In a previous study, we found that that students' incoming preparation in physics--crudely measured by concept inventory prescores and math SAT or ACT scores--explains 34\% of the variation in Physics 1 final exam scores at [Redacted] University. In this study, to understand the variation in exam scores not explained by these measures of incoming preparation, we interviewed 34 students with weak preparation about their experiences in the course. We did not find there to be many different idiosyncratic issues they felt were important, but rather there were a set of practices and attitudes common to many students. Some of these practices, such as certain study habits, were surprisingly unrelated to student performance. Others, including certain types of collaborative interactions between students, were predictive of course performance after controlling for prior preparation. These results offer some guidance as to how instructors might improve the experience and performance of the less prepared students in Physics 1. These findings are for a small, relatively select sample, but we anticipate that many of the results will apply across a broader student population.

Hidden Variables: Predicting Student Performance in Introductory Physics

We examined variations in Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) pre-class scores according to self-reports of students' high school physics courses. Most students in our unusual sample population had taken an AP physics course, allowing us to calculate the correlation between FMCE scores and AP exam scores. We also carried out regression analyses to determine how FMCE scores and course final exam scores depend on taking an AP course and AP exam scores when math SAT score is included as a proxy of students’ general level of college preparation. The results of our analysis suggest that taking AP physics and even scoring well on the AP physics exam may be a rather weak measure of conceptual understanding of physics or the mastery of physics one would expect students to achieve from an introductory university physics course.

What are students learning in AP physics?

Poster Session I

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.

PERC SM 20

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?

 PAR-C.05  K-12 PER

technical paper

The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. The program featured plenary speakers, sessions, workshops and many special activities.

For more information please visit the 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting page at: https://www.aapt.org/Conferences/SM2020/index.cfm.


AAPT SM 20

The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. 

Eric Burkholder

2

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Hidden Variables: Predicting Student Performance in Introductory Physics

What are students learning in AP physics?

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