: children can list the basic properties of liquids, describe the behaviour of the liquid surface layer, and describe changes in the surface tension of tap water when detergent or flour (sugar) is added or when its temperature changes, for two liquids of different densities in the container, they decide which of these liquids will be present at the bottom of the container.

Things that happen under voltage
Output competencies: children explain the nature of electric current, describe the meaning of electrical voltage in electrical circuits, list at least two components of simple electrical circuits, describe according to the electrical circuit diagram the components that are in it, create their simple electric circuit according to the diagram, will explain Ohm's law for part of the circuit and verify it experimentally on a simple electric circuit, will describe the difference between series and parallel connection of resistors in a circuit.The everyday application can be found in the example of series and parallel connection of photovoltaic cells (figure 2) Each module contains a methodical guide for teachers and a worksheet for pupils with instructions for carrying out experiments and questions.At the end of the worksheet, there is an opportunity for students to evaluate the lesson.For example: Experiment -Reflection using gel balls: Answer the following questions.1.How did the light beam behave in this experiment?2. What is the reason for his behaviour?3.Where can this phenomenon be used in practice?Experiment -Reflection of light rays on mirrors Answer the following questions.1.What was the relationship between the angles of the incident and reflected rays for a plane mirror? 2.Where do we encounter a plane mirror in practice?3. What happens to the ray if it hits the reflecting surface of a plane mirror perpendicularly? 4. How did the rays behave after reflection on the hollow mirror? 5.Where can a hollow mirror be used?6.How did the laser beams behave after reflection on the convex mirror?7.Where can a convex mirror be used?

Demonstration of total reflection using gel balls
Brief description of the experiment: Sketch a part of a circle on the paper, on which you stack several pre-dried transparent gel balls (figure 3).These were left for about eight hours in water to swell sufficiently.Shine a laser at one end of the row of balls and observe the behaviour of the light beam.Carefully write down everything you need.Were the instructions from the lecturers sufficient for you understandable?What was the approach of the lecturers?

Conclusion
The key finding of our investigation is that physics is important and it is necessary to pay a lot of attention to teaching physics.
If we are not discussing the content side of this subject, then the most significant benefit of teaching physics is to teach students problem-solving, and critical thinking.Basic concepts of the Three Rs (rigor, relevance, relationship) are still important.For key 21st-century skills, we must point out the four C´scollaboration skills, communication skills, creativity, and critical thinking.[11] They all can be easily trained in physics.It is interesting that pre-graduate physics teachers as a part of seminars in didactics of physics still tend to present the lessons they experienced in schools in the past.All that remains is to consistently demand a change in approach, and pay attention to the use of learner-centred methods, IBSE, problem and project-based learning, and tandem teaching.What is most important and should be taught are pupils´ research experiments, solving open-ended problems, real-life application of concepts, and optimal use of multimedia.And, of course manual skills.All respondents confirmed that physics as a separate subject is irreplaceable, the teaching of physics within the subject science is insufficient to fulfill the goals of the 2030+ education strategy and application on the labor market.

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Reflection using gel balls Lesson evaluation How did you like the topic of the lesson?Did you have enough materials and aids for the activities?Did you learn new information during the activities?Did you have enough time during the tasks?Were the instructions from the lecturers sufficient for you understandable?What was the approach of the lecturers?