United States

Families are an important context for learning astronomy, one that researchers on astronomy teaching and learning have largely overlooked. At public observatories, families have an opportunity to learn both the substance and practices of astronomy together. However, the typical structure of public observations (one visitor looking through a telescope while an expert explains what they see) creates tension with families engaging in the disciplinary practice of building disciplined perception through collaborative sensemaking. In this paper, we report on a preliminary study in which a family pilot tested new activities to encourage collaborative sensemaking. Key factors that supported the familys collaborative learning include (1) using activities that shift authority and control to each member of the family, (2) Having a variety of activities that can be deployed at strategic times rather than a fixed schedule, and (3) Being responsive to the family dynamics, including the emotional needs of each family member.

PERC SM 20

From “having a day” to doing astronomy: Supporting families learning together

families

sensemaking

astronomy

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AAPT SM 21

poster

Join us in exploring emergent themes in PER as a scholarly endeavor and as a research community!  Since its inception, PER has served as a confluence of discipline, theory, research methodology, practice, and application.  How have these facets and the interplays among them been fruitful for physics education globally, regionally, locally, or otherwise?  And, how have our successes and interactions influenced the very nature of PER itself?
Following the lead of AAPT for the summer meeting, PERC 20/20 was virtual. Enjoy browsing the content.

Since its inception, PER has served as a confluence of discipline, theory, research methodology, practice, and application.  How have these facets and the interplays among them been fruitful for physics education globally, regionally, locally, or otherwise?  And, how have our successes and interactions influenced the very nature of PER itself?

We investigate student comfort with the material in an upper-division spins-first quantum mechanics course. Pre-lecture surveys probing students' comfort were administered weekly, in which students assigned themselves a "discomfort level" on a scale of 0--10 and provided a written explanation for their choice. The weekly class-wide average discomfort level was effectively constant over the semester, suggesting that the class found no single unit especially jarring nor especially easy. Student written responses were coded according to their reported source of discomfort---math, math-physics connection, physics, and notation. The relative prevalence of these categories varied significantly over the semester, indicating that students find that different units present different challenges, and also that some of these challenges fade in importance as the semester progresses. Semi-structured interviews with students in a similar quantum mechanics course at a different institution provided additional context and insight into these results.

Characterizing and monitoring student discomfort in upper-division quantum mechanics

The physics education and computer science researchers at Ithaca College collaborated to develop a mobile application to provide students with a dynamic experience studying electric fields, a notoriously difficult topic. This study is the first in a longitudinal study comparing the impacts of the mobile application and paired worksheet activity to other learning tools including a laptop simulation and a worksheet-only activity. Participants include health science majors enrolled in an algebra-based physics class. The normalized gain in performance on a diagnostic administered prior to and after interacting with one of the three activities was used to measure the impact of each activity on student understanding. Student attitude was measured using a questionnaire in the post-activity diagnostic. The results show students prefer laptop activities as physics learning aids and students in the two sections, mobile application and laptop simulation, produced higher average gains in learning than those in the worksheet-only section.

Analyzing the impacts of a new mobile application on student understanding of and attitudes toward electric fields

What motivates a student to learn and how they perceive their classroom structures have a significant effect on learning. In an introductory physics course, we find that in particular students tend to focus on superficial markers of success and not on mastering central concepts. For a foundational course, this is of particular concern. In this study, we present narratives from students highlighting their differing orientations towards achievement and learning, which we roughly categorize as mastery or performance. Our preliminary analysis is the first step towards a framework for student motivation and achievement strategies in introductory physics, and complements work in belonging.

Analysis of student perceptions of classroom structure, belongingness, and motivation in an introductory physics course

The use of the Physics GRE in graduate admissions has gained considerable attention in recent years. While studies have shown the problematic nature of the exam quantitatively, it is time that student experiences were also included in the discussion. We interviewed 69 current graduate physics and astronomy students about their process of deciding where to apply to graduate school. Physics GRE requirements played a substantial role in this decision, with 48 students mentioning the test as part of their process to narrow programs down to a personalized short-list. Potential barriers (e.g., financial and travel) that affected some students, but not others, create an unequal playing field for grad school applicants. These results suggest that graduate programs requiring the Physics GRE are doing more than asking prospective graduate students to simply take a physics test, and may be inadvertently disadvantaging the very students that they are trying to recruit.

Physics GRE Requirements Create Uneven Playing Field for Graduate Applicants

A number of well-established research scales are available to assess students interest in German physics lessons. One common scale differentiates between the interest that students show in physical contents and their interest in physics lessons (Hoffman et al., 1998). In addition, a scale widely used in educational psychology distinguishes between the emotional significance of an activity and the perceived significance of its content (Krapp, 2010). So far, these two constructs have largely been used unrelated. Against this background we have decided to integrate both constructs in a questionnaire for our current study to assess high school students interest in physics (N = 1529). Our collected data suggests that the previous combined constructs need to be revised as two of four scales seem to coincide in one. The poster will report in more detail on our data and the proposed newly structured interest scales.

Measuring students’ interest in physics

As Carl Sagan observed, learning astronomy can be "humbling and character-building." Can it also help students overcome self-doubts---including those arising from stereotype threat---by providing perspective? We conducted a study of self-reported student experiences in a large-enrollment general-education astronomy course. Volunteers completed an initial survey probing self-efficacy, perceived academic control, and growth mindset; a short survey after each lecture probing attitude changes; and a repeat of the initial survey. We identified the content and activities associated with the most impactful class meetings. Specific days were clearly unusually impactful; these generally corresponded to course content emphasizing the spatial and temporal scales of the universe, addressing our place in the universe, or connecting to students' personal experiences. Nevertheless, we found no significant changes in or correlations with self-efficacy, perceived academic control, or growth mindset.

Legacy of the Pale Blue Dot: Can introductory astronomy experiences impact mindset and self-efficacy?

College faculty commonly participate in professional development to learn how to improve their teaching. Typically after the program finishes there is little support for faculty to bring new teaching practices into their classrooms. By employing the Situative Perspective and Pedagogical Reasoning and Action, we investigate how faculty take up ideas from a professional development program and the factors that influence their instructional design choices. In this study we investigate a program that aims to bring Three-Dimensional Learning (3DL) into undergraduate STEM classrooms. During this program participants are tasked with creating a teachable unit that aligns with 3DL. Using interviews, fellowship recordings, and online forum responses we look at two different faculty members, Ron and Charlie, and investigate influences that impact their design of classroom materials. Moving forward, we plan to expand the case study to more participants in order to explore how these influences effect the design of professional development programs.

How Faculty Take Up Ideas from a Professional Development Setting

Analysis of stochastic processes can be used to engender critical thinking. Quantum dots have a reversible, stochastic transition between luminescent and nonluminescent states. The luminescence intermittency is known as blinking and is not evident from ensemble measurements. In order to stimulate critical thinking, students design, perform, and analyze a semiconductor quantum dot blinking laboratory experiment. The design of the experiment and stochastic nature of the data collected require students to make judgements throughout the course of the single-particle measurement and analysis. Some of the decisions do not have uniquely correct answers, challenging the students to engage in critical thinking. We propose that students self-examined decision making develops a constructivist view of science. The experiment is visually striking, is interdisciplinary, and develops higher order thinking.

“It’s Fundamental”: Quantum Dot Blinking Experiment to Teach Critical Thinking

[This abstract represents one part of a two-part study; some language is reproduced in another abstract.] Our team is studying student ownership of projects, a significant learning outcome in many project-based lab courses. An empirical model of ownership will support educators and researchers in the practice, design, and implementation of courses that encourage student ownership. Our preliminary model was based on analysis of a subset of survey and interview data from five Western and Midwestern physics departments. In this talk, I will demonstrate how this ownership model maps onto our full dataset, including stimulated recall interviews, and what educational implications emerge from further analysis. In prior work, we described ownership as a relationship between students and their projects. Material, cognitive, and affective student-project interactions composed the resulting ownership model. These interactions included student contributions to their projects, student understanding of project topics, and student emotional responses to progress and setbacks.

Student Ownership of Lab Projects: Manifestation in Student-Project Interactions

Mentorship in the sciences often serves two general purposes: to equip students with the technical skills necessary to be successful in their field and to provide them with emotional support, sponsorship, and a sense of belonging in the scientific community. While both of these aspects of mentorship are important, emphasis is often placed on the teaching of technical skills rather than on the formation of a student's identity as a scientist. As part of a holistic study of student experiences in three undergraduate research programs at a large research institution, this paper focuses on the role of psychosocial mentorship, in particular the role of the mentor in developing the mentees sense of belonging to a community, as perceived by faculty mentors and student mentees within the programs.

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From “having a day” to doing astronomy: Supporting families learning together

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