156,453 research outputs found
The Effect of Force Feedback on Student Reasoning about Gravity, Mass, Force and Motion
The purpose of this study was to examine whether force feedback within a computer simulation had an effect on reasoning by fifth grade students about gravity, mass, force, and motion, concepts which can be difficult for learners to grasp. Few studies have been done on cognitive learning and haptic feedback, particularly with young learners, but there is an extensive base of literature on children\u27s conceptions of science and a number of studies focus specifically on children\u27s conceptions of force and motion. This case study used a computer-based paddleball simulation with guided inquiry as the primary stimulus. Within the simulation, the learner could adjust the mass of the ball and the gravitational force. The experimental group used the simulation with visual and force feedback; the control group used the simulation with visual feedback but without force feedback. The proposition was that there would be differences in reasoning between the experimental and control groups, with force feedback being helpful with concepts that are more obvious when felt. Participants were 34 fifth-grade students from three schools. Students completed a modal (visual, auditory, and haptic) learning preference assessment and a pretest. The sessions, including participant experimentation and interviews, were audio recorded and observed. The interviews were followed by a written posttest. These data were analyzed to determine whether there were differences based on treatment, learning style, demographics, prior gaming experience, force feedback experience, or prior knowledge. Work with the simulation, regardless of group, was found to increase students\u27 understanding of key concepts. The experimental group appeared to benefit from the supplementary help that force feedback provided. Those in the experimental group scored higher on the posttest than those in the control group. The greatest difference between mean group scores was on a question concerning the effects of increased gravitational force
Pictorial Socratic dialogue and conceptual change
Counter-examples used in a Socratic dialogue aim to provoke reflection to effect conceptual changes. However, natural language forms of Socratic dialogues have their limitations. To address this problem, we propose an alternative form of Socratic dialogue called the pictorial Socratic dialogue. A Spring Balance System has been designed to provide a platform for the investigation of the effects of this pedagogy on conceptual changes. This system allows learners to run and observe an experiment. Qualitative Cartesian graphs are employed for learners to represent their solutions. Indirect and intelligent feedback is prescribed through two approaches in the pictorial Socratic dialogue which aim to provoke learners probe through the perceptual structural features of the problem and solution, into the deeper level of the simulation where Archimedes’ Principle governs
A framework for the natures of negativity in introductory physics
Mathematical reasoning skills are a desired outcome of many introductory
physics courses, particularly calculus-based physics courses. Positive and
negative quantities are ubiquitous in physics, and the sign carries important
and varied meanings. Novices can struggle to understand the many roles signed
numbers play in physics contexts, and recent evidence shows that unresolved
struggle can carry over to subsequent physics courses. The mathematics
education research literature documents the cognitive challenge of
conceptualizing negative numbers as mathematical objects--both for experts,
historically, and for novices as they learn. We contribute to the small but
growing body of research in physics contexts that examines student reasoning
about signed quantities and reasoning about the use and interpretation of signs
in mathematical models. In this paper we present a framework for categorizing
various meanings and interpretations of the negative sign in physics contexts,
inspired by established work in algebra contexts from the mathematics education
research community. Such a framework can support innovation that can catalyze
deeper mathematical conceptualizations of signed quantities in the introductory
courses and beyond
Assessing Learning Outcomes in Middle-Division Classical Mechanics: The Colorado Classical Mechanics/Math Methods Instrument
Reliable and validated assessments of introductory physics have been
instrumental in driving curricular and pedagogical reforms that lead to
improved student learning. As part of an effort to systematically improve our
sophomore-level Classical Mechanics and Math Methods course (CM 1) at CU
Boulder, we have developed a tool to assess student learning of CM 1 concepts
in the upper-division. The Colorado Classical Mechanics/Math Methods Instrument
(CCMI) builds on faculty consensus learning goals and systematic observations
of student difficulties. The result is a 9-question open-ended post-test that
probes student learning in the first half of a two-semester classical mechanics
/ math methods sequence. In this paper, we describe the design and development
of this instrument, its validation, and measurements made in classes at CU
Boulder and elsewhere.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl
Leveraging a Relationship with Biology to Expand a Relationship with Physics
This work examines how experiences in one disciplinary domain (biology) can
impact the relationship a student builds with another domain (physics). We
present a model for disciplinary relationships using the constructs of
identity, affect, and epistemology. With these constructs we examine an
ethnographic case study of a student who experienced a significant shift in her
relationship with physics. We describe how this shift demonstrates (1) a
stronger identification with physics, (2) a more mixed affective stance towards
physics, and (3) more expert-like ways of knowing in physics. We argue that
recruiting the students relationship with biology into experiences of learning
physics impacted her relationship with physics as well as her sense of how
physics and biology are linked
Developing an Action Concept Inventory
We report on progress towards the development of an Action Concept Inventory
(ACI), a test that measures student understanding of action principles in
introductory mechanics and optics. The ACI also covers key concepts of
many-paths quantum mechanics, from which classical action physics arises. We
used a multi-stage iterative development cycle for incorporating expert and
student feedback into successive revisions of the ACI. The student feedback,
including think-aloud interviews, enabled us to identify their misconceptions
about action physics.Comment: 6 pages. This paper started out as arXiv:1507.06075v1, then split
into arXiv:1507.06075v2 and this paper as a result of feedback from referees
and an editor. arXiv:1507.06075v2 presents the case for teaching action
physics, while this paper presents an evaluation too
- …