Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs

Stein, Martin M.; Smith, Emily M.; Holmes, N. G.

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Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs

written by Martin M. Stein, Emily M. Smith, and N. G. Holmes

Many institutions are changing the focus of their introductory physics labs from verifying physics content towards teaching students about the skills and nature of science. As instruction shifts, so too will the ways students approach and behave in the labs. In this study, we evaluated students' lab notes from an early activity in an experimentation-focused lab course. We found that about 30% of student groups (out of 107 groups at three institutions) recorded questionable research practices in their lab notes, such as subjective interpretations of results or manipulating equipment and data. The large majority of these practices were associated with confirmatory goals, which we suspect stem from students' prior exposure to verification labs. We propose ways for experimentation-focused labs to better engage students in the responsible conduct of research and authentic scientific practice.

Physics Education Research Conference 2018
Part of the PER Conference series
Washington, DC: August 1-2, 2018

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Last Modified: December 31, 2018

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Education Foundations - Behavior Education Practices - Active Learning = Inquiry Learning - Curriculum Development = Laboratory	- Lower Undergraduate	- Reference Material = Research study

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Mirror:: https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2018…
Access Rights:: Free access
License:: This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the published article's author(s), title, proceedings citation, and DOI.
Rights Holder:: American Association of Physics Teachers
DOI:: 10.1119/perc.2018.pr.Stein
Keyword:: PERC 2018
Record Creator:: Metadata instance created December 31, 2018 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:: January 1, 2019 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: December 31, 2018
Other Collections:: The PER-Central

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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=14856">Stein, M, E. Smith, and N. Holmes. "Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC, August 1-2, 2018.</a>

AIP Format

M. Stein, E. Smith, and N. Holmes, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC, 2018, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14856&DocID=5003).

AJP/PRST-PER

M. Stein, E. Smith, and N. Holmes, Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC, 2018, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14856&DocID=5003>.

APA Format

Stein, M., Smith, E., & Holmes, N. (2018, August 1-2). Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14856&DocID=5003

Chicago Format

Stein, M, E. Smith, and N. Holmes. "Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2018, Washington, DC, August 1-2, 2018. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14856&DocID=5003 (accessed 28 April 2024).

MLA Format

Stein, Martin M., Emily M. Smith, and Natasha G. Holmes. "Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs." Physics Education Research Conference 2018. Washington, DC: 2018. of PER Conference. 28 Apr. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14856&DocID=5003>.

BibTeX Export Format

@inproceedings{ Author = "Martin M. Stein and Emily M. Smith and Natasha G. Holmes", Title = {Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs}, BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2018}, Address = {Washington, DC}, Series = {PER Conference}, Month = {August 1-2}, Year = {2018} }

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%A Martin M. Stein %A Emily M. Smith %A Natasha G. Holmes %T Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs %S PER Conference %D August 1-2 2018 %C Washington, DC %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14856&DocID=5003 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2018 %O August 1-2 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Stein, Martin M. %A Smith, Emily M. %A Holmes, Natasha G. %D August 1-2 2018 %T Confirming what we know: Understanding questionable research practices in intro physics labs %B Physics Education Research Conference 2018 %C Washington, DC %S PER Conference %8 August 1-2 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14856&DocID=5003

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