How traditional physics coursework limits problem-solving opportunities
written by
Barron J. Montgomery, Argenta M. Price, and Carl E. Wieman
A major goal of physics education is for students to develop problem-solving skills. To become expert problem-solvers, students need to deliberately practice those skills. In this analysis, we defined problem-solving skills as a set of 29 decisions that were previously identified as defining the problem-solving process of expert scientists. We quantified the amount of practice undergraduate physics students get at making each decision by coding the decisions required in assignments from introductory, intermediate, and advanced physics courses at a prestigious university. A research-focused lab course was the only example that offered substantial practice at a large range of decisions. Problems assigned in the traditional coursework required only a few decisions and routinely removed potential opportunities for students to make other decisions. This analysis suggests that to better prepare undergraduates for solving problems in the real world, we must offer more opportunities for students to make and act on problem-solving decisions.
Physics Education Research Conference 2023
Part of the PER Conference series Sacramento, CA: July 19-20, 2023 Pages 230-235
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![]() <a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=16588">Montgomery, B, A. Price, and C. Wieman. "How traditional physics coursework limits problem-solving opportunities." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2023, Sacramento, CA, July 19-20, 2023.</a>
![]() B. Montgomery, A. Price, and C. Wieman, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2023, Sacramento, CA, 2023, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16588&DocID=5768).
![]() B. Montgomery, A. Price, and C. Wieman, How traditional physics coursework limits problem-solving opportunities, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2023, Sacramento, CA, 2023, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16588&DocID=5768>.
![]() Montgomery, B., Price, A., & Wieman, C. (2023, July 19-20). How traditional physics coursework limits problem-solving opportunities. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2023, Sacramento, CA. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16588&DocID=5768
![]() Montgomery, B, A. Price, and C. Wieman. "How traditional physics coursework limits problem-solving opportunities." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2023, Sacramento, CA, July 19-20, 2023. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16588&DocID=5768 (accessed 1 May 2025).
![]() Montgomery, Barron J., Argenta M. Price, and Carl Wieman. "How traditional physics coursework limits problem-solving opportunities." Physics Education Research Conference 2023. Sacramento, CA: 2023. 230-235 of PER Conference. 1 May 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16588&DocID=5768>.
![]() @inproceedings{
Author = "Barron J. Montgomery and Argenta M. Price and Carl Wieman",
Title = {How traditional physics coursework limits problem-solving opportunities},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2023},
Pages = {230-235},
Address = {Sacramento, CA},
Series = {PER Conference},
Month = {July 19-20},
Year = {2023}
}
![]() %A Barron J. Montgomery %A Argenta M. Price %A Carl Wieman %T How traditional physics coursework limits problem-solving opportunities %S PER Conference %D July 19-20 2023 %P 230-235 %C Sacramento, CA %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16588&DocID=5768 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2023 %O July 19-20 %O application/pdf ![]() %0 Conference Proceedings %A Montgomery, Barron J. %A Price, Argenta M. %A Wieman, Carl %D July 19-20 2023 %T How traditional physics coursework limits problem-solving opportunities %B Physics Education Research Conference 2023 %C Sacramento, CA %P 230-235 %S PER Conference %8 July 19-20 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=16588&DocID=5768 Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
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