Abstract
Evidence from physics education research highlights the importance of affective learning characteristics, such as interest, curiosity, and enjoyment, for students’ engagement with complex and abstract topics like quantum physics. Students who show a greater interest in the subject tend to achieve better academic results, are more persistent, and are more likely to choose a university related to that subject. In recent years, one-day workshops and outreach formats have increasingly been used to introduce and promote quantum technologies at the secondary-school level. The goal of these programs is to widely disseminate new scientific findings, spark interest, and address the needs of academia and industry to fill labor shortages. However, the extent to which such short-term interventions influence students’ affective outcomes remains insufficiently understood. There are only a few studies analyzing a workshop on quantum physics and quantum technology from the perspective of student interest, curiosity, and enjoyment, specifically at the upper-secondary school level. This paper addresses this gap by reporting findings from a pre-post study investigating the impact of a one-day, hands-on quantum technology workshop on upper secondary school students. Using established instruments to assess four facets of interest and descriptive measures of curiosity and enjoyment (N = 45), the study examines changes in students’ affective learning characteristics. The results indicate no statistically significant changes in any interest dimension, while enjoyment and curiosity were reported at comparatively high levels. These findings suggest that single workshop events, such as the one described in this article, can foster positive learning experiences and situational engagement but are unlikely to support sustained interest development. Implications for the design and development of a secondary school level out-of-school quantum workshop are discussed.