A Conceptual Approach to Physics Problem Solving

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written by Jennifer Docktor, Natalie E. Strand, Jose P. Mestre, and Brian H. Ross

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.

Physics Education Research Conference 2010
Part of the PER Conference series
Portland, Oregon: July 21-22, 2010
Volume 1289, Pages 137-140

download 75kb .pdf
Published: August 24, 2010

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Education Foundations - Assessment = Conceptual Assessment Education Practices - Active Learning = Problem Solving - Pedagogy	- High School	- Reference Material = Report = Research study

Intended Users	Formats	Ratings
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Mirror:: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3515180
Access Rights:: Limited free access and
Available for purchase; A preprint of the work is available. A hard copy of the PERC 2010 proceedings is available for purchase from the AIP.
Restriction:: © 2010 American Institute of Physics
DOI:: 10.1063/1.3515180
NSF Number:: 0837058
PACSs:: 01.40.Fk; 01.40.ek; 01.40.G-; 01.40.gb
Keywords:: PERC 2010, conceptual, problem solving, strategy
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created October 19, 2010 by Alea Smith
Record Updated:: May 1, 2013 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: August 24, 2010
Other Collections:: The PER-Central

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Record Link

<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=10421">Docktor, J, N. Strand, J. Mestre, and B. Ross. "A Conceptual Approach to Physics Problem Solving." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon, July 21-22, 2010.</a>

AIP Format

J. Docktor, N. Strand, J. Mestre, and B. Ross, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon, 2010, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10421&DocID=1889).

AJP/PRST-PER

J. Docktor, N. Strand, J. Mestre, and B. Ross, A Conceptual Approach to Physics Problem Solving, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon, 2010, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10421&DocID=1889>.

APA Format

Docktor, J., Strand, N., Mestre, J., & Ross, B. (2010, July 21-22). A Conceptual Approach to Physics Problem Solving. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon. Retrieved May 2, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10421&DocID=1889

Chicago Format

Docktor, J, N. Strand, J. Mestre, and B. Ross. "A Conceptual Approach to Physics Problem Solving." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon, July 21-22, 2010. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10421&DocID=1889 (accessed 2 May 2025).

MLA Format

Docktor, Jennifer, Natalie Strand, Jose P. Mestre, and Brian Ross. "A Conceptual Approach to Physics Problem Solving." Physics Education Research Conference 2010. Portland, Oregon: 2010. 137-140 Vol. 1289 of PER Conference. 2 May 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10421&DocID=1889>.

BibTeX Export Format

@inproceedings{ Author = "Jennifer Docktor and Natalie Strand and Jose P. Mestre and Brian Ross", Title = {A Conceptual Approach to Physics Problem Solving}, BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2010}, Pages = {137-140}, Address = {Portland, Oregon}, Series = {PER Conference}, Volume = {1289}, Month = {July 21-22}, Year = {2010} }

Refer Export Format

%A Jennifer Docktor %A Natalie Strand %A Jose P. Mestre %A Brian Ross %T A Conceptual Approach to Physics Problem Solving %S PER Conference %V 1289 %D July 21-22 2010 %P 137-140 %C Portland, Oregon %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10421&DocID=1889 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2010 %O July 21-22 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Docktor, Jennifer %A Strand, Natalie %A Mestre, Jose P. %A Ross, Brian %D July 21-22 2010 %T A Conceptual Approach to Physics Problem Solving %B Physics Education Research Conference 2010 %C Portland, Oregon %V 1289 %P 137-140 %S PER Conference %8 July 21-22 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=10421&DocID=1889

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