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Physical Review Physics Education Research
written by Benjamin R. Brown and Chandralekha Singh
We discuss the development and validation of a conceptual multiple-choice survey instrument called the survey of thermodynamic processes and first and second laws (STPFaSL) suitable for introductory physics courses. The survey instrument uses common student difficulties with these concepts as resources in that the incorrect answers to the multiple-choice questions were guided by them. After the development and validation of the survey instrument, the final version was administered at six different institutions. It was administered to introductory physics students in various traditionally taught calculus-based and algebra-based classes in paper-pencil format before and after traditional lecture-based instruction in relevant concepts. We also administered the survey instrument to upper-level undergraduates majoring in physics and Ph.D. students for benchmarking and for content validity and compared their performance with those of introductory students for whom the survey is intended. We find that although the survey instrument focuses on thermodynamics concepts covered in introductory courses, it is challenging even for advanced students. A comparison with the base line data on the validated survey instrument presented here can help instructors evaluate the effectiveness of innovative pedagogies designed to help students develop a solid grasp of these concepts.
Physical Review Physics Education Research: Volume 17, Issue 1, Pages 010104
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Foundations
- Assessment
= Conceptual Assessment
Thermo & Stat Mech
- General
- Lower Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Article
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© 2021 American Physical Society
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.010104
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created April 19, 2021 by Sam McKagan
Record Updated:
April 19, 2021 by Sam McKagan
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when Cataloged:
January 29, 2021
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AIP Format
B. Brown and C. Singh, , Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 17 (1), 010104 (2021), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010104).
AJP/PRST-PER
B. Brown and C. Singh, Development and validation of a conceptual survey instrument to evaluate students’ understanding of thermodynamics, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 17 (1), 010104 (2021), <https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010104>.
APA Format
Brown, B., & Singh, C. (2021, January 29). Development and validation of a conceptual survey instrument to evaluate students’ understanding of thermodynamics. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 17(1), 010104. Retrieved December 4, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010104
Chicago Format
Brown, Benjamin, and Chandralekha Singh. "Development and validation of a conceptual survey instrument to evaluate students’ understanding of thermodynamics." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 17, no. 1, (January 29, 2021): 010104, https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010104 (accessed 4 December 2024).
MLA Format
Brown, Benjamin, and Chandralekha Singh. "Development and validation of a conceptual survey instrument to evaluate students’ understanding of thermodynamics." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 17.1 (2021): 010104. 4 Dec. 2024 <https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010104>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{ Author = "Benjamin Brown and Chandralekha Singh", Title = {Development and validation of a conceptual survey instrument to evaluate students’ understanding of thermodynamics}, Journal = {Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.}, Volume = {17}, Number = {1}, Pages = {010104}, Month = {January}, Year = {2021} }
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%A Benjamin Brown %A Chandralekha Singh %T Development and validation of a conceptual survey instrument to evaluate students' understanding of thermodynamics %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 17 %N 1 %D January 29, 2021 %P 010104 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010104 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Journal Article %A Brown, Benjamin %A Singh, Chandralekha %D January 29, 2021 %T Development and validation of a conceptual survey instrument to evaluate students' understanding of thermodynamics %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 17 %N 1 %P 010104 %8 January 29, 2021 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevphyseducres.17.010104


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