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Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research
written by Nicola Pizzolato, Claudio Fazio, Rosa Maria Sperandeo-Mineo, and Dominique Persano Adorno
This paper addresses the efficacy of an open-inquiry approach that allows students to build on traditionally received knowledge. A sample of thirty engineering undergraduates, having already attended traditional university physics instruction, was selected for this study. The students were involved in a six-week long learning experience of open-inquiry research activities within the highly motivating context of developing a thermodynamically efficient space base on Mars. They designed and carried out their own scientific investigations, which involved gathering information, collecting and analyzing data, providing explanations, and sharing results. A questionnaire containing fifteen open-ended real-world problems in thermal science was administered to the students both prior to and after all activities, with the aim of investigating the nature of their difficulties in problem solving. Students' answers were classified into three epistemological profiles and a prepost instruction comparison was carried out, using methods of statistical implicative analysis. The students obtained significant benefits from their open-inquiry experiences, in terms of the strengthening of their practical and reasoning abilities, by proficiently applying the learned concepts to face and solve real-world problem situations.
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Foundations
- Behavior
= Behavior Development
- Problem Solving
Education Practices
- Active Learning
= Inquiry Learning
General Physics
- Scientific Reasoning
- Lower Undergraduate
- Upper Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Research study
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- application/pdf
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Free access
License:
This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
Rights Holder:
American Physical Society
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010107
PACSs:
01.55.+b
01.40.gb
01.40.G-
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created July 27, 2015 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:
June 1, 2016 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
February 18, 2014
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AIP Format
N. Pizzolato, C. Fazio, R. Sperandeo-Mineo, and D. Persano Adorno, , Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10 (1), 010107 (2014), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010107).
AJP/PRST-PER
N. Pizzolato, C. Fazio, R. Sperandeo-Mineo, and D. Persano Adorno, Open-inquiry driven overcoming of epistemological difficulties in engineering undergraduates: A case study in the context of thermal science, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10 (1), 010107 (2014), <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010107>.
APA Format
Pizzolato, N., Fazio, C., Sperandeo-Mineo, R., & Persano Adorno, D. (2014, February 18). Open-inquiry driven overcoming of epistemological difficulties in engineering undergraduates: A case study in the context of thermal science. Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res., 10(1), 010107. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010107
Chicago Format
Pizzolato, N, C. Fazio, R. Sperandeo-Mineo, and D. Persano Adorno. "Open-inquiry driven overcoming of epistemological difficulties in engineering undergraduates: A case study in the context of thermal science." Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10, no. 1, (February 18, 2014): 010107, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010107 (accessed 28 March 2024).
MLA Format
Pizzolato, Nicola, Claudio Fazio, Rosa Maria Sperandeo-Mineo, and Dominique Persano Adorno. "Open-inquiry driven overcoming of epistemological difficulties in engineering undergraduates: A case study in the context of thermal science." Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10.1 (2014): 010107. 28 Mar. 2024 <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010107>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{ Author = "Nicola Pizzolato and Claudio Fazio and Rosa Maria Sperandeo-Mineo and Dominique Persano Adorno", Title = {Open-inquiry driven overcoming of epistemological difficulties in engineering undergraduates: A case study in the context of thermal science}, Journal = {Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res.}, Volume = {10}, Number = {1}, Pages = {010107}, Month = {February}, Year = {2014} }
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%A Nicola Pizzolato %A Claudio Fazio %A Rosa Maria Sperandeo-Mineo %A Dominique Persano Adorno %T Open-inquiry driven overcoming of epistemological difficulties in engineering undergraduates: A case study in the context of thermal science %J Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. %V 10 %N 1 %D February 18, 2014 %P 010107 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010107 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Journal Article %A Pizzolato, Nicola %A Fazio, Claudio %A Sperandeo-Mineo, Rosa Maria %A Persano Adorno, Dominique %D February 18, 2014 %T Open-inquiry driven overcoming of epistemological difficulties in engineering undergraduates: A case study in the context of thermal science %J Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. %V 10 %N 1 %P 010107 %8 February 18, 2014 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010107


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