Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA
written by
Adam Quaal, Gina Passante, Steven J. Pollock, and Homeyra R. Sadaghiani
This investigation is situated within an ongoing project which seeks to understand student thinking in upper-division introductory quantum mechanics courses. Recently, the Quantum Mechanics Concept Assessment (QMCA) was revised to include additional items in spin-basis contexts to reflect the rising prevalence of the "spins-first" instructional paradigm. In this work, we utilize exploratory factor analysis to group items on the QMCA based on common variance. Student responses were collected from several large institutions over the 2018-2019 academic year, with the three largest institutions following a "spins-first" curriculum. In interpreting our factor structure, we focus on the placement of isomorphic questions and the original concept framework of the QMCA, as well as a tentative interpretation of factor groupings. We conclude by discussing how these groupings may be further investigated, as well as implications for subsequent iterations of the QMCA and research on student thinking in these two contexts.
Physics Education Research Conference 2020
Part of the PER Conference series Virtual Conference: July 22-23, 2020 Pages 406-411
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=15517">Quaal, A, G. Passante, S. Pollock, and H. Sadaghiani. "Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2020, Virtual Conference, July 22-23, 2020.</a>
AIP Format
A. Quaal, G. Passante, S. Pollock, and H. Sadaghiani, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2020, Virtual Conference, 2020, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15517&DocID=5365).
AJP/PRST-PER
A. Quaal, G. Passante, S. Pollock, and H. Sadaghiani, Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2020, Virtual Conference, 2020, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15517&DocID=5365>.
APA Format
Quaal, A., Passante, G., Pollock, S., & Sadaghiani, H. (2020, July 22-23). Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2020, Virtual Conference. Retrieved December 5, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15517&DocID=5365
Chicago Format
Quaal, A, G. Passante, S. Pollock, and H. Sadaghiani. "Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2020, Virtual Conference, July 22-23, 2020. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15517&DocID=5365 (accessed 5 December 2024).
MLA Format
Quaal, Adam, Gina Passante, Steven Pollock, and Homeyra Sadaghiani. "Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA." Physics Education Research Conference 2020. Virtual Conference: 2020. 406-411 of PER Conference. 5 Dec. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15517&DocID=5365>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{
Author = "Adam Quaal and Gina Passante and Steven Pollock and Homeyra Sadaghiani",
Title = {Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2020},
Pages = {406-411},
Address = {Virtual Conference},
Series = {PER Conference},
Month = {July 22-23},
Year = {2020}
}
Refer Export Format
%A Adam Quaal %A Gina Passante %A Steven Pollock %A Homeyra Sadaghiani %T Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA %S PER Conference %D July 22-23 2020 %P 406-411 %C Virtual Conference %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15517&DocID=5365 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2020 %O July 22-23 %O application/pdf
EndNote Export Format
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Quaal, Adam %A Passante, Gina %A Pollock, Steven %A Sadaghiani, Homeyra %D July 22-23 2020 %T Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA %B Physics Education Research Conference 2020 %C Virtual Conference %P 406-411 %S PER Conference %8 July 22-23 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15517&DocID=5365 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.
Citation Source Information
The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA:Know of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
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