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(KD) PER: Student Content Understanding, Problem-Solving and Reasoning V
7/13/2022 | 12:40 PM to 1:40 PM
Room: CC: Grand Gallery E
Moderator: / Co-Organizer:
Session Code: KD | Submitting Committee: Committee on Research in Physics Education / Co-Sponsoring Committee:
KD01 (12:40 to 12:50 PM) | Contributed | Making expert processes visible: how and why theorists use analogy
Presenting Author: Mike Verostek, University of Rochester
Additional Author | Molly Griston, University of Rochester
Additional Author | Jesus Botello, The University of Texas at Austin
Additional Author | Benjamin M Zwickl, Rochester Institute of Technology
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Understanding how physicists solve problems can guide the development of methods that help students learn and improve at solving complex problems. Leveraging the framework of cognitive task analysis, we conducted semi-structured interviews with theoretical physicists (N=11) to gain insight into the cognitive processes and skills that they use in their authentic research. Among numerous activities that theorists described as integral to their work, here we elucidate how theorists utilized analogies. We found that theorists used analogies to generate new project ideas as well as overcome conceptual challenges. Theorists deliberately sought out or constructed systems to use as a source of knowledge, indicating this is a skill students can practice. When mapping knowledge from one system to another, theorists sought to use systems that shared a high degree of mathematical similarity; however, these systems did not always share similar surface features. We conclude by offering potential applications to instruction.
KD02 (12:50 to 1:00 PM) | Contributed | Challenges and successes in reconciling different ideas during group work
Presenting Author: Muxin Zhang, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Additional Author | Samuel Vance, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Additional Author | Matt Massari, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Additional Author | Eric Kuo, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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One idealized view of collaborative problem solving is that students with different understandings of a problem can learn by sharing their ideas and discussing them. In this study, we analyzed videos of group work to understand how discussing and reaching shared understanding of different ideas during collaboration can be challenging and how it can be successful. We found that, in cases when a group fails to reconcile different ideas, each student defends their own line of reasoning and may even epistemologically reject another way of thinking. By contrast, in a case when students reach a group resolution, students respond to each other's reasoning and establish a common ground that incorporates different lines of reasoning. We will discuss connections to existing models of collaboration and potential implications for facilitating group work.
KD03 (1:00 to 1:10 PM) | Contributed | Investigating introductory student difficulties reading electric field diagrams
Presenting Author: Raymond Zich, Illinois State University
Additional Author | Naomi Satoh, Illinois State University
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This study investigated student difficulties reading electric field diagrams and the effect a visual change to these diagrams had on students’ ability to interpret these diagrams. Electric field diagrams are often drawn with a uniform line thickness and color. We modified the electric field diagrams to use variations in line thickness, line continuity, and arrow shape to indicate the strength and direction of the electric field. These changes, which are consistent with theories of visual attention and grounded cognition, exploit students’ innate ability to perceive line variations and arrow styles to communicate the electric field strength and direction. Students were randomly assigned to compare electric field strength and direction for points on traditional or modified diagrams. Results show correctness gains of 12.3% for magnitude and gains of 7% for direction using the modified diagrams. Overall correctness gains of 10% were observed for the modified over the traditional diagrams.
KD04 (1:10 to 1:20 PM) | Contributed | Effect of Guided Retrieval Practice and Feedback on Physics Problem-Solving
Presenting Author: Tianlong Zu, Jacksonville State University
Additional Author | Nobel Sanjay Rebello, Purdue University
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Problem-solving and long-term retention of knowledge are important goals in physics learning. Retrieval practice, as a method shown to be effective promoting retention of studied material, is seldomly used in physics classroom. This work examines the effect of guided retrieval practice in terms of questions and feedback in terms of question answers or lecture video summary on college students’ problem solving as well as one-week delayed retention performance. We found that students who practiced guided retrieval outperformed those practiced restudy regardless of the type of feedback. The effect is prominent when the problems used on the test are isomorphic to the guided questions during retrieval than when they are transfer questions. Students who just restudied the material also overpredicted their performance compared to the retrieval group. This difference in performance judgment disappeared after seeing the feedback. Overall, we found evidence supporting the effectiveness of retrieval practice in physics learning.
KD05 (1:20 to 1:30 PM) | Contributed | Tools and Logic of Problem Solving in Physics
Presenting Author: Igor Zubov, Bergen County Academies
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“How to start/set up the problem?” “What to do next?” The list can go on and is painfully familiar to virtually all students and not only. If left unanswered, these questions can easily turn students away from Physics, making problem solving a torture rather than fun and disengaging students rather than stimulating them to learn more.
The author shares some approaches, methods, and materials that might help in resolving this situation based on 30+ years of learning and teaching Physics at different levels. They have been tested with hundreds of students and proven to help many of them.
The material briefly described in this presentation is available for students and teachers. It was published in full last year in a two-part book with the same title.
The author shares some approaches, methods, and materials that might help in resolving this situation based on 30+ years of learning and teaching Physics at different levels. They have been tested with hundreds of students and proven to help many of them.
The material briefly described in this presentation is available for students and teachers. It was published in full last year in a two-part book with the same title.
(KD) PER: Student Content Understanding, Problem-Solving and Reasoning V
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