Students’ Difficulties in Transfer of Problem Solving Across Representations

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written by Dong-Hai Nguyen and N. Sanjay Rebello

Studies indicate that the use of multiple representations in teaching helps students become better problem solvers. We report on a study to investigate students' difficulties with multiple representations. We conducted teaching/learning interviews with 20 students in a first semester calculus-based physics course. Each student was interviewed four times during the semester, each time after they had completed an exam in class. During these interviews students were first asked to solve a problem they had seen on the exam, followed by problems that differed in context and type of representation from the exam problem. Students were provided verbal scaffolding to solve the new problems. We discuss the common difficulties that students encountered when attempting to transfer their problem solving skills across problems in different representations.

Physics Education Research Conference 2009
Part of the PER Conference series
Ann Arbor, Michigan: July 29-30, 2009
Volume 1179, Pages 221-224

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Published: November 11, 2009

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Education Foundations - Learning Theory = Representations = Transfer - Problem Solving	- Lower Undergraduate	- Reference Material = Research study

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Mirror:: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3266720
Access Rights:: Free access and
Available for purchase; A preprint of the work is available. A hard copy of the PERC 2009 proceedings is also available.
Restriction:: © 2009 American Institute of Physics
DOI:: 10.1063/1.3266720
NSF Number:: 0816207
PACS:: 01.40.Fk
Keywords:: PERC 2009, interview, multiple representations, physics education research, problem solving, problem solving, representation, transfer, transfer
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created October 11, 2009 by Alea Smith
Record Updated:: June 14, 2011 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: November 11, 2009
Other Collections:: The PER-Central

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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=9488">Nguyen, Dong-Hai, and N. Sanjay Rebello. "Students’ Difficulties in Transfer of Problem Solving Across Representations." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 29-30, 2009.</a>

AIP Format

D. Nguyen and N. Rebello, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2009, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9488&DocID=1362).

AJP/PRST-PER

D. Nguyen and N. Rebello, Students’ Difficulties in Transfer of Problem Solving Across Representations, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2009, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9488&DocID=1362>.

APA Format

Nguyen, D., & Rebello, N. (2009, July 29-30). Students’ Difficulties in Transfer of Problem Solving Across Representations. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9488&DocID=1362

Chicago Format

Nguyen, Dong-Hai, and N. Sanjay Rebello. "Students’ Difficulties in Transfer of Problem Solving Across Representations." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 29-30, 2009. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9488&DocID=1362 (accessed 18 February 2025).

MLA Format

Nguyen, Dong-Hai, and N. Sanjay Rebello. "Students’ Difficulties in Transfer of Problem Solving Across Representations." Physics Education Research Conference 2009. Ann Arbor, Michigan: 2009. 221-224 Vol. 1179 of PER Conference. 18 Feb. 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9488&DocID=1362>.

BibTeX Export Format

@inproceedings{ Author = "Dong-Hai Nguyen and N. Sanjay Rebello", Title = {Students’ Difficulties in Transfer of Problem Solving Across Representations}, BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2009}, Pages = {221-224}, Address = {Ann Arbor, Michigan}, Series = {PER Conference}, Volume = {1179}, Month = {July 29-30}, Year = {2009} }

Refer Export Format

%A Dong-Hai Nguyen %A N. Sanjay Rebello %T Students' Difficulties in Transfer of Problem Solving Across Representations %S PER Conference %V 1179 %D July 29-30 2009 %P 221-224 %C Ann Arbor, Michigan %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9488&DocID=1362 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2009 %O July 29-30 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Nguyen, Dong-Hai %A Rebello, N. Sanjay %D July 29-30 2009 %T Students' Difficulties in Transfer of Problem Solving Across Representations %B Physics Education Research Conference 2009 %C Ann Arbor, Michigan %V 1179 %P 221-224 %S PER Conference %8 July 29-30 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9488&DocID=1362

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