|
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
ComPADRE is beta testing Citation Styles!
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=17181">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.</a>
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).
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>.
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
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).
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>.
@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}
}
%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 %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 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. Amplifying Physics Students' Voices: How Learners Approach Wonky and Unknowable Quantum Mechanics:Know of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
ContributeRelated MaterialsSimilar Materials |