United States

problem-solving

mathematics

introductory

physics

reasoning

Join AAPT and Physics Educators worldwide in developing and strengthening your professional connections by attending the 2021 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting. AAPT meetings are a great way to reflect on your teaching, recommit to best practices and re-energize your career with new research, products, and techniques.

Listen to internationally known plenary speakers, attend sessions, workshops, and special activities. Attending the virtual summer meeting is an excellent opportunity to share your expertise and learn from and network with leaders in the field.

Please log in with your AAPT account or register for the event if you haven't already.

If you are registered please note that you need to be logged in with your AAPT email / credentials in order to get access.

AAPT SM21

We have administered diagnostic tests covering pre-college mathematics to over 6700 introductory physics students at four state universities, with largely consistent results. Key findings include: (1) Use of symbols to replace numbers in otherwise identical algebraic equations significantly lowered correct-response rates, implying that instructors may want to be more cautious when employing symbolic manipulations; (2) Few physics students solved algebraic equations by “isolating the unknown variable,” implying that instructors’ standard and habitual approach to algebraic manipulation may appear confusing, and should be modified or better scaffolded; (3) Class-average scores on even a single diagnostic test item were highly predictive of average scores on other items covering varied topics, suggesting it may be possible to diagnose the level of students’ difficulties with very few pretest items; (4) During interviews, students tended to self-correct approximately 60% of their initial errors, suggesting that instruction on self-checking strategies may offer disproportionately high returns.

Instructional implications of findings on students’ mathematics difficulties

technical paper

Research on Identity Development Among Physics Transfer Students

Unpacking tensions in a pedagogical transition from lectures to modelling

Impact of mathematical rigor on students’ understanding of quantum optics

Evolution in student conceptual understanding of electricity and magnetism

Rubrics to Teach Problem-Solving Strategies in Large Enrollment Online Courses

Seeking coherence and switching reasoning after forgetting an equation

Resolving Inconsistencies in E&M by Seeking Coherence Between Physical/Mathematical Reasoning

Student difficulties identifying diagonal operators for degenerate perturbation theory

Evaluating student ability to draw conclusions from measurement data

Pedagogical implications of synthesis problem solving

https://d3smihljt9218e.cloudfront.net/transcript/20480/subtitle/3c51fe0cafc8752921db4602adbedbc0.vtt

English

Premium content

Instructional implications of findings on students’ mathematics difficulties

Downloads

Next from AAPT SM21

Research on Identity Development Among Physics Transfer Students

Similar lecture

Symbolic Manipulation Fluency Predicts Introductory Physics Students’ Mathematical Preparedness