Quantum optics in schools. Study in a mixed-methods design to evaluate the Erlangen teaching concept on quantum optics

Quantum physics already forms the foundation of many current technologies. Future quantum technologies, such as quantum computers, will gain importance both in industry and for society. Quantum physics is now firmly anchored in many national and international school curricula as a topic for physics teaching. But despite the enormous growth in the importance of quantum technologies, the teaching of quantum physics in schools is still dominated by semi-classical models and quasi-historical approaches, while modern concepts of quantum physics are often ignored. As a result, learners often have classical-mechanistic ideas about quantum physics. This is where this work comes in: with the Erlangen teaching concept for quantum optics, a concept is presented with which learners in the upper secondary school learn about quantum effects using quantum optical experiments. Concepts of quantum optics, such as the preparation of quantum states, the anti-correlation at the beam splitter and the single photon interference help learners to gain a modern picture of quantum physics. Within the framework of a summative evaluation in a mixed-methods design with 171 pupils, it was shown that learners reach quantum physics-dominated ideas with the Erlangen teaching concept and that widespread learning difficulties can be avoided.