Comparison of University Students' Graphic Interpretation Skills

Graphic interpretation is as critical in physics education as problem-solving. However, we know that today's classes focus more on problem-solving. This study uses a survey to determine college students' graphic interpretation skills. The study consists of two phases. The first phase includes the development and statistical analysis of the survey. The second phase includes comparing and discussing the data resulting from the application of the developed survey. The research data were analyzed using both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis techniques. The survey on graphic interpretation skills, including the understanding and analysis processes, consisted of 17 items based on analysis results. The survey data were collected using purposive sampling from 113 college volunteers during the fall semester of 2022-2023 at Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey. The participants consisted of 57 geoscience students and 56 mining students. The survey results showed that the kinematic interpretation skills of mining engineering students were higher than those of geoscience students. These differences between geoscience and mining engineering students in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor behaviors were discussed.