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Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research
written by Patrick B. Kohl and Noah D. Finkelstein
Recent papers document that student problem-solving competence varies (often strongly) with representational format, and that there are significant differences between the effects that traditional and reform-based instructional environments have on these competences [Kohl and Finkelstein, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 1, 010104 (2005); Kohl and Finkelstein, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 2, 010102 (2006)]. These studies focused on large-lecture introductory physics courses, and included aggregate data on student performance on quizzes and homeworks. In this paper, we complement previous papers with finer-grained in-depth problem-solving interviews. In 16 interviews of students drawn from these classes, we investigate in more detail how and when student problem-solving performance varies with problem representation (verbal, mathematical, graphical, or pictorial). We find that student strategy often varies with representation, and that in this environment students who show more strategy variation tend to perform more poorly. We also verify that student performance depends sensitively on the particular combination of representation, topic, and student prior knowledge. Finally, we confirm that students have generally robust opinions of their representational skills, and that these opinions correlate poorly with their actual performances.
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education Foundations
- Learning Theory
= Representations
- Problem Solving
- Student Characteristics
= Ability
- Lower Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Research study
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© 2006 American Physical Society
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.010106
PACS:
01.40.Fk
Keywords:
instructional environment, problem solving, representation, strategy
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created June 30, 2006 by Evan Richards
Record Updated:
June 14, 2011 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
May 26, 2006
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AIP Format
P. Kohl and N. Finkelstein, , Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 2 (1), 010106 (2006), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.010106).
AJP/PRST-PER
P. Kohl and N. Finkelstein, Effects of Representation on Students Solving Physics Problems: A Fine-Grained Characterization, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 2 (1), 010106 (2006), <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.010106>.
APA Format
Kohl, P., & Finkelstein, N. (2006, May 26). Effects of Representation on Students Solving Physics Problems: A Fine-Grained Characterization. Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res., 2(1), 010106. Retrieved November 5, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.010106
Chicago Format
Kohl, Patrick B., and Noah Finkelstein. "Effects of Representation on Students Solving Physics Problems: A Fine-Grained Characterization." Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 2, no. 1, (May 26, 2006): 010106, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.010106 (accessed 5 November 2024).
MLA Format
Kohl, Patrick B., and Noah Finkelstein. "Effects of Representation on Students Solving Physics Problems: A Fine-Grained Characterization." Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 2.1 (2006): 010106. 5 Nov. 2024 <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.010106>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{ Author = "Patrick B. Kohl and Noah Finkelstein", Title = {Effects of Representation on Students Solving Physics Problems: A Fine-Grained Characterization}, Journal = {Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res.}, Volume = {2}, Number = {1}, Pages = {010106}, Month = {May}, Year = {2006} }
Refer Export Format

%A Patrick B. Kohl %A Noah Finkelstein %T Effects of Representation on Students Solving Physics Problems: A Fine-Grained Characterization %J Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. %V 2 %N 1 %D May 26, 2006 %P 010106 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.010106 %O text/html

EndNote Export Format

%0 Journal Article %A Kohl, Patrick B. %A Finkelstein, Noah %D May 26, 2006 %T Effects of Representation on Students Solving Physics Problems: A Fine-Grained Characterization %J Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. %V 2 %N 1 %P 010106 %8 May 26, 2006 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.2.010106


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