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Abstract
As part of a larger study to understand instructorsâ considerations regarding the learning and teaching of problem solving in an introductory physics course, we investigated beliefs of first-year graduate teaching assistants (TAs) regarding the use of example solutions in introductory physics. In particular, we examine how the goal of promoting expertlike problem solving is manifested in the considerations of graduate TAsâ choices of example solutions. Twenty-four first-year graduate TAs were asked to discuss their goals for presenting example solutions to students. ...
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(21 May 2013)
posted to mathematics
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-05-23 17:47:23
Abstract
A close look at students' written work on examinations offers a wealth of information about their performance, their knowledge of the subject, their strengths, weaknesses and misconceptions, and their overall level of mathematical skills and abilities. This information can be used to better ascertain how mathematical concepts taught in class were understood by students and to suggest various approaches that could be used to improve teaching. The process of analyzing students' work, although time consuming, can be rewarding and can have positive results for both students and instructors. My ...
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(20 May 2013)
posted to assessment teaching-practices
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-05-21 18:34:44
Abstract
The objective of this project is to compare the effectiveness of teaching styles used in high school physics classes and the methods used to assess them. We would like to determine those approaches to physics at the high schools that work and those that do not work for students from different demographics. We sent out a survey to high school physics teachers in the U.S. Midwest states, inquiring about student preparation, pedagogy in the classroom, assessment and professional development. We found that there are differences in the ...
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posted to modeling theory
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-05-17 02:06:32
Abstract
Quantum probability theory offers a viable alternative to classical probability, although there are some ambiguities inherent in transferring the quantum formalism to a less determined realm. A number of physicists are now looking at the applicability of quantum ideas to the assessment of physics learning, an area particularly suited to quantum probability ideas. ...
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posted to earthscience
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-05-17 02:03:11
Abstract
This quantitative study examined the effectiveness of a geospatial curriculum approach to promote energy literacy in an urban school district and examined factors that may account for energy content knowledge achievement. An energy literacy measure was administered to 1,044 eighth-grade students (ages 13?15) in an urban school district in Pennsylvania, USA. One group of students received instruction with a geospatial curriculum approach (geospatial technologies (GT)) and another group of students received ?business as usual? (BAU) curriculum instruction. For the GT students, ...
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arxiv.org (9 May 2013)
Abstract
We examine the relationship between homework completion and exam performance for students having different physics aptitudes for five different semesters of an introductory electricity and magnetism course. In our analysis, we plot exam scores versus homework completion scores and calculate the slopes of the line fits and the Pearson correlations. On average, completing many homework problems correlated to better exam scores only for students with high physics aptitude. Low aptitude physics students had a negative correlation between exam performance and completing homework; the more homework problems they did, ...
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arxiv.org (10 May 2013)
Abstract
This article quantitatively examines the effects that different incentives have on students' homework completion in introductory physics courses at the United States Air Force Academy. According to our findings, there is a strong linear relationship between the amount of course credit awarded and the amount of homework that students complete. The line fits show that, for the courses that were studied, 3-4% more homework is completed for every additional 1% of course credit awarded to students for completing homework. In addition, we find that there is a strong ...
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posted to relativity
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-05-17 01:58:02
Abstract
We report on a concept inventory for special relativity: the development process, data analysis methods, and results from an introductory relativity class. The Relativity Concept Inventory tests understanding of relativistic concepts. An unusual feature is confidence testing for each question. This can provide additional information; for example, high confidence correlated with incorrect answers suggests a misconception. A novel aspect of our data analysis is the use of Monte Carlo simulations to determine the significance of correlations. This approach is particularly useful for ...
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posted to energy mentalmodels
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-05-15 14:44:45
Abstract
Although prediction is claimed to be a prime function of mental models, to what extent students can run their mental models to make predictions of physical phenomena remains uncertain. The purpose of this study, therefore, was first to investigate 30 physics studentsâ mental models of heat convection, and then to examine the relationship between their mental models and predictions of convection-related phenomena. A series of semistructured interviews was conducted to probe the participantsâ mental models and predictions of heat convection, and ...
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arxiv.org (7 May 2013)
Abstract
We present outcomes from curricular changes made to an introductory calculus-based physics course whose audience is primarily life science majors, the majority of whom plan to pursue post-baccalaureate studies in medical and scientific fields. During the 2011-12 academic year, we implemented a "Physics of the life sciences" curriculum centered on a draft textbook that takes a novel approach to teaching physics to life science majors. In addition, substantial revisions were made to the homework and hands-on components of the course to emphasize the relationship between physics and the ...
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arxiv.org (6 May 2013)
posted to gravity ontology
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-05-07 16:22:22
Abstract
Many science education researchers have argued that learners' commitment to a substance (matter-based) ontology impedes the learning of scientific concepts that scientists typically conceptualize as processes or interactions, such as such as force, electric current, and heat. By this account, students' tendency to classify these entities as substances or properties of substances leads to robust misconceptions, and instruction should steer novices away from substance-based reasoning. We argue that substance-based reasoning, when it supports learners' sense-making, can form the seeds for sophisticated understanding of these very same physics concepts. We ...
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posted to assessment
by cassandrapaul
to the group PERticles
on 2013-05-02 22:57:50
Abstract
Beginning with a reference to living in a time of both uncertainty and opportunity, this article presents a discussion of key areas where shared understanding is needed if we are to successfully realize the design and use of high quality, valid assessments of science. The key areas discussed are: (1) assessment purpose and use, (2) the nature of assessment and the importance of research on learning, (3) assessment design processes, (4) validity arguments, (5) measurement and statistical inference, (6) affordances of ...
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posted to epistemology expectations
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-05-01 14:05:36
Abstract
It has been established by physics education researchers that there is a correlation between the learnerâs behavior, their epistemological beliefs with which they come to the classrooms, and their success in a course. This study of Indian students and teachers explores expectations and beliefs in learning physics at the secondary and tertiary levels by making use of the Maryland Physics Expectation (MPEX) survey, which has been tested for both its validity and its reliability. The MPEX was administered to a sample ...
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(5 Apr 2013)
Abstract
Many instructors choose to assess their students using open-ended written exam items that require students to show their understanding of physics by solving a problem and/or explaining a concept. Grading these items is fairly time consuming, and in large courses time constraints prohibit providing significant individualized feedback on students' exams. Instructors typically cross out areas of the response that are incorrect and write the total points awarded or subtracted. Sometimes, instructors will also write a word or two to indicate the error. This paper describes a grading method ...
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Abstract
Proficiency in science is being defined through performance expectations that intertwine science practices, cross-cutting concepts, and core content knowledge. These descriptions of what it means to know and do science pose challenges for assessment design and use, whether at the classroom instructional level or the system level for monitoring the progress of science education. There are systematic ways to approach assessment development that can address design challenges, as well as examples of the application of such principles in science assessment. This ...
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posted to nature-of-science
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-04-25 18:34:28
Abstract
Although there is a broad agreement among scientists and science educators that students should not only learn science, but also acquire some sense of its nature, it has been reported that undergraduate students possess an inadequate grasp of the nature of science (NOS). The study presented here examined the potential and effectiveness of Nobel Prize stories as a vehicle for teaching NOS. For this purpose, a 36-hour course, “Albert Einstein’s Nobel Prize and the Nature of Science,” was developed and conducted ...
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arxiv.org (20 Apr 2013)
Abstract
We have examined the teaching practices of faculty members who adopted research-based instructional strategies as part of the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative (CWSEI) at the University of British Columbia. Of the 70 that adopted such strategies with the support of the CWSEI program, only one subsequently stopped using these strategies. This is a tiny fraction of the 33% stopping rate for physics faculty in general [Henderson, Dancy, and Niewiadomska-Bugaj, PRST-PER, 8, 020104 (2012)]. Nearly all of these UBC faculty members who had an opportunity to subsequently use ...
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posted to capacitors
by jossives
to the group PERticles
on 2013-04-24 21:44:47
Abstract
We have investigated students' qualitative understanding of dc circuits containing resistors and a capacitor. We found that a year after traditional lecture instruction as part of an introductory physics course, most students were unable to predict the behavior of a series circuit consisting of a battery, a bulb, and a capacitor. Among the difficulties identified we found that almost half of the students implicitly abandoned the idea that a complete circuit is necessary for a bulb to light when a capacitor ...
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posted to mechanics psychology
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-04-16 02:52:02
Abstract
People have strong intuitions about the influence objects exert upon one another when they collide. Because people's judgments appear to deviate from Newtonian mechanics, psychologists have suggested that people depend on a variety of task-specific heuristics. This leaves open the question of how these heuristics could be chosen, and how to integrate them into a unified model that can explain human judgments across a wide range of physical reasoning tasks. We propose an alternative framework, in which people's judgments are based ...
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posted to attitudes epistemology
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-04-11 17:56:31
Abstract
This paper reports a cross-grade comparative study of Chinese precollege studentsâ epistemological beliefs about physics by using the Colorado Learning Attitudes Survey about Sciences (CLASS). Our students of interest are middle and high schoolers taking traditional lecture-based physics as a mandatory science course each year from the 8th grade to the 12th grade in China. The original CLASS was translated into Mandarin through a rigorous transadaption process, and then it was administered as a pencil-and-paper in-class survey to a total of ...
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Abstract
We use epistemological framing to interpret participantsâ behavior during group problem-solving sessions in an intermediate mechanics course. We are interested in how students frame discussion and in how the groups shift discussion framings. Our analysis includes two framing axes, expansive vs narrow and serious vs silly, which together incorporate and extend prior work on how students frame discussions in physics education research. We present markers for where discussion falls on these axes. We support our conclusions with both microanalytic excerpts of ...
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Abstract
ABSTRACT. The authors explored how gender and socioeconomic status (SES) predicted physics achievement as mediated by metacognition and physics self-efficacy. Data were collected from 338 high school students. The model designed for exploring how gender and SES-related differences in physics achievement were explained through metacognition and physics self-efficacy was tested. The result showed that metacognition and physics self-efficacy could explain gender- and SES-related differences in physics achievement. In addition, it was observed that physics self-efficacy mediated the relation of metacognition to ...
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posted to gender professionaldevelopment
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-04-11 17:53:19
Abstract
The underrepresentation of women in physics doctorate programs and in tenured academic positions indicates a need to evaluate what may influence their career choice and persistence. This qualitative paper examines eleven females in physics doctoral programs and professional science positions in order to provide a more thorough understanding of why and how women make career choices based on aspects both inside and outside of school and their subsequent interaction. Results indicate that female physicists experience conflict in achieving balance within their ...
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Abstract
The SCALE-UP studio physics class involves the physical redesign of a classroom to encourage more collaborative interactions and student-centered teaching, an approach shown to increase student learning on several different measures. However, research into the contextual issues involved in implementing a studio course using the SCALE-UP model remains limited. The research presented here explores the impact of situational factors on the implementation and maintenance of a research-based instructional innovation in a large research university. The specific focus of this investigation was ...
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(6 Apr 2013)
posted to biology
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-04-09 03:26:07
Abstract
Teaching physics to biologists requires far more than making the course for engineers mathematically less rigorous and adding in a few superficial biological problems. What is needed is for physicists to work closely with biologists to learn not only what physics topics and habits of mind that are useful to biologists, but how biologists work is fundamentally different from ours, and how to bridge that gap. In this article, we discussed what we have learned about these issues from years of conversations with colleagues in biology. ...
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posted to fci mechanics
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-04-06 15:06:43
Abstract
In this study, we evaluate the structural validity of Q.16 and Q.7 in the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). We address whether respondents who answer Q.16 and Q.7 correctly actually have an understanding of the concepts of physics tested in the questions. To examine respondents’ levels of understanding, we use subquestions that test them on concepts believed to be required to answer the actual FCI questions. Our sample size comprises 111 respondents; we derive false-positive ratios for prelearners and postlearners and then ...
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Abstract
To address a perennial need to provide K-8 teachers with a solid foundation in science, there are many physics content courses throughout the United States. One such course is Physics and Astronomy for Teachers (PAT), which relies heavily on active-learning strategies. Although PAT is successful in teaching physics content, students sometimes report dissatisfaction with the course. Such instances of poor affect are worrisome because they may influence how teachers present science in their own classrooms. Therefore, this study investigates studentsâ affect ...
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posted to professionaldevelopment
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-04-02 03:02:17
Abstract
This paper reports the results of an investigation of how a professional development content course based on the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum affected the teaching practices of five case study elementary school teachers. The findings of this study highlight different ways that teachers use what they learn in content courses to teach science to elementary children. While some teachers transferred pedagogical practices along with the content, others transformed the content to be useful in already existing pedagogical frameworks, and ...
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In Observing science classrooms: Perspectives from research and practice (1984 yearbook of the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science) (1984), pp. 55-73
posted to forces ideas
by bharrer
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-29 11:19:00
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posted to coursereform
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-28 01:15:18
Abstract
In the last years, science courses in higher education (HE) have been facing some problems, namely the lack of students? motivation, the number of students? failures and drop outs, particular in physics courses. The most probable reason, which has been mentioned in current science education research in HE, is that the level of interaction between teachers and learners in formal instructional settings is very low. In this paper, we describe changes that were introduced in lectures towards the promotion of active ...
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Abstract
Nanotechnology has been touted as the next ?industrial revolution? of our modern age. In order for successful research, development, and social discourses to take place in this field, education research is needed to inform the development of standards, course development, and workforce preparation. In addition, there is a growing need to educate citizens and students about risks, benefits, and social and ethical issues related to nanotechnology. This position paper describes the advancements that have been made in nanoscale science and nanotechnology, ...
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Abstract
The physics instruction at UC Davis for life science majors takes place in a long-standing reformed large-enrollment physics course in which the discussion or laboratory instructors (primarily graduate student teaching assistants) implement the interactive-engagement (IE) elements of the course. Because so many different instructors participate in disseminating the IE course elements, we find it essential to the instructors’ professional development to observe and document the student-instructor interactions within the classroom. Out of this effort, we have developed a computerized real-time instructor ...
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Abstract
This article reports on a long-term investigation of student and teacher reasoning about the basic tenets of kinetic-molecular theory as they relate to the concept of volume. This research grew out of the finding that university-level students and practicing K-12 teachers often treat the volume of a gas as different from that of its enclosing container. We examined the extent to which this tendency might be associated with incorrect reasoning about the motions of the particles in the gas. The results ...
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arxiv.org (14 Mar 2013)
posted to attitudes expectations modeling
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-17 20:36:06
Abstract
We report on a multi year study of student attitudes measured with the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (C-LASS) in calculus-based introductory physics taught with the Modeling Instruction curriculum. We find that five of six instructors and eight of nine sections using Modeling Instruction showed improved attitudes from pre to post course. Cohen's d effect sizes range from 0.08 to 0.95 for individual instructors. The average effect was d = 0.45, with a 95% confidence interval of (0.26 to 0.64). These results build on previously published results ...
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arxiv.org (28 Feb 2013)
posted to relativity
by ayush
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-15 01:24:23
Abstract
We report on a concept inventory for special relativity: the development process, data analysis methods, and results from an introductory relativity class. The Relativity Concept Inventory tests understanding of kinematic relativistic concepts. An unusual feature is confidence testing for each question. This can provide additional information; for example high confidence correlated with incorrect answers suggests a misconception. A novel aspect of our data analysis is the use of Monte Carlo simulations to determine the significance of correlations. This approach is particularly useful for small sample sizes, such as ours. ...
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IEEE Transactions on Haptics
posted to embodiedcognition kinematics
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-14 18:07:12
Abstract
Haptic stimuli with directional content, e.g. navigational cues, may be difficult to use in handheld applications; the user's hand, where the cues are delivered, may not be aligned with the world, where the cues are to be interpreted. In such a case, the user would be required to mentally transform the stimuli between different reference frames. We examine the mental rotation of directional haptic stimuli in three experiments, investigating: 1. users' intuitive interpretation of rotated stimuli, 2. mental rotation of haptic ...
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posted to color light
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-14 18:04:27
Abstract
We study the misconceptions about colour that most people hold, determining the general phenomenological laws that govern them. Concept mapping was used to combat the misconceptions which were found in the application of a test specifically designed to determine these misconceptions, while avoiding the possible misleading inductions that could have arisen from the use of everyday language. In particular, care was taken to avoid the distorting effect that the use of the verb ?to be? applied to coloured objects could have ...
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arxiv.org (28 Feb 2013)
posted to relativity
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-14 18:00:40
Abstract
We report on a concept inventory for special relativity: the development process, data analysis methods, and results from an introductory relativity class. The Relativity Concept Inventory tests understanding of kinematic relativistic concepts. An unusual feature is confidence testing for each question. This can provide additional information; for example high confidence correlated with incorrect answers suggests a misconception. A novel aspect of our data analysis is the use of Monte Carlo simulations to determine the significance of correlations. This approach is particularly useful for small sample sizes, such as ours. ...
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Abstract
When objects collide, human observers perceive not only motion but also causal relations, such as which object caused the other to move. In the present experiments, we investigated whether such causal interpretations can actually influence the perceived path of apparent motion. Displays contained two alternately flashing motion targets positioned at either end of a semicircular occluder. Two additional “context objects” moved in such a way that the motion targets appeared to collide with and launch them. The collision was manipulated so ...
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Abstract
Previous research into problem solving in physics resulted in researchers introducing six epistemic games to describe the organizational structures of locally coherent resources. We present a new epistemic game—the “answer-making epistemic game”—which was identified in this paper through the analysis of interviews carried out to validate a survey focusing on students’ understanding of Archimedes’ principle and Pascal’s law. In the game, the ultimate goal is a solution to a problem posed by the survey. Students may remember or intuit an answer, ...
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(28 Feb 2013)
posted to coursereform expectations mechanics
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-12 16:39:46
Abstract
We report on a "Collaborative Workshop Physics" (CWP) instructional strategy to deliver the first interactive engagement (IE) calculus-based physics course at Khalifa University(KU), United Arab Emirates (UAE). To these authors' knowledge, this work reports the first calculus-based physics course on the Arabian Peninsula using Physics Education Research (PER)-based instruction. A brief history and present context of general university and science/engineering teaching in the UAE is given. From this frame, a pre-reform baseline is presented for KU's calculus-based introductory mechanics course in its traditional, lecture-centered form, as established by FCI ...
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(7 Mar 2013)
posted to astronomy
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-12 15:12:37
Abstract
Recent advances in our understanding of the Universe have revolutionized our view of its structure, composition and evolution. However, these new ideas have not necessarily been used to improve the teaching of introductory astronomy students. In this project, we have conducted research into student understanding of cosmological ideas so as to develop effective web-based tools to teach basic concepts important to modern cosmology. The tools are intended for use at the introductory college level. Our research uses several instruments, including open-ended and multiple choice surveys conducted at multiple institutions, ...
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arxiv.org (1 Mar 2013)
posted to mechanics simulations
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-03-04 18:27:13
Abstract
We develop an Easy Java Simulation (EJS) model for students to visualize Newtons 1st and 3rd laws, using frictionless constant motion equation and a spring collision equation during impact. Using Physics by Inquiry instructional (PbI) strategy, the simulation and its problem based inquiry worksheet aim to enhance learning of these two Newtonian concepts. We report results from Experimental (N=62 students) and Control (N=67) Groups in 11 multiple choice questions pre and post tests, conducted by three teachers in the school. Results suggest, at 95 percent confidence level, significant ...
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Abstract
The research reported in this paper represents an in-depth examination of the finding from an earlier investigation that university students often do not develop a functional understanding of the concept of a complete circuit. Participants in this study included undergraduates in introductory and upper-division physics courses as well as graduate teaching assistants. Although the concept of a complete circuit is covered in the standard undergraduate curriculum, students in all three groups had difficulty in applying this concept to single-loop, resistive circuits. ...
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American Journal of Physics, Vol. 81, No. 3. (March 2013), 21
posted to classresponsesystem clickers gender
by jossives
to the group PERticles
on 2013-02-19 17:26:10
Abstract
In this work, we investigate whether gender differences are present in the iClicker student response system during introductory physics lectures in an engaged environment. We find that men and women are equally likely to respond to questions correctly and in the same amount of time. We also find that both genders make use of multiple responses in the same timescale, however, the average number of responses for a given question is significantly higher for men than women. Upon analyzing these responses, ...
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Abstract
In a previous paper that focused on the transmission of periodic waves at the boundary between two media, we documented difficulties with the basic concepts of wavelength, frequency, and propagation speed, and with the relationship v=fλ. In this paper, we report on student attempts to apply this relationship in problems involving two-source and thin-film interference. In both cases, interference arises from differences in the path lengths traveled by two waves. We found that some students (up to 40% on certain questions) ...
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posted to graphing intro_physics
by jossives
to the group PERticles
on 2013-02-18 21:54:07
Abstract
We have investigated the various approaches taken by first-year university students (nâ550) when asked to determine the direction of motion, the constancy of speed, and a numerical value of the speed of an object at a point on a numerical linear distance-time graph. We investigated the prevalence of various well-known general graphing difficulties, such as graph-as-picture errors and slope-height confusion. We established that two-thirds of our students could determine the direction of motion with respect to a reference point, just under ...
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Abstract
Much research in engineering and physics education has focused on improving students’ problem-solving skills. This research has led to the development of step-by-step problem-solving strategies and grading rubrics to assess a student’s expertise in solving problems using these strategies. These rubrics value “communication” between the student’s qualitative description of the physical situation and the student’s formal mathematical descriptions (usually equations) at two points: when initially setting up the equations, and when evaluating the final mathematical answer for meaning and plausibility. We ...
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posted to mechanics representations
by mcwittmann
to the group PERticles
on 2013-02-13 16:59:27
Abstract
Earlier research has shown that after physics instruction, many students have difficulties with the force concept, and with constructing free-body diagrams (FBDs). It has been suggested that treating forces as interactions could help students to identify forces as well as to construct the correct FBDs. While there is evidence that identifying interactions helps students in quantitative problem solving, there is no previous research investigating the effect of a visual-representation toolâan interaction diagram (ID)âon studentsâ ability to identify forces, and to construct ...
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