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This research paper deals with the issue of physics education in both forms of learning, a present form and a distance one. The authors discuss the ways of developing students' abilities to think critically by solving specific interdisciplinary qualitative physics tasks. Not only are these tasks suitable for traditional classroom teaching-learning process, but they can also be easily implemented into online learning environment. In this context, the paper is focused on the physics-related cognitive interest of primary-school students, then critical thinking of these students as well as mutual relationships between the levels of students' cognitive interest in physics and levels of their critical thinking. The main goal of the paper is to present the preliminary results from the running dissertation thesis research. The authors have designed and distributed a questionnaire form combined with a didactic test of critical thinking. The questionnaire is based on Lanina's methodology and serves to determine the current level of students' cognitive interest in curricular- as well as extracurricular- forms of physics education. Its other part, a physics test, has been created in order to identify students' abilities to apply critical thinking in problem solving physics tasks. Levels of critical thinking corresponds with levels of Kolláriková's model of critical thinking. The authors investigate possible corelations in the development of cognitive interest and critical thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve physics problems is a key ability which students should reach during their physics education. Ten years ago we started to develop a Collection of fully solved problems. The structure of problems' solutions is specially designed to substitute tutor's help during lesson and encourage students to solve at least some parts of a problem independently. Nowadays the database contains about 770 fully solved problems in physics in Czech, more than 100 problems in Polish and more than 140 problems in English. Other problems are still being translated. Except for physics problems, the Collection has also a mathematical part, which contains more than 300 fully solved problems in mathematics. This paper follows the presentation of the Collection of solved problems from previous years and introduces a new interface of the Collection, its enhanced functionality, new topics, newly created interface for teachers, user feedback and plans for future development. The database is placed at the website of the Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, the links are: http://reseneulohy.cz/fyzika (Czech version); http://www.physicstasks.eu/ (English version). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed an assessment of students' ability to solve standard textbook style problems and are currently engaged in the validation and revision process. The assessment covers the topics of force and motion, conservation of momentum and conservation of energy at a level consistent with most calculus-based, introductory physics courses. This tool is discussed in more detail in an accompanying paper by Marx and Cummings. [1] Here we present preliminary beta-test data collected at four schools during the 2009/2010 academic year. Data include both pre- and post-instruction results for introductory physics courses as well as results for physics majors in later years. In addition, we present evidence that right/wrong grading may well be a perfectly acceptable grading procedure for a course-level assessment of this type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a companion paper we presented self-diagnosis tasks in which students are explicitly required to self diagnose their problem solutions after being given some feedback. In this paper we suggest a rubric to evaluate diagnosis and exemplify its use in two case studies. We present preliminary results regarding how students' performance on the self-diagnosis tasks relates to their performance in solving problems and to their progress during the course. In preliminary analysis, we find that the correlation between students' self-diagnosis grades and their performance in the mid-semester quiz was very low (0.16), the correlation between the grades in the mid-semester quiz and the final exam grades was also low (0.21) while the correlation between the self-diagnosis grades in the mid-semester quiz and the final exam grades was reasonably high (0.68). We suggest that these results can be explained by the hypothesis that the self-diagnosis grades measure the slope of students' learning curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For problem solving to serve as an effective learning opportunity, it should involve deliberate reflection, e.g., planning and evaluating the solver's progress toward a solution, as well as self-diagnosing former steps while elaborating on conceptual understanding. While expert problem solvers employ deliberate reflection, the novices (many introductory physics students) fail to take full advantage of problem solving as a learning opportunity. In this paper we will focus on self-diagnosis as an instructional strategy to engage students in reflective problem solving. In self-diagnosis tasks students are explicitly required to carry out self diagnosis activities after being given some feedback on the solution. In this and a companion paper, we will present research exploring the following questions: How well do students self-diagnose, if at all, their solutions? What are the learning outcomes of these activities? Can one improve the act of self-diagnosis and the resulting learning outcomes by scaffolding the activity? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present an initial analysis connecting key elements of Modeling Instruction (MI) to self-efficacy experience opportunities. Previously, we demonstrated that MI has positive effects on self-efficacy when compared with traditional Lecture instruction [1]. We also found a particularly strong positive effect on the social persuasion source of self-efficacy for women in the MI class. Our current study seeks to understand through what mechanisms MI influences self-efficacy. We demonstrate this connection through an in-depth analysis of video chosen to exemplify Modeling techniques used in a problem-solving episode by three female participants enrolled in a MI introductory physics class. We provide a rich and descriptive analysis of the self-efficacy experiences opportunities within this context and discuss how these opportunities provide a potential explanation of how MI influences self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we discuss the early stages of development of a survey instrument to assess students' problem-solving abilities in a first-term, undergraduate, calculus-based physics course. Specifically, we present our motivation for the development of such a survey, details of a preliminary version of the survey, and some sample items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a companion paper, we discuss students' ability to take advantage of what they learn from a solved problem and transfer their learning to solve a quiz problem that has different surface features but the same underlying physics principles. Here, we discuss students' ability to perform analogical reasoning between another pair of problems. Both the problems can be solved using the same physics principles. However, the solved problem provided was a two-step problem (which can be solved by decomposing it into two sub-problems) while the quiz problem was a three-step problem. We find that it is challenging for students to extend what they learned from a two-step problem to solve a three-step problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive Science has focused on general principles of problem solving and learning that might be relevant for physics education research. This paper examines three selected issues that have relevance for the difficulty of transfer in problem solving domains: specialized systems of memory and reasoning, the importance of content in thinking, and a characterization of memory retrieval in problem solving. In addition, references to these issues are provided to allow the interested researcher entries to the literatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we focus on some of the recent findings of the physics education research community in the area of multiple representations. The overlying trend with the research is how multiple representations help students learn concepts and skills and assist them in problem solving. Two trends developed from the latter are: how students use multiple representations when solving problems and how different representational formats affect student performance in problem solving. We show how our work relates to these trends and provide the reader with an overall synopsis of the findings related to the advantages and disadvantages of multiple representations for learning physics. © 2007 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will cover a small portion of a larger study designed to address the issue of stability of knowledge in an interview and how it is influenced by transfer of learning. An interview over basic mechanics questions will be used to show how one question can influence a student’s answer to another question. Based on this transcript and other data collected during the study, students’ ideas appear to be influenced not only by their experiences and the context presented in the question, but also by the context of the question. This analysis was done based on a new model of transfer called the actor-oriented transfer model developed by Lobato that is based on the “personal construction of similarities” by the student between the learning and transfer contexts. This new model will also be discussed in further detail in the paper. © 2005 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computers might be able to play an important role in physics instruction by coaching students to develop good problem-solving skills. Building on previous research on student problem solving and on designing computer programs to teach cognitive skills, we are developing a prototype computer coach to provide students with guided practice in solving problems. In addition to helping students become better problem solvers, such programs can be useful in studying how students learn to solve problems and how and if problem-solving skills can be transferred from a computer to a pencil-and-paper environment. © 2005 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physics courses ideally facilitate both students understanding of fundamental physical principles, as well as strengthen students' problem solving repertoire. In this study we look at how students divide and/or aggregate various elements of problem statements and how useful distinct principles and concepts, formulae, and general problem contexts are for pairing problems assigned in the same week. Students in an algebra-based physics course were asked to choose two problems from each of their homework assignments which they found to be most similar. The two problems selected were then explicitly compared and contrasted in writing. The written statements were then divided by clause topics and further categorized into levels of epistemic reasoning. This paper presents the qualitative analysis used and provides observed trends that appear in students' homework responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional upper-division physics courses tend to focus on summative assessment through quantitative and symbolic problem-solving examination questions. Reforming instruction suggests the need for assessment that matches the instructional strategies. In this paper, we describe assessment strategies implemented in two physics core courses, thermal physics and mathematical methods. Strategies include frequent formative assessment in the form of written ungraded quizzes as well as the inclusion of qualitative written problems on graded quizzes and exams. Examples of assessment items and student responses will be shown. In particular, we will show evidence that students at this level respond more positively to 'pretests' than one might expect, suggesting more expert-like epistemological expectations than is often the case in the introductory course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a strong emphasis in physics education research on the use of multiple representations to help students explain physical phenomena and to solve physics problems. In this paper, we report on students' use of multiple representations in the analysis of kinematics problems. The students learned kinematics using the Physics Union Mathematics curriculum*. When we examined pairs of representations in student work (motion diagrams and graphs), we found that students were often consistent but not necessarily correct. Based on the patterns in the data we argue that to fully assess student understanding we need to provide students with problems that require them to use at least two different representations to explain their answer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most of the teachers ask if there is a “best” known way to teach. The most effective teaching method depends on the specific goals of the course and the needs of the students. An investigation has been carried out to compare the effect of teaching selected physics topics using problem-solving method on the overall achievements of the acquired knowledge and teaching the same material by traditional teaching method. The investigation was performed as a pedagogical experiment of the type of parallel groups with randomly chosen sample of students attending grades eight. The control and experimental groups were equalized in the relevant pedagogical parameters. The obtained results were treated statistically. The comparison showed a significant difference in respect of the speed of acquiring knowledge, the problem-solving teaching being advantageous over traditional methodDo not replace the word “abstract,” but do replace the rest of this text. If you must insert a hard line break, please use Shift+Enter rather than just tapping your “Enter” key. You may want to print this page and refer to it as a style sample before you begin working on your paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously we discussed how well students in an introductory physics course diagnosed their mistakes on a quiz problem with different levels of scaffolding support. In that case, the problem they self-diagnosed was unusually difficult. We also discussed issues related to transfer, particularly the fact that the transfer problem in the midterm that corresponded to the self-diagnosed problem was a far transfer problem. Here, we discuss a related intervention in which we repeated the study methodology with the same students in the same intervention groups, using a new quiz problem which was more typical for these students and a near transfer problem. We discuss how these changes affected students’ ability to self-diagnose and transfer from the self-diagnosed quiz problem to a transfer problem on the midterm exam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expert problem solvers are characterized by continuous evaluation of their progress towards a solution. One characteristic of expertise is self-diagnosis directed towards elaboration of the solvers’ conceptual understanding, knowledge organization or strategic approach. “Self-diagnosis tasks” aim at fostering diagnostic behavior by explicitly requiring students to present diagnosis as part of the activity of reviewing their problem solutions. We have been investigating how introductory physics students perform in such tasks. Developing a robust rubric is essential for objective evaluation of students’ self-diagnosis skills. We discuss the development of a grading rubric that takes into account introductory physics students’ content knowledge as well as analysis, planning and presentation skills. Using this rubric, we have found the inter-rater reliability to be better than 80%. The rubric can easily be adapted to other problems, as will be discussed in a companion paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One important aspect of physics instruction is helping students develop better problem solving expertise. Besides enhancing the content knowledge, problems help students develop different cognitive abilities and skills. This paper focuses on ill-structured problems. These problems are different from traditional “end of chapter” well-structured problems. They do not have one right answer and thus the student has to examine different possibilities, assumptions and evaluate the outcomes. To solve such problems one has to engage in a cognitive monitoring called epistemic cognition. It is an important part of thinking in real life. Physicists routinely use epistemic cognition when they solve problems. We present a scaffolding technique for introducing ill-structured problems in introductory physics recitations and describe preliminary results of an exploratory study of student problem solving of ill-structured problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transfer is required in nearly every activity of problem solving. It spans from transferring procedures within a finite set of similar “end of the chapter problems” to applying problem solving strategies in completely unfamiliar problems. Students’ self-perceptions, in the context of problem solving and learning, influence the success of instruction promoting transfer. Hence, teachers have to attend to such self-perceptions. We conducted a cooperative inquiry workshop to support teachers who modify their instruction in problem solving to better achieve transfer goals. As part of the workshop, the teachers raised the need to develop a questionnaire examining students’ self-perceptions in the context of problem solving and learning in physics. The development of the questionnaire was supported by educational research, in a manner reflecting the teachers’ motivation and time limits. In this paper, we describe the process of developing the questionnaire, present findings from a validation analysis of the questionnaire, and discuss its role in the teachers’ professional development. © 2005 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem solving is one of the basic abilities that should be developed from learning physics. However, students still face difficulties in the process of non-routine problem-solving. Efforts are necessary to be taken in order to identify such difficulties and the solutions to solve them. An effort in the form of a diagnosis of students' performance in problem solving can be taken to identify their difficulties, and various instructional scaffolding supports can be utilized to eliminate the difficulties. This case study aimed to describe the students' difficulties in solving static fluid problems and the effort to overcome such difficulties through different scaffolding supports. The research subjects consisted of four 10-grade students of (Public Senior High School) SMAN 4 Malang selected by purposive sampling technique. The data of students' difficulties were collected via think-aloud protocol implemented on students' performance in solving nonroutine static fluid problems. Subsequently, combined scaffolding supports were given to the students based on their particular difficulties. The research findings pointed out that there were several conceptual difficulties discovered from the students when solving static fluid problems, i.e. the use of buoyancy force formula, determination of all forces acting on a plane in a fluid, the resultant force on a plane in a fluid, and determination of a plane depth in a fluid. An effort that can be taken to overcome such conceptual difficulties is providing a combination of some appropriate scaffolding supports, namely question prompts with specific domains, simulation, and parallel modeling. The combination can solve students' lack of knowledge and improve their conceptual understanding, as well as help them to find solutions by linking the problems with their prior knowledge. According to the findings, teachers are suggested to diagnose the students' difficulties so that they can provide an appropriate combination of scaffolding to support their students in finding the solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have focused on the resources that students activate and utilize while solving a given physics problem. However, few studies explore how students relate a given resource such as an equation, to various types of physics problems and contexts and how they ascertain the meaning and applicability of that resource. We explore how students view physics equations, derive meaning from those equations, and use those equations in physics problem solving. We adapt Dubinsky and McDonald's description of APOS (action-process-object-schema) theory of learning in mathematics, to construct a theoretical framework that describes how students interpret and use equations in physics in terms of actions, processes, objects, and schemas. This framework provides a lens for understanding how students construct their understanding of physics concepts and their relation to equations. We highlight how APOS theory can be operationalized to serve as a lens for studying the use of mathematics in physics problem solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous research has suggested that the major difficulty students have when solving physics problems posed in graphical and equational representations is due to students' inability to appropriately activate the required mathematical knowledge in the context of a physics problem. Based on these results, we developed problem sets for each major topic in introductory mechanics. Each set consisted of one or two pairs of matched math and physics problems, debate problems, and problem posing tasks. We conducted focus group learning interviews with two groups of students working in pairs: a treatment group working on our research-based problem sets and a control group solving isomorphic textbook problems on the same topics. We present here a description of one of our problem sets on Work-Energy problems as well as a comparison of the performance of the two groups on transfer problems on Work-Energy involving graphical and equational representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the context of traditional physics problem solving instruction, major concepts are mentioned but often marginalized by the focus on equation manipulation, resulting in students perceiving concepts as unimportant in problem solving. Additionally, since topics are covered as isolated pieces, students also perceive concepts as unrelated. In response to this disconnect, we discuss the development of a short, animated, web-delivered synthesizing presentation modeled after the 'common learning resource' from the preparation for future learning construct. In the presentation, major concepts of introductory mechanics are structured hierarchically. More specifically, the presentation is an overview of major theorems and conservation laws in mechanics and the conditions under which they are applied. It is linked to previous problems solved by the students and intended to prepare them for future learning by illustrating how concepts guide problem solving processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics can serve many functions in physics. It can provide a computational system, reflect a physical idea, conveniently encode a rule, and so forth. A physics student thus has many different options for using mathematics in his physics problem solving. We present a short example from the problem solving work of upper level physics students and use it to illustrate the epistemic framing process: “framing” because these students are focusing on a subset of their total math knowledge, “epistemic” because their choice of subset relates to what they see (at that particular time) as the nature of the math knowledge in play. We illustrate how looking for students’ warrants, the often unspoken reasons they think their evidence supports their mathematical claims, serves as a window to their epistemic framing. These warrants provide a powerful, concise piece of evidence of these students’ epistemic framing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally believed that students should use multiple representations in solving certain physics problems. In this study, we interview expert and novice physicists as they solve two types of multiple representations problems: those in which multiple representations are provided for them, and those in which the students must construct their own representations. We analyze in detail the types of representations subjects use and the order and manner in which they are used. Somewhat surprisingly, both experts and novices make significant use of multiple representations. Some differences emerge: Expert use of multiple representations is more dense in time, and novices tend to move between the available representations more often. In addition, we find that an examination of multiple representation use alone is inadequate to fully characterize a problem-solving episode; one must also consider the purpose behind the use of the available representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gauge the impact of instruction on students’ general expectations about physics and their attitudes about problem solving, we administered two different, but related, survey instruments to students in the first semester of introductory, calculus-based physics at McDaniel College. The surveys we used were the Maryland Physics Expectation Survey (MPEX) and the Attitudes about Problem Solving Survey (APSS). We found that the McDaniel College students’ overall responses were more “expert-like” post-instruction: on the MPEX, the students’ Overall agree/disagree score started at 59/18 and ended at 63/17, and on the APSS, the students’ agreement-score went from 63 to 79. (All scores are out of 100%.) All of the students to whom we administered the MPEX and a significant sub-group to whom we administered the APSS realized these improvements without experiencing any explicit instructional intervention in this course aimed toward improving attitudes and expectations. These results contrast much of the previously reported findings in this area. © 2007 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate learning and problem-solving transfer within the web-based homework tutor MasteringPhysics by considering time to completion, the number of hints requested, and the number of incorrect responses given. The group of students who were prepared by a prior related problem solves a related follow-up problem in ∼14% less time on average compared to an unprepared group on that problem. Furthermore, the prepared group requests ∼15% fewer hints and makes about ∼11% fewer errors on average than the unprepared group. © 2006 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presented is a subsection of a larger project to understand and facilitate students' use of mathematics when solving physics problems. Specifically, this study is an examination of how students group/pair problems in math and physics. The results show that whether students examine surface or structure is in part dependent on context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several reasons have been proposed to explain students' incorrect answers to conceptual physics problems. Heckler [3] proposed with a perceptual basis: plausible and salient "eye catching" features in a problem capture students' attention. Once students attend to these perceptually salient features, less salient albeit thematically relevant features are not considered and students answer the problem incorrectly based on the salient features. To test this hypothesis we recorded eye movements of introductory physics students on 15 conceptual problems with diagrams. Each diagram contained areas consistent with documented novice-like answers and other areas consistent with the scientifically correct answer. We manipulated the luminance contrast of the diagrams to produce three versions of each diagram, which differed by the area with the highest level of perceptual salience. We found no effect of the salience on the correctness of students' answers. We also discuss how the salience manipulations influence eye movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving curricular materials and practices aimed at complex cognitive processes such as problem solving requires careful planning and useful tools for assessment. To illustrate the challenges of measuring a change in students' problem solving in physics, we present the results of and a reflection on a pilot assessment of the effectiveness of computer problem-solving coaches [1] in a large (200+ student) section of an introductory physics course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies in recent years have demonstrated that upper-division students struggle with partial derivatives and the complicated chain rules ubiquitous in thermodynamics. We asked several experts (primarily faculty who teach thermodynamics) to solve a challenging and novel thermodynamics problem in order to understand how they navigate through this maze. What we found was a tremendous variety in solution strategies and sense-making tools, both within and between individuals. This case study focuses on one particular expert: his solution paths, use of sense-making tools, and comparison of different approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior to taking a translated version of the Maryland Open Source Tutorials (OSTs) as a stand-alone course, most students at Tokyo Gakugei University in Japan had experienced physics as memorizing laws and equations to use as computational tools. We might expect this reformed physics class, which emphasizes common sense and conceptual reasoning and rarely invokes equations, to produce students who see a disconnect between equation use and intuitive/conceptual reasoning. Many students at Gakugei, however, somehow learned to integrate mathematics into their 'constructivist' epistemologies of physics, even though OSTs do not emphasize this integration. Tadao, for example, came to see that although a common-sense solution to a problem is preferable for explaining to someone who doesn't know physics, solving the problem with a quantitative calculation (that connects to physical meaning) can bring clarity and concreteness to communication between experts. How this integration occurred remains an open question for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing appropriate diagrams is a useful problem solving heuristic that can transform a given problem into a representation that is easier to exploit for solving it. A major focus while helping introductory physics students learn problem solving is to help them appreciate that drawing diagrams facilitates problem solution. We conducted an investigation in which 111 students in an algebra-based introductory physics course were subjected to two different interventions during recitation quizzes throughout the semester. They were either (1) asked to solve problems in which the diagrams were drawn for them or (2) explicitly told to draw a diagram. A comparison group was not given any instruction regarding diagrams. We developed a rubric to score the problem-solving performance of students in different intervention groups. Here, we present some surprising results for problems which involve considerations of initial and final conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is commonly known that students have difficulty connecting the techniques they learn in math classes with necessary steps for solving physics problems. In this study, introductory-level physics students were given a set of pure math problems and a set of physics problems that required them to use the exact same mathematical processes. The students were then asked to pair the analogous problems and explain the pairings. Presented here are the results of that study, which support previous findings that students have difficulty determining how the two are connected and give some insight into what can be done to help scaffold that connection in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the benefits of modeling instruction in improving conceptual learning while students work more like scientists, an implementation was made in an introductory Physics course in a Mexican University. Recently Brewe, Kramer and O'Brien have observed positive attitudinal shifts using modeling instruction in a course with a reduced number of students. These results are opposite to previous observations with methodologies that promote active learning. Inspired in those results, the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) was applied as pre and post tests in two Mechanics courses with modeling. In comparison to the different categories of the CLASS, significant positive shifts have been determined in Overall, Sophistication in Problem Solving, and Applied Conceptual Understanding in a sample of 44 students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) has been efficiently used to assess conceptual learning in mechanics. Each FCI question has one Newtonian answer and four wrong answers (distracters). Researchers and practitioners most frequently use measures of total score to assess learning. Yet, are all wrong answers equivalent? We conducted Latent Markov Chain Modeling (LMCM) analyses of all choices (right and wrong) on a subset of four FCI questions. LMCM assesses whether there are groups of students sharing similar patterns of responses. We infer that students sharing similar patterns also share similar reasoning. Our results show seven reasoning-groups. LMCM also computes probabilities of transition from one reasoning-group to another after instruction. Examining transitions between groups, we note a clear hierarchy. Groups at the top of the hierarchy are comprised of students that use Newtonian thinking more consistently but also choose certain wrong answers more frequently; suggesting that not all wrong answers are equivalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present two studies investigating factors that correlate with students' and instructors' perceptions of problem difficulty. In the first study, introductory physics students and instructors were asked to rate the difficulty of textbook-style work-energy problems. These difficulty ratings are compared and we look for correlations between the difficulty ratings and a measure of problem complexity. We find differences between students' and instructors' ratings and a correlation between instructors' ratings and problem complexity but no significant correlation between students' ratings and problem complexity. In the second study, we asked introductory physics students and instructors to rate the difficulty of textbook-style kinematics problems. Additionally, we asked students to provide ratings of their familiarity with these problems and complete solutions. We explore the relationship between difficulty ratings, problem complexity, problem familiarity, and the rate at which students solve the problems correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students in introductory physics courses treat problem solving as an exercise in manipulating equations, symbols, and quantities with the goal of obtaining the correct answer. Although this approach is efficient for getting answers, it is far from optimal for learning how conceptual knowledge is applied in the problem-solving process. The goal of this study is to refine and evaluate an approach that encourages students to begin by writing a strategic analysis of a problem based on principles and procedures, and then to follow with a documented problem solution that exhibits, side-by-side, how concepts and equations go together in a solution. We will discuss the implementation and effectiveness of this approach in four local high school classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students commonly have difficulty with 'synthesis problems', which require a combination of typically two concepts that are taught separately in different chapters and/or at significantly different times during a course. One reason for this is that students frequently rely on a formula-based approach, beginning by searching for mathematical equations or worked examples which often do not exist. We employed a guided scaffolding method to induce students to employ a more effective problem-solving approach by first searching for fundamental concepts. This method includes a sequence of two conceptually-based multiple-choice questions that have similar deep structure as the synthesis problem, and an explicit instruction to remind students to make connections between the synthesis problem and these conceptual questions. We report our findings on the sustained effects of repeated training using conceptually-scaffolded synthesis problems. In the last 2 weeks of the 2009 fall quarter, we repeatedly provided 3 groups of students with different training using scaffolded synthesis problems, un-scaffolded synthesis problems, or traditional textbook problems. Four days after the training, all students took a common final examination containing a synthesis problem without scaffolding. Results show that repeated training with scaffolded synthesis problems rendered the highest success in students' correctly identifying and applying fundamental concepts for solving this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the Thinking in Physics (TIP) project, which helps students develop basic skills necessary for learning physics. We describe methods used to improve students' thinking and problem-solving skills in TIP introductory mechanics classes, and the effect these methods have had on student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During spring 2010 six students enrolled in an advanced electronics lab worked in pairs on ill-structured capstone projects. They designed electronic circuitry to automate experiments that were completed in a previous advanced physics lab. Some ill-structured features of these capstone projects included open-ended goals, limited guidance from the instructor and the possibility of multiple solution paths. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both the students and the instructor of the class, before and after the students worked on these ill-structured capstone projects to gauge the participants' expectations of the projects before they began and their views about these projects after they were completed. We report on the pre- and post-project impressions of the students and instructors regarding this ill-structured learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the relevant physics principles is a central component of problem solving. A major goal of most introductory physics courses is to help students discern the deep similarities between problems based upon the physics principles so that they can transfer what they learned by solving one problem to solve another problem which involves the same principle. We conducted an investigation in which 251 calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics students were asked explicitly in the recitation quiz to learn from a solved problem and then solve another problem that has different surface features but the same underlying physics principles. We find that many students were able to discern the deep similarities between the problems. When the solved problem was provided, students were likely to invoke the correct principles; however, more scaffolding is needed to help students apply these principles correctly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a study in which introductory physics students engage in reflection with peers about problem solving. The recitations for an introductory physics course with 200 students were broken into the 'Peer Reflection' (PR) group and the traditional group. Each week in recitation, students in the PR group reflected in small teams on selected problems from the homework. The graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants (TAs) in the PR group recitations provided guidance and coaching to help students learn effective problem solving heuristics. In the recitations for the traditional group, students had the opportunity to ask the graduate TA questions about the homework before they took a weekly quiz. On the final exam with only multiple-choice questions, the PR group drew diagrams on more problems than the traditional group, even when there was no external reward for doing so. Since there was no partial credit for drawing the diagrams on the scratch books, students did not draw diagrams simply to get credit for the effort shown and must value the use of diagrams for solving problems if they drew them. We also find that, regardless of whether the students belonged to the traditional or PR groups, those who drew more diagrams for the multiple-choice questions outperformed those who did not draw them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solving problems presented in multiple representations is an important skill for future physicists and engineers. However, such a task is not easy for most students taking introductory physics courses. We conducted teaching/learning interviews with 20 students in a first-semester calculus-based physics course on several topics in introductory mechanics. These interviews helped identify the common difficulties students encountered when solving physics problems posed in multiple representations as well as the hints that help students overcome those difficulties. We found that most representational difficulties arise due to the lack of students' ability to associate physics knowledge with corresponding mathematical knowledge. Based on those findings, we developed, tested and refined a set of problem-solving exercises to help students learn to solve problems in graphical and equational representations. We present our findings on students' common difficulties with graphical and equational representations, the problem-solving exercises and their impact on students' problem solving abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we investigate the effect of: 1) the context, and 2) the position of the vectors, on 2D vector addition tasks. We administered a test to 512 students completing introductory physics courses at a private Mexican university. In the first part, we analyze students' responses in three isomorphic problems: displacements, forces, and no physical context. Students were asked to draw two vectors and the vector sum. We analyzed students' procedures detecting the difficulties when drawing the vector addition and proved that the context matters, not only compared to the context-free case but also between the contexts. In the second part, we analyze students' responses with three different arrangements of the sum of two vectors: tail-to-tail, head-to-tail and separated vectors. We compared the frequencies of the errors in the three different positions to deduce students' conceptions in the addition of vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]