Physics education with multimedia applications in non-English teacher-oriented journals: an analysis of 491 articles about multimedia in physics education

Journals, intended for teachers, provide practical ideas about the use of multimedia in physics teaching and learning. However, the articles in such journals are usually written in local languages. Here, ten researchers in physics education from different countries provide a review of articles on multimedia applications and corresponding concepts that are discussed in country-specific languages (excluding English). A total of 491 articles about multimedia applications were analysed, using a list of 81 categories. Central topics included teaching strategies, technologies, and multimedia features. Furthermore, differences between countries, changes over time, and notable patterns of articles in 34 teacher-oriented journals from 10 countries are presented. Current literature offers a broad range of ideas related to the practical use of multimedia. Topics of focus differ between countries and languages, suggesting more international exchange to circulate the best ideas of concrete teaching material for schools across Europe. Furthermore, our findings also suggest a need for improvement in the dissemination of current research findings, as well as a solid theoretical grounding among those who write articles for teacher-oriented journals in local languages. This article collects and summarizes findings that may be relevant for the international group of scientists and for possible future collaborations.