110 research outputs found
Refined Characterization of Student Perspectives on Quantum Physics
The perspectives of introductory classical physics students can often
negatively influence how those students later interpret quantum phenomena when
taking an introductory course in modern physics. A detailed exploration of
student perspectives on the interpretation of quantum physics is needed, both
to characterize student understanding of physics concepts, and to inform how we
might teach traditional content. Our previous investigations of student
perspectives on quantum physics have indicated they can be highly nuanced, and
may vary both within and across contexts. In order to better understand the
contextual and often seemingly contradictory stances of students on matters of
interpretation, we interviewed 19 students from four introductory modern
physics courses taught at the University of Colorado. We find that students
have attitudes and opinions that often parallel the stances of expert
physicists when arguing for their favored interpretations of quantum mechanics,
allowing for more nuanced characterizations of student perspectives in terms of
three key interpretive themes. We present a framework for characterizing
student perspectives on quantum mechanics, and demonstrate its utility in
interpreting the sometimes-contradictory nature of student responses to
previous surveys. We further find that students most often vacillate in their
responses when what makes intuitive sense to them is not in agreement with what
they consider to be a correct response, underscoring the need to distinguish
between the personal and the public perspectives of introductory modern physics
students.Comment: 24 pages, 31 references, 1 Appendix (5 pages
Teaching Quantum Interpretations: Revisiting the goals and practices of introductory quantum physics courses
Most introductory quantum physics instructors would agree that transitioning
students from classical to quantum thinking is an important learning goal, but
may disagree on whether or how this can be accomplished. Although (and perhaps
because) physicists have long debated the physical interpretation of quantum
theory, many instructors choose to avoid emphasizing interpretive themes; or
they discuss the views of scientists in their classrooms, but do not adequately
attend to student interpretations. In this synthesis and extension of prior
work, we demonstrate: (1) instructors vary in their approaches to teaching
interpretive themes; (2) different instructional approaches have differential
impacts on student thinking; and (3) when student interpretations go
unattended, they often develop their own (sometimes scientifically undesirable)
views. We introduce here a new modern physics curriculum that explicitly
attends to student interpretations, and provide evidence-based arguments that
doing so helps them to develop more consistent interpretations of quantum
phenomena, more sophisticated views of uncertainty, and greater interest in
quantum physics.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures; submitted to PRST-PER: Focused Collection on
Upper-Division PER. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1409.849
Interpretive Themes in Quantum Physics: Curriculum Development and Outcomes
A common learning goal for modern physics instructors is for students to
recognize a difference between the experimental uncertainty of classical
physics and the fundamental uncertainty of quantum mechanics. Our prior work
has shown that student perspectives on the physical interpretation of quantum
mechanics can be characterized, and are differentially influenced by the myriad
ways instructors approach interpretive themes in their introductory courses. We
report how a transformed modern physics curriculum (recently implemented at the
University of Colorado) has positively impacted student perspectives on quantum
physics, by making questions of classical and quantum reality a central theme
of the course, but also by making the beliefs of students (and not just those
of scientists) an explicit topic of discussion.Comment: Supporting materials available at
http://tinyurl.com/baily-dissertatio
Optimization Of Simulations And Activities For A New Introductory Quantum Mechanics Curriculum
The Institute of Physics New Quantum Curriculum (quantumphysics.iop.org)
consists of online texts and interactive simulations with accompanying
activities for an introductory course in quantum mechanics starting from
two-level systems. Observation sessions and analysis of homework and survey
responses from in-class trials were used to optimize the simulations and
activities in terms of clarity, ease-of-use, promoting exploration,
sense-making and linking of multiple representations. This work led to
revisions of simulations and activities and general design principles which
have been incorporated wherever applicable. This article describes the
optimization of one of the simulation controls and the refinement of activities
to help students make direct connections between multiple representations.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; submitted to the Proceedings of the 2013 Physics
Education Research Conference. appears in 2013 PERC Proceedings [Portland,
OR, July 17-18, 2013], edited by P. V. Engelhardt, A. D. Churukian, and D. L.
Jone
Student Reasoning About the Divergence of a Vector Field
Expanding our knowledge of student difficulties in advanced undergraduate
electromagnetism is essential if we are to develop effective instructional
interventions. Drawing on an analysis of course materials, in-class
observations and responses to conceptual questions, we document specific
resources employed by students when reasoning about the divergence of a vector
field. One common student error, which persisted in our course despite explicit
instruction, is to misinterpret any "spreading out" of field lines in a diagram
as representing a place of non-zero divergence. Some of these student
difficulties can likely be attributed to having first learned about the
divergence in a mathematical context, where there was little emphasis on
graphical representations of vector fields and connections to physical
situations.Comment: 4 pages, PERC Proceedings 2014 (accepted
Recommended from our members
Investigating the Mental Health Needs of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in Removal Proceedings: A Mixed Methods Study
In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of
children migrating to the United States without a parent. In Fiscal Year
2014 alone, U.S. immigration authorities apprehended and detained almost
70,000 unaccompanied children, compared to less than 9,000 in 2010. This
rapid rise has been fueled primarily by children arriving from Central
America, one of the world’s most violent regions. The available literature
on unaccompanied children in the United States suggests that they are a
vulnerable and underserved population, who are at risk for repeated
exposure to extreme psychosocial adversities at every stage of their
migration and frequently face many of these challenges alone. However, to
date there has been little formal study of their mental health needs.
The aim of this exploratory study was to obtain initial data regarding the
psychosocial context, mental health presentation, and mental health service
utilization of unaccompanied children released to guardians in the
community pending immigration hearings to determine their eligibility to
remain in the United States. The study employed a mixed methodology
combining qualitative and quantitative data. The sample comprised 26
unaccompanied
children and their guardians residing in the New York City metro area,
interviewed between September 2013 and December 2014.
Results showed that children in our sample had complex reasons for
migration, frequently combining push factors such as fleeing gang violence
and pull factors such as a desire for reunification with parents in the
United States after long separations. Most had been exposed repeatedly to
extreme psychosocial stressors prior to and during their migration,
including almost two-thirds who had witnessed violence, serious injury, or
death and over one-third who had witnessed domestic abuse or had been
physically abused themselves. However, children also described benefitting
from an array of supports that protected against stressors and promoted
their wellbeing, and in their narratives they emphasized overcoming
adversity rather than victimization.
On a structured mental health diagnostic interview, the majority of
children met criteria for one or more past-year anxiety and depressive
disorders. Few received diagnoses for behavioral problems. Compared against
these data, child-report measures screened more effectively for
internalizing disorder diagnoses and guardian-report measures screened more
effectively for externalizing disorder diagnoses. Despite the high rates of
diagnosable disorders in the sample, most children appeared to be
functioning well in family, social, and educational domains. No children
were receiving formal mental health services at the time of their study
interview, although several were being monitored by school counselors.
Children presenting with mental health concerns were provided with
referrals to mental health treatment services and contacted for a brief
telephone follow-up interview three months later. At follow-up, a number of
children had received counseling. Availability of school counselors and
referral to therapists in the community through pediatricians were the
primary facilitators of service access. Lack of knowledge of available,
Spanish-speaking services and cost of treatment were common obstacles to
seeking treatment. Some children and their guardians did not perceive a
need for services, and most of these children appeared to be functioning
well at follow-up.
This study was designed to be largely descriptive and to provide data to
inform future, theory-driven research. In the discussion section, social
ecological models of risk and resilience and Hobfoll’s Conservation of
Resources theory are presented as potential paradigms for understanding
unaccompanied children’s migration processes, with stressors and supportive
factors interacting across systemic levels and over time to determine
children’s access to resources and their mental health, functioning, and
wellbeing. Finally, the implications of the study’s findings for future
research, psychosocial intervention, and rights-based advocacy with
unaccompanied children are considered
Student thinking about the divergence and curl in mathematics and physics contexts
Undergraduate physics students are known to have difficulties with
understanding mathematical tools, and with applying their knowledge of
mathematics to physical contexts. Using survey statements based on student
interviews and written responses to open-ended questions, we investigated the
prevalence of correct and incorrect conceptions regarding the divergence and
curl of vector fields, among both mathematics and physics students. We compare
and contrast pre-instruction responses from intermediate-level E&M students at
KU Leuven and the University of St Andrews, with post-instruction responses
from St Andrews students enrolled in a vector calculus course. The differences
between these student populations were primarily in areas having to do with
physics-related concepts and graphical representations of vector fields. Our
comparison of pre- and post-instruction responses from E&M students shows that
their understanding of the divergence and curl improved significantly in most
areas, though not as much as would be desired.Comment: Physics Education Research Conference 2015 (submitted
Multiple-response assessment for upper-division electrodynamics
The CURrENT (Colorado UppeR-division ElectrodyNamics Test) was designed as an open-ended assessment to investigate student reasoning and learning, as well as assessing course transformations in upper-division electrodynamics. The assessment has been given at multiple universities over the past five years, but hand-grading the open-ended questions limits the scalability and usability of the instrument. For this reason, we are creating a multiple-response version of the assessment, using the database that consists of many student responses to the free-response CURrENT along with research on student difficulties. Our goal is to explore the logistical advantages of this objectively gradable format while preserving insights about student reasoning provided by the free-response format. Here we discuss development of the multiple-response CURrENT and present a comparison study between the multipleresponse version and the free-response version. Some preliminary measures of the multiple-response CURrENT such as the test’s validity, reliability and discrimination using classical test theory are also included.Publisher PD
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