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Whether it is rearranging a kinematics equation or applying Newton’s second law, introductory physics students are often asked to solve problems that require the manipulation of symbols. After analyzing nearly 7,000 mathematics diagnostics administered at four large state universities, we find that many introductory physics students struggle with basic algebra to a degree that could impact their course performance. Correct-response rates on algebra problems drop significantly when numeric coefficients are replaced with symbols. Even the replacement of one type of symbol (Latin letters) with a less-familiar type (Greek letters) seems to have a significant negative effect on performance. We also find that performance on symbolic-type algebra problems is highly correlated with performance on trigonometry, geometry, and graphing problems. We will report our analysis of these results while providing an overview of our recent findings.

AAPT SM 21

Symbolic Manipulation Fluency Predicts Introductory Physics Students’ Mathematical Preparedness

problem-solving

mathematics

introductory

physics

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technical paper

Distractors (incorrect responses) on research-designed multiple choice instruments like the FCI reflect prevalent student misconceptions. Hence analyzing all student responses on an equal footing should yield information on actual student beliefs, whereas total score only sets a threshold for “Newtonian Thinking”. We developed a Multi-dimensional Nominal Item Response Theory that yields a “weight matrix” acting on a student’s responses to give various dimensions of ability. Analyzing 3 large colleges called State, State University, and University in order of increasing posttest score on the FCI, we find that Dimension 1 correlates with score at the 0.98 level. The weight matrix elements for the second dimension correlate at ~0.73 among these colleges and positive ability#2 represents understanding N’s 3rd but not his 2nd law vs the reverse for negative ability#2. The third dimension shows correlations of ~ 0.4 and we find that this dimension has partially different implications across the colleges.

FCI Higher Dimensions Determined by Analyzing Right and Wrong Responses

The effectiveness of peer review sessions in introductory physics laboratory courses has been measured. To implement the peer review sessions, the laboratory course has been adjusted from twelve somewhat connected experiments to three sets of experiments that all focus on a different concept within introductory physics: linear motion, springs, and collisions. The students prepare a rough draft for the paper for each set, which is then given to other students for them to critique and give feedback. An evaluation protocol to measure a given paper’s effectiveness in multiple aspects has also been developed. Comparing the results to a preliminary study completed multiple years ago, we can see the true effect that the changes to the laboratory class have made.

Effectively Implementing Peer Review into the Introductory Physics Laboratory Course

We report on three separate cases applying a metric to compare two populations' item response curves (IRCs). Each IRC plots the percentage of students selecting a particular answer choice on an item as a function of their overall score on the concept inventory. First, we compare the IRCs of different demographic groups using data from the Science Literacy Concept Inventory. Next, we use the metric to compare American and Japanese students' IRCs used in Ishimoto, Davenport, and Wittmann (2017) for the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation. We also compare the IRCs of each group to the IRCs of a separate American data set. Lastly, we compare the pre-instruction IRCs to the post-instruction IRCs for a matched data set of students completing the Force Concept Inventory. The metric is a measure of the IRCs' similarity, and we used it to identify items that may exhibit bias or demonstrate differences between populations.

An approach for comparing student populations using item response curves

In the spring and summer of 2020, we collected data on faculty experiences during their transition to onlineteaching as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on the participants’ institutions, job security and position, and preparation time were collected, as well as a free text response to add anything the participants felt wasrelevant. In total 364 text responses were collected. Using natural language processing tools, sentiment scoreswere calculated for each response. The sentiment was found to be overall positive. Then, a machine learning model was created using Keras, which was trained on various data for 75% of the responses. The remaining 25% were used for predicting sentiment scores, to identify which data from the survey, if any, were potentialpredictors of participant sentiment. The score predictions were used to determine if any data on participants’institutions, positions, or transition time were correlated with positive or negative experiences.

Predictors of faculty sentiment on their transition to online teaching

This project aims to understand physics faculty responses to transitioning to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed 662 physics faculty following the spring 2020 term, and 258 completed a follow up survey after the fall 2020 term. We used natural language processing to measure the change in sentiment scores of one hundred physics faculty from the United States that completed an optional written prompt on both the initial and follow up surveys. These sentiment scores measured between -1 and 1 for completely negative and completely positive respectively. Sentiment scores after spring 2020 were slightly positive with a median value of 0.2347. The distribution of sentiment changes was approximately normally distributed with a mean centered near zero. Analysis suggests the average sentiment did not change from the initial to followup surveys.

Sentiment Analysis of Faculty Responses COVID Transition to Online Learning

To scaffold GTAs’ use of evidence-based teaching practices, we incorporated four training sessions with a mixed-reality simulator into physics GTA training during the Spring 2020 semester. Three sessions were held and facilitated in-person, while the final session was done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We decided to hold the final session remotely to balance health risks while closing the loop for GTAs’ professional development and the research project. This remote style mimicked the remote teaching GTAs would do to complete the Spring 2020 semester and have continued through the Summer 2021 semester. Here, we present how two physics GTAs used the pedagogical skills during the remote training session. We also discuss implications and provide considerations for the future direction of physics GTA professional development.

GTAs' Use of Pedagogical Skills in Remote Mixed-reality Training Session

Understanding how experienced and novice teachers can facilitate each other’s professional development can help us to develop a supportive community of practice. In summer 2020, teachers participated in a professional development workshop as part of the Illinois Physics and Secondary Schools (IPaSS) partnership program. During the workshop, pairs of teachers discussed a set of problems focused on conceptual reasoning about energy. One pair consisted of an experienced teacher and a novice teacher. We analyzed the dynamics of the two teachers as they established rapport and created a space where both felt comfortable sharing their ideas and expressing uncertainty. We interviewed these teachers using a video-stimulated recall technique to gain further insight into their perceptions of the interaction, and we will report the results of these interviews in this talk.

Interviews on professional development interactions between experienced and novice teachers

The Department of Physics at University of Connecticut launched a studio physics program in fall 2019, to provide an engaging introductory physics education experience to thousands of undergraduate students annually. Prior to the launch, most of these introductory courses were taught using traditional lecture. A main point of tension between these two instructional modes is the role of the instructor. We noticed that instructors from a range of backgrounds experience difficulties supporting students in effectively engaging with group work. These difficulties were exacerbated when the courses were taught in a distance-based learning format. As part of a larger project to develop guides for instructors to effectively support inclusive group work, we conducted a literature review through the lenses of cognitive science, inclusive teaching, and research-based instructional strategies. In this talk, we will discuss the studio program at UConn, the findings of our literature review, and the group work guides. 


Improving group work in studio-style physics courses

Research in physics education has shown that poor student performance on certain physics tasks may stem primarily from domain-general reasoning phenomena rather than a lack of conceptual understanding. The observed reasoning patterns are consistent with dual-process theories of reasoning (DPToR). Efforts are ongoing to design strategies to guide the development of research-based curriculum to help students strengthen their reasoning skills and support cognitive reflection. In one intervention focused on supporting analytical processing, students are asked to set aside their own reasoning and engage in alternative lines of reasoning. Students first respond to a qualitative physics task, then construct reasoning chains in support of answers given by fictitious students, and finally revisit the original physics task. In this talk, we will discuss intervention results in the context of kinematics, examine factors possibly related to its effectiveness, and highlight the implications of our findings for future DPToR-aligned curriculum development.


*This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. DUE-1821390, DUE-1821123, DUE-1821400, DUE-1821511, and DUE-1821561.

Supporting Student Construction of Alternative Lines of Reasoning

An emerging body of research suggests that the nature of human reasoning itself may impact student performance on physics questions. Analysis of student reasoning patterns through the lens of dual-process theories of reasoning (DPToR) indicates that students may struggle to engage analytical processing productively when responding to physics questions containing salient distracting features (SDFs). While students may reason correctly on one question (screening question), they may abandon that same line of reasoning on an analogous question containing an SDF (target question). As part of a larger effort to investigate and support student reasoning in physics, we have designed and tested an intervention that explicitly guides students to apply the reasoning they successfully used on the screening question to the target question in order to help students reconsider their default responses. In this talk, preliminary results will be presented and implications for research-based curriculum development will be discussed.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. DUE-1821390, DUE-1821123, DUE-1821400, DUE-1821511, and DUE-1821561.

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Symbolic Manipulation Fluency Predicts Introductory Physics Students’ Mathematical Preparedness

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