Learning Physics in Context: A study of student learning about electricity and magnetism

This paper re‐centres the discussion of student learning in physics to focus on context. In order to do so, a theoretically motivated understanding of context is developed. Given a well‐defined notion of context, data from a novel university class in electricity and magnetism are analysed to demonstrate the central and inextricable role of context in student learning. This work sits within a broader effort to create and analyse environments that support student learning in the sciences.