4,637 research outputs found

    Modelling weightlifting “training-diet-competition” cycle ontology with domain and task ontologies

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    Studies in weightlifting have been characterized by unclear results, and paucity of information. This is due to the fact that enhancing the understanding of the mechanics of successful lift requires collaborative contributions of several stakeholders such as coach, nutritionist, biomechanist, and physiologist as well as the aid of technical advances in motion analysis, data acquisition, and methods of analysis. Currently, there are still a lack of knowledge sharing between these stakeholders. The knowledge owned by these experts are not captures, classified or integrated into an information system for decision-making. In this study, we propose an ontology-driven weightlifting knowledge model as a solution for promoting a better understanding of the weightlifting domain as a whole. The study aims to build a knowledge framework for Olympic weightlifting, bringing together related knowledge subdomains such as training methodology, biomechanics, and dietary while modelling the synergy among them. In so doing, terminology, semantics, and used concepts will be unified among researchers, coaches, nutritionists, and athletes to partially obviate the recognized limitations and inconsistencies. The whole weightlifting "training-diet-competition" (TDC) cycle is semantically modelled by conceiving, designing, and integrating domain and task ontologies with the latter devising reasoning capability toward an automated and tailored weightlifting TDC cycle.- (undefined

    Multiple representations in calorimetry

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    The purpose of this study is to explore the use of multiple representational modes as a tool for understanding the concepts of temperature and energy transfer in calorimetry. The focus is placed on which type of representation promotes students\u27 understanding of these concepts, and which representation(s) facilitates translations to other types. This study considers verbal, mathematical, and graphical representations. The statistical analysis of a problem set completed by 111 a freshmen college chemistry students and a semi structured interview on one-to-one basis to 23 students, is used to diagnose students\u27 understanding of calorimetry and the use of representations. Based on these results a model for conceptual understanding is proposed

    The Use of Multiple Representations in Undergraduate Physics Education: What Do we Know and Where Do we Go from Here?

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    Using multiple representations (MR) such as graphs, symbols, diagrams, and text, is central to teaching and learning in physics classrooms. While different studies have provided evidence of the positive impact of the use of MR on physics learning, a comprehensive overview of existing literature on the use of MR in physics education, especially at the undergraduate level, is missing. This manuscript addresses this gap in the literature by reporting on the outcomes of a systematic review study that aimed to provide an overview of the existing knowledge base, to identify gaps in the knowledge base, and to propose future research about the use of MR in the context of undergraduate physics education. For the purpose of this study, we reviewed 24 empirical studies published between 2002 and 2019 in scientific, peer-reviewed journals in the context of undergraduate physics education. The outcomes of this review study are discussed under these themes (a) In what ways does the use of MR in instruction support student learning? (b) What kinds of representations do students use? (c) What difficulties do students face in using MR? (d) What is the relation between students’ use of MR and students’ problem-solving skills? and, (e) What is the added value of technology integration in teaching with MR? We identify gaps in the existing knowledge base, and we propose future research directions in these three areas: (a) Exploring the use of MR in university physics textbooks; (b) Blending of different kinds of MR; and, (c) The use of virtual reality applications

    Multi-Dimensional Item Response Theory and the Force Concept Inventory

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    Research on the test structure of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) has largely been performed with exploratory methods such as factor analysis and cluster analysis. Multi-Dimensional Item Response Theory (MIRT) provides an alternative to traditional Exploratory Factor Analysis which allows statistical testing to identify the optimal number of factors. Application of MIRT to a sample of N=4,716N=4,716 FCI post-tests identified a 9-factor solution as optimal. Additional analysis showed that a substantial part of the identified factor structure resulted from the practice of using problem blocks and from pairs of similar questions. Applying MIRT to a reduced set of FCI items removing blocked items and repeated items produced a 6-factor solution; however, the factors had little relation the general structure of Newtonian mechanics. A theoretical model of the FCI was constructed from expert solutions and fit to the FCI by constraining the MIRT parameter matrix to the theoretical model. Variations on the theoretical model were then explored to identify an optimal model. The optimal model supported the differentiation of Newton's 1st and 2nd law; of one-dimensional and three-dimensional kinematics; and of the principle of the addition of forces from Newton's 2nd law. The model suggested by the authors of the FCI was also fit; the optimal MIRT model was statistically superior

    High School Students’ Performances in Transitions between Different Representations of Linear Relationships in Mathematics and Physics

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    This study involved 643 high school students to assess their performance in using different representations of linear functions—graphs, tables, and algebraic relationships—in mathematics and kinematics. The results show that students encounter greater difficulties when they have to interpret representations involving algebraic relations in mathematics. Furthermore, it is shown how the ability to switch from one type of representation to another is influenced by spatial reasoning skills, orientation toward physics, and self-confidence in the field of mathematics and physics. Implications for teaching kinematics and linear functions are briefly discussed

    Model-based teaching and learning of kinematics in an introductory physics course for underprepared students

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    Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-182).This study concerns the application of a model-based approach for problem solving and conceptual understanding, in the context of kinematics, relating to the "foundation" component of an introductory physics course designed for students who are academically and scientifically underprepared. A new method for portraying objects in motion, "freeze frame" representation, was introduced. The particular visual conceptual model was employed as a representational bridge for translating physics information between different modes of representations as well as for eliciting qualitative information

    Zero-gravity movement studies

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    The use of computer graphics to simulate the movement of articulated animals and mechanisms has a number of uses ranging over many fields. Human motion simulation systems can be useful in education, medicine, anatomy, physiology, and dance. In biomechanics, computer displays help to understand and analyze performance. Simulations can be used to help understand the effect of external or internal forces. Similarly, zero-gravity simulation systems should provide a means of designing and exploring the capabilities of hypothetical zero-gravity situations before actually carrying out such actions. The advantage of using a simulation of the motion is that one can experiment with variations of a maneuver before attempting to teach it to an individual. The zero-gravity motion simulation problem can be divided into two broad areas: human movement and behavior in zero-gravity, and simulation of articulated mechanisms

    Business Calculus Students’ Reasoning about Optimization Problems: A Study of Quantitative Reasoning in an Economic Context

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    While the opportunity to learn mathematics via textbooks is well documented at the secondary and elementary levels, research on the opportunity to learn mathematics via textbooks at the undergraduate level has received little attention. Furthermore, research that examines the role of mathematics textbooks in students’ learning of important concepts such as marginal change in applied calculus is scarce. Research on students’ quantitative reasoning at the post-secondary level is lacking. This qualitative study investigated the opportunity to learn about optimization problems, marginal change, and quantitative reasoning in an economic context via a business calculus textbook and from lectures in a business calculus course. The study also investigated students’ quantitative reasoning, using task based interviews conducted with 12 pairs of business calculus students, about optimization problems and marginal change in an economic context. This study found that the textbook’s presentation of optimization problems and marginal change was largely procedural with limited attention to the underlying concepts and that opportunities for students to reason about relationships between or among economic quantities such as the relationship between marginal cost and marginal revenue at a profit maximizing quantity received little attention. The presentation of optimization problems and marginal change in course lectures closely followed the presentation of these topics in the textbook. Students’ interpretations of marginal change varied in different contexts and representations depending on the tasks they were given. This study provided insights into students’ quantitative reasoning when analyzing multivariable situations in an economic context: students created new quantities that helped them to solve the problems in the tasks and helped them to reason about relationships among several quantities. Implications for different stakeholders including business calculus instructors and suggestions for further research are included
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