Simon Eriksson

About Simon Eriksson

Between the years 2021 and 2024, I worked as a subject teacher in biology, chemistry and physics at a secondary school in Växjö municipality. During the later years, I also completed an MSc in natural sciences didactics at Stockholm University, where my thesis implemented the didactic model of organizing purposes to create continuity in teaching and students' learning about natural selection. At that point, I really became interested in how students' conceptions about scientific models change during their education, especially with regards to how this affects continued learning in the subject.

Since January 2025, I am a doctoral student in natural sciences specializing in educational science at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, with Karina Adbo as my supervisor. In my doctoral project, I investigate upper secondary school students' learning in electrochemistry, with a particular focus on their conceptions of electrons, their movement, involvement in electrostatic interactions and redox reactions. The aim of the research is to create a broader basis for the development of interventions that promote student learning in electrochemistry and, thereby, contribute to the knowledge base from which teachers make informed decisions in teaching.

Increased knowledge in electrochemistry helps students understand the vital processes enabled by electrochemical principles – including photosynthesis, cellular respiration and the functions of the nervous system. It also helps students explain how energy is released during combustion and why metals corrode. Hence, this lays a foundation for further development of electrochemistry applications, such as in neurology, to develop batteries, fuel cells and a transition to sustainable energy sources.