Developing high school students’ experimental competence in radioactivity through problem-based learning

Abstract This article describes a problem-based learning (PBL) approach to developing experimental competence in radioactivity among 12th-grade high school students. The study, conducted in the context of the Vietnamese physics curriculum, involved eight students in a series of hands-on tasks. Using equipment such as a Geiger–Müller detector and a self-constructed Wilson cloud chamber, students were challenged to design and conduct their own experiments on the properties and applications of radiation. Our findings indicate that the PBL framework led to significant gains in students’ experimental skills, particularly in planning and execution. We present this case as a successful model for teaching complex physics topics through active, student-cantered inquiry.