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Amplifying Physics Students' Voices: How Learners Approach Wonky and Unknowable Quantum Mechanics
written by Marc L. Whiting, Lauren A. Barth-Cohen, Adrian L. Adams, David Stroupe, and Jordan M. Gerton
Scholarship on Quantum Mechanics (QM) in physics education research (PER) tends to persist in examining learners' reasoning from a deficit perspective by emphasizing learners' incorrect approaches. Although there is a common understanding that QM is challenging, with students describing it as "wonky," "bizarre," or "weird," much of the deficit literature examines learners' difficulties by documenting incorrect strategies students take. Alternatively, some research literature and instruction seek to elevate students' approaches to QM. Drawing on resource theory and epistemological approaches, the current study aims to amplify students' voices, not through judgment or a deficit lens, but rather by foregrounding how they articulate QM and what strategies they find meaningful. Data comes from ethnographic-style solo or pair open-ended interviews with undergraduate quantum physics learners. Coding their verbal responses identified three approaches students take to navigating QM's wonky nature: reasoning across scale boundaries, relying on mathematics, and drawing on classical knowledge. Although prior deficit literature has identified two of the three approaches as barriers to quantum learning, we document cases where students view these approaches as their learning strategies. Furthermore, in the relevant literature, reasoning across scale boundaries has been overlooked as an approach to QM, thereby highlighting a new quantum learning opportunity. The results described throughout are situated in a broader literature emphasizing students' voices in PER, offering instructional implications, and prioritizing students' perspectives over researcher-imposed judgments.
Physics Education Research Conference 2025
Part of the PER Conference series
Washington, DC: August 6-7, 2025
Pages 447-453
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Foundations
- Alternative Conceptions
- Assessment
= Longitudinal
- Behavior
= Behavior Development
- Cognition
= Cognition Development
- Problem Solving
- Student Characteristics
= Skills
Quantum Physics
- General
- Upper Undergraduate
- Lower Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Research study
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- application/pdf
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Mirror:
https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2025…
Access Rights:
Free access
License:
This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the published article's author(s), title, proceedings citation, and DOI.
Rights Holder:
American Association of Physics Teachers
DOI:
10.1119/perc.2025.pr.Whiting
Keyword:
PERC 2025
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created October 20, 2025 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:
October 27, 2025 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
October 28, 2025
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Record Link
AIP Format
M. Whiting, L. Barth-Cohen, A. Adams, D. Stroupe, and J. Gerton, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, 2025, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17181&DocID=6109).
AJP/PRST-PER
M. Whiting, L. Barth-Cohen, A. Adams, D. Stroupe, and J. Gerton, Amplifying Physics Students' Voices: How Learners Approach Wonky and Unknowable Quantum Mechanics, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, 2025, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17181&DocID=6109>.
APA Format
Whiting, M., Barth-Cohen, L., Adams, A., Stroupe, D., & Gerton, J. (2025, August 6-7). Amplifying Physics Students' Voices: How Learners Approach Wonky and Unknowable Quantum Mechanics. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC. Retrieved November 8, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17181&DocID=6109
Chicago Format
Whiting, M, L. Barth-Cohen, A. Adams, D. Stroupe, and J. Gerton. "Amplifying Physics Students' Voices: How Learners Approach Wonky and Unknowable Quantum Mechanics." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, August 6-7, 2025. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17181&DocID=6109 (accessed 8 November 2025).
MLA Format
Whiting, Marc L., Lauren A. Barth-Cohen, Adrian L. Adams, David Stroupe, and Jordan M. Gerton. "Amplifying Physics Students' Voices: How Learners Approach Wonky and Unknowable Quantum Mechanics." Physics Education Research Conference 2025. Washington, DC: 2025. 447-453 of PER Conference. 8 Nov. 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17181&DocID=6109>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{ Author = "Marc L. Whiting and Lauren A. Barth-Cohen and Adrian L. Adams and David Stroupe and Jordan M. Gerton", Title = {Amplifying Physics Students' Voices: How Learners Approach Wonky and Unknowable Quantum Mechanics}, BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2025}, Pages = {447-453}, Address = {Washington, DC}, Series = {PER Conference}, Month = {August 6-7}, Year = {2025} }
Refer Export Format

%A Marc L. Whiting %A Lauren A. Barth-Cohen %A Adrian L. Adams %A David Stroupe %A Jordan M. Gerton %T Amplifying Physics Students' Voices: How Learners Approach Wonky and Unknowable Quantum Mechanics %S PER Conference %D August 6-7 2025 %P 447-453 %C Washington, DC %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17181&DocID=6109 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2025 %O August 6-7 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Whiting, Marc L. %A Barth-Cohen, Lauren A. %A Adams, Adrian L. %A Stroupe, David %A Gerton, Jordan M. %D August 6-7 2025 %T Amplifying Physics Students' Voices: How Learners Approach Wonky and Unknowable Quantum Mechanics %B Physics Education Research Conference 2025 %C Washington, DC %P 447-453 %S PER Conference %8 August 6-7 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17181&DocID=6109


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