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A Novel Methodology to Elicit Student Perspectives In Semi-Structured Interviews
This paper introduces a novel methodology that was designed to enrich student perspective interview data by providing students with a more robust approach to supplying their justifications to interview questions. This methodology evokes student perspectives on a target object (e.g., their typing speed) by inviting participants to place the object along a physical dial representing a conceptual continuum (e.g., slow to fast) and justify their placement through open-ended discussion. The data presented to introduce the methodology was collected from upper-level undergraduate students in a quantum mechanics (QM) course. In this paper, we focus on two illustrative case studies, Oliver and Emma, to demonstrate the range of interpretive strategies used among students. The methodology supports multiple modes of reasoning: object-focused, scale-focused, qualitative, and quantitative. The physical dial acted as an anchor for students to provide structure to not only the interview protocol, but also how students deliver their responses to the interviewer. Through the use of a training period at the beginning of the interview, where students "learn how to play the game", students were able to give consistent responses to course perspectives interview questions. The pilot study presented here is part of a larger analysis of the methodology, but already suggests that integrating semantic differential scaling into interviews offers a promising framework for structured yet open-ended exploration of student thinking across complex scientific domains.
Physics Education Research Conference 2025
Part of the PER Conference series Washington, DC: August 6-7, 2025 Pages 423-428
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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=17177">Tran, J, J. Freericks, and L. Doughty. "A Novel Methodology to Elicit Student Perspectives In Semi-Structured Interviews." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, August 6-7, 2025.</a>
J. Tran, J. Freericks, and L. Doughty, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, 2025, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17177&DocID=6105).
J. Tran, J. Freericks, and L. Doughty, A Novel Methodology to Elicit Student Perspectives In Semi-Structured Interviews, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, 2025, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17177&DocID=6105>.
Tran, J., Freericks, J., & Doughty, L. (2025, August 6-7). A Novel Methodology to Elicit Student Perspectives In Semi-Structured Interviews. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC. Retrieved November 8, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17177&DocID=6105
Tran, J, J. Freericks, and L. Doughty. "A Novel Methodology to Elicit Student Perspectives In Semi-Structured Interviews." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, August 6-7, 2025. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17177&DocID=6105 (accessed 8 November 2025).
Tran, Jason, James K. Freericks, and Leanne Doughty. "A Novel Methodology to Elicit Student Perspectives In Semi-Structured Interviews." Physics Education Research Conference 2025. Washington, DC: 2025. 423-428 of PER Conference. 8 Nov. 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17177&DocID=6105>.
@inproceedings{
Author = "Jason Tran and James K. Freericks and Leanne Doughty",
Title = {A Novel Methodology to Elicit Student Perspectives In Semi-Structured Interviews},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2025},
Pages = {423-428},
Address = {Washington, DC},
Series = {PER Conference},
Month = {August 6-7},
Year = {2025}
}
%A Jason Tran %A James K. Freericks %A Leanne Doughty %T A Novel Methodology to Elicit Student Perspectives In Semi-Structured Interviews %S PER Conference %D August 6-7 2025 %P 423-428 %C Washington, DC %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17177&DocID=6105 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2025 %O August 6-7 %O application/pdf %0 Conference Proceedings %A Tran, Jason %A Freericks, James K. %A Doughty, Leanne %D August 6-7 2025 %T A Novel Methodology to Elicit Student Perspectives In Semi-Structured Interviews %B Physics Education Research Conference 2025 %C Washington, DC %P 423-428 %S PER Conference %8 August 6-7 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17177&DocID=6105 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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