written by Jessica Conn, Eleanor W. Close, and Hunter G. Close

The physics department at Texas State University has completed five semesters with a Learning Assistant (LA) program and reform-based instructional changes in our introductory course sequences. We are interested in how participation in the LA program influences LAs' identity both as physics students and as physics teachers; we have previously reported trends in increased community involvement and a shift in experienced LAs' concepts of what it means to be competent. Our interview data now include first-semester LAs, and we see a significant difference in physics identity development between these LAs and those with more experience. LAs near the end of their first semester seem to be experiencing a state of unease with respect to teaching and learning. We explain this discomfort in terms of Piagetian disequilibrium: their conceptions of competence in teaching and learning have been challenged, and they have not yet constructed a new model.

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Last Modified April 24, 2015

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