Investigating experts’ and teachers’ perspectives on teaching special relativity theory at secondary school: didactical approaches, historical controversies, hero narratives, and gender disparities

Special theory of relativity (STR) is a cornerstone of modern physics; however, its introduction in secondary education continues to pose significant conceptual and pedagogical challenges. Although STR is increasingly incorporated into secondary school curricula in Europe, its effective classroom implementation remains uneven and problematic. This study investigates the perspectives of 34 Italian high school teachers and 31 academic physics experts on the educational reconstruction of STR, using a structured questionnaire specifically developed for this research, the ReCon-STR. The first objective of the questionnaire is to explore whether STR should be included in secondary school curricula and to examine the underlying reasons for positions of the participants. The findings reveal a strong consensus on the cultural and epistemological value of STR. The second objective of ReCon-STR is to identify which core topics and experiments should be prioritised in teaching. The results show substantial agreement among teachers, experts, and textbook content, indicating a shared view on the fundamental conceptual elements of STR that should be addressed at the secondary level. The third objective concerns how STR should be taught. Here, significant divergences emerge between what textbooks provide (kinematic-algebraic approach) and what educators and experts prefer (kinematic-geometric approach). Notably, the kinematic-geometric approach—often recommended by physics education researchers and theoretical physicists—is generally not preferred by teachers or other experts. The fourth objective examines the historical accuracy of the narratives commonly presented in teaching and textbooks. The study identifies a persistent acceptance of ‘pseudohistorical’ accounts, such as the role attributed to the Michelson–Morley experiment in the origin and development of STR. In addition, responses from both groups reveal a continued marginalisation of various scientific contributors, including female figures such as Mileva Marić. These findings suggest that STR instruction is often ‘historically flattened,’ underscoring the need for instructional frameworks that present science as a collective, dynamic, and contested human enterprise. Overall, the results of this study provide valuable guidance for the design of targeted teacher training programmes.