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Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research
written by Pablo Barniol and Genaro Zavala
In this article we discuss the findings of our research on students' understanding of vector concepts in problems without physical context. First, we develop a complete taxonomy of the most frequent errors made by university students when learning vector concepts. This study is based on the results of several test administrations of open-ended problems in which a total of 2067 students participated. Using this taxonomy, we then designed a 20-item multiple-choice test. Test of understanding of vectors (TUV)] and administered it in English to 423 students who were completing the required sequence of introductory physics courses at a large private Mexican university. We evaluated the test's content validity, reliability, and discriminatory power. The results indicate that the TUV is a reliable assessment tool. We also conducted a detailed analysis of the students' understanding of the vector concepts evaluated in the test. The TUV is included in the Supplemental Material as a resource for other researchers studying vector learning, as well as instructors teaching the material.
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Foundations
- Alternative Conceptions
- Assessment
= Conceptual Assessment
= Instruments
Mathematical Tools
- Vector Algebra
- Lower Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Research study
Intended Users Formats Ratings
- Researchers
- Professional/Practitioners
- application/pdf
- text/html
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Access Rights:
Free access
License:
This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
Rights Holder:
American Physical Society
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010121
Tecnologico de Monterrey Grant:
CAT140
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created June 1, 2016 by Madeleine Wolff
Record Updated:
June 6, 2016 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
June 17, 2014
Other Collections:

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AIP Format
P. Barniol and G. Zavala, , Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10 (1), 010121 (2014), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010121).
AJP/PRST-PER
P. Barniol and G. Zavala, Test of understanding of vectors: A reliable multiple-choice vector concept test, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10 (1), 010121 (2014), <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010121>.
APA Format
Barniol, P., & Zavala, G. (2014, June 17). Test of understanding of vectors: A reliable multiple-choice vector concept test. Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res., 10(1), 010121. Retrieved March 19, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010121
Chicago Format
Barniol, Pablo, and Genaro Zavala. "Test of understanding of vectors: A reliable multiple-choice vector concept test." Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10, no. 1, (June 17, 2014): 010121, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010121 (accessed 19 March 2024).
MLA Format
Barniol, Pablo, and Genaro Zavala. "Test of understanding of vectors: A reliable multiple-choice vector concept test." Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10.1 (2014): 010121. 19 Mar. 2024 <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010121>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{ Author = "Pablo Barniol and Genaro Zavala", Title = {Test of understanding of vectors: A reliable multiple-choice vector concept test}, Journal = {Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res.}, Volume = {10}, Number = {1}, Pages = {010121}, Month = {June}, Year = {2014} }
Refer Export Format

%A Pablo Barniol %A Genaro Zavala %T Test of understanding of vectors: A reliable multiple-choice vector concept test %J Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. %V 10 %N 1 %D June 17, 2014 %P 010121 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010121 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Journal Article %A Barniol, Pablo %A Zavala, Genaro %D June 17, 2014 %T Test of understanding of vectors: A reliable multiple-choice vector concept test %J Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. %V 10 %N 1 %P 010121 %8 June 17, 2014 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.10.010121


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