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2002 PERC Proceedings

Conference Information

Dates: August 7-8, 2002
Location: Boise, ID
Theme: Alternative Approaches to Assessment in Physics Teaching and Research in Physics Learning

Proceedings Information

Editors: Scott Franklin, Karen Cummings, and Jeffrey Marx
Published: August 7, 2002

Table of Contents

Front Matter
Preface
Invited Papers (5)
Peer-reviewed Papers (19)
Contributed Non-peer-reviewed Papers (3)
Corrected Papers (1)

INVITED MANUSCRIPTS (5)

First Author Index

Etkina · Kraus · Meltzer · Sandifer · Wittmann

Invited Papers

Time to Change
Eugenia Etkina
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.001
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This paper, presented at the 2002 Physics Education Research Conference, describes alternative formative assessment techniques and their implementation in an introductory physics course. These techniques help students develop some abilities that are used by scientists and engineers: reflection on the knowledge construction, question posing, statement evaluation, and convincing others in the viability of their knowledge.

E. Etkina, Time to Change, 2002 PERC Proceedings [Boise, ID, August 7-8, 2002], edited by S. Franklin, K. Cummings, and J. Marx, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.001.

Designing Diagnostic Assessments
Pamela Kraus and Jim Minstrell
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.002
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This paper, presented at the 2002 Physics Education Research Conference, describes the process of creating diagnostic assessments to assist teachers in formatively assessing their students. The process begins with the learning targets and ends with the creation of web-delivered sets of questions designed to diagnose students' facets of thinking. Early analysis from our first year of implementation indicates students are reading and thinking about the questions in their assignment. The researchers found that that, for certain topics, students' facets of thinking are highly context dependent.

P. Kraus and J. Minstrell, Designing Diagnostic Assessments, 2002 PERC Proceedings [Boise, ID, August 7-8, 2002], edited by S. Franklin, K. Cummings, and J. Marx, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.002.

Issues Related to Data Analysis and Quantitative Methods in PER
David E. Meltzer
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.003
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This paper, presented at the 2002 Physics Education Research Conference, offers authors' discussion of some issues that always arise, implicitly or explicitly, when conducting quantitative research and carrying out data analysis in Physics Education Research. (Most are relevant for qualitative research as well.)

D. E. Meltzer, Issues Related to Data Analysis and Quantitative Methods in PER, 2002 PERC Proceedings [Boise, ID, August 7-8, 2002], edited by S. Franklin, K. Cummings, and J. Marx, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.003.

Using Qualitative Methods to Make and Support Claims in Physics Education Research
Cody Sandifer and Andy Johnson
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.004
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This document summarizes a session, held at the 2002 Physics Education research conference, that was designed to stimulate conversations about the use of qualitative methods in physics education research. The session began with a general overview of qualitative research. Then, to provide a context for discussion, facilitators conducted a mini research activity; in which they introduced data (interview, video transcripts, and student work) from a university physics course for preservice teachers. Participants were given the task of examining the data and deciding whether a particular claim was sufficiently supported by the data. A rich discussion ensued, in which many research-related issues were raised. These issues, which might serve as topics of discussion for future sessions, are listed and briefly editorialized at the end of this paper.

C. Sandifer and A. Johnson, Using Qualitative Methods to Make and Support Claims in Physics Education Research, 2002 PERC Proceedings [Boise, ID, August 7-8, 2002], edited by S. Franklin, K. Cummings, and J. Marx, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.004.

Limitations in Predicting Student Performance on Standardized Tests
Michael C. Wittmann
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.005
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This research paper, presented at the 2002 Physics Education Research Conference, the author argues that the Maryland Physics Expectations Survey (MPEX), which describes student attitudes and expectations toward learning, and might be used to predict normalized gains on tests such as the Force and Motion Concept Evaluation (FMCE); is an incomplete predictor of possible gains on standardized tests. The author also illustrates the problems involved in using the MPEX to predict productive attitudes toward learning physics by focusing on two students, both with seemingly appropriate expectations toward learning. While one had high normalized gains, the other did not, due to "false favorable" responses on the MPEX.

M. C. Wittmann, Limitations in Predicting Student Performance on Standardized Tests, 2002 PERC Proceedings [Boise, ID, August 7-8, 2002], edited by S. Franklin, K. Cummings, and J. Marx, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.inv.005.

PEER REVIEWED MANUSCRIPTS (19)

First Author Index

Cummings · Foster · French · Gray · Henderson · Hrepic · Itza-Ortiz · Kim · Kuo · Lee · Lindell · Loverude · McCullough · Oliver · Sabella · Scherr · Singh · Warnakulasooriya · Wittmann

Peer-reviewed Papers

Student Textbook Use in Introductory Physics
Karen Cummings, Timothy A. French, and Patrick Cooney
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.001
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Implications of Distributed Cognition for PER
Thomas M. Foster
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.002
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Effectiveness of Abridged Interactive Lecture Demonstrations
Timothy A. French and Karen Cummings
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.003
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The Effect of Question Order on Responses to Multiple-choice Questions
Kara E. Gray, N. Sanjay Rebello, and Dean A. Zollman
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.004
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Students Learning Problem Solving in Introductory Physics - Forming an Initial Hypothesis of Instructors' Beliefs
Charles R. Henderson, Kenneth Heller, Patricia Heller, H. Vincent Kuo, and Edit Yerushalmi
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.005
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Identifying Students' Models of Sound Propagation
Zdeslav Hrepic, Dean A. Zollman, and N. Sanjay Rebello
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.006
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A Summary of Students' Mental Models and Their Applications in Contexts Pertaining to Newton's II law
Salomon F. Itza-Ortiz and N. Sanjay Rebello
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.007
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Secondary Students' Cognitive Process for the Line Graph from Graph Components
Tae-Sun Kim and Beom-Ki Kim
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.008
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Teaching Students Problem Solving in Introductory Physics: Forming an Initial Hypothesis of Instructors' Beliefs
H. Vincent Kuo, Kenneth Heller, Patricia Heller, Charles R. Henderson, and Edit Yerushalmi
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.009
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Context Map: A Method to Represent the Interactions Between Students' Learning and Multiple Context Factors
Gyoungho Lee and Lei Bao
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.010
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Developing the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory
Rebecca S. Lindell and James P. Olsen
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.011
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Do Students Conceptualize Energy as a Material Substance?
Michael E. Loverude
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.012
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Gender, Math, and the FCI
Laura McCullough
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.013
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On the Study of Student Use of Meta-Resources in Learning Quantum Mechanics
Keith Oliver and Lei Bao
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.014
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Implementing Tutorials in Introductory Physics at an Inner-City University in Chicago
Mel S. Sabella
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.015
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The challenge of listening: The effect of researcher agenda on data collection and interpretation
Rachel E. Scherr and Michael C. Wittmann
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.016
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Effectiveness of Group Interaction on Conceptual Standardized Test Performance
Chandralekha Singh
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.017
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Towards a Model-based Diagnostic Instrument in Electricity and Magnetism: An Example
Rasil Warnakulasooriya and Lei Bao
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.018
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Student Epistemological Mode Constraining Researcher Access to Student Thinking: An Example from an Interview on Charge Flow
Michael C. Wittmann and Rachel E. Scherr
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.pr.019
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CONTRIBUTED NON-PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS (3)

First Author Index

Kim · Sadaghiani · Sandifer

Contributed Non-peer-reviewed Papers

Students' Cognitive Conflict Levels by Provided Quantitative Demonstration and Qualitative Demonstration
Jina Kim and Hyukjoon Choi
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.contributed.001
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The purpose of this study was to understand middle school students' cognitive conflict levels when they were confronted with anomalous situations. The anomalous situations were created by two different methods; quantitative and qualitative demonstrations. In this research, two physics contexts, mechanics and electricity were used. In each context, two test items, one for quantitative demonstration and the other for qualitative demonstration were given to the students after a pretest. To measure the cognitive conflict levels, a Cognitive Conflict Levels Test (CCLT) developed by Lee et al. (1999) was used. The quantitative demonstration group showed higher cognitive conflict level than the qualitative group did in the electricity context; however, there was no significant difference in the mechanics context.

J. Kim and H. Choi, Students' Cognitive Conflict Levels by Provided Quantitative Demonstration and Qualitative Demonstration, 2002 PERC Proceedings [Boise, ID, August 7-8, 2002], edited by S. Franklin, K. Cummings, and J. Marx, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.contributed.001.

Immediate, Informative Feedback Using a New Homework System
Homeyra R. Sadaghiani and Lei Bao
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.contributed.002
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Students often complain about the traditional homework system's inefficiency and the lack of resources during problem solving sessions. The Physics Education Research Group at The Ohio State University is exploring a new homework system for introductory physics courses, in which students are given the solutions to their assignments before the due date. Each homework problem is also labeled with A, B or C to show the difficulty level as an additional feedback for students to evaluate their progress. The authors report the preliminary outcomes and effectiveness of this new system.

H. R. Sadaghiani and L. Bao, Immediate, Informative Feedback Using a New Homework System, 2002 PERC Proceedings [Boise, ID, August 7-8, 2002], edited by S. Franklin, K. Cummings, and J. Marx, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.contributed.002.

Factors Influencing Middle School Students' Sense-Making Discussions during their Small-Group Investigations of Force/Motion
Cody Sandifer
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.contributed.003
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This paper, presented at the 2002 Physics Education Research conference, describes a study conducted to investigate small-group discussions in an inquiry-based middle school science classroom in order to determine the group and individual factors that provide support (or not) for students' sense-making discussions. Two groups were videotaped and a six-component framework was used to identify and categorize instances of sense-making: predicting; clarifying facts; describing and explaining a phenomenon or experimental result; defining, describing, clarifying, and connecting scientific concepts, procedures, processes, and representations; testing knowledge compatibility; and making requests for any of the above. Analysis revealed that there were differences in sense-making discussion across both groups and individual students. Differences across groups are explained in terms of group obligations and expectations, collaboration, and leadership. Differences across students are explained in terms of learning and social goals, science interest, work preferences, and ability.

C. Sandifer, Factors Influencing Middle School Students' Sense-Making Discussions during their Small-Group Investigations of Force/Motion, 2002 PERC Proceedings [Boise, ID, August 7-8, 2002], edited by S. Franklin, K. Cummings, and J. Marx, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.contributed.003.

CORRECTED 2001 PAPERS (1)

First Author Index

Otero

Corrected 2001 Papers

Conceptual Development and Context: How Do They Relate?
Valerie K. Otero
2002 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.corrected.001
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This paper combines results from a larger research study that focuses on both cognitive and social aspects of learning. The theoretical perspective used is distributed cognition, in which students, students interacting with tools (such as laboratory apparatus and computer simulators), and students interacting with others and with tools are considered a cognitive system that generates learning. According to this perspective, each element of the system contributes to the cognitive product by sharing part of the cognitive load associated with a task. The unit of analysis of this paper is a group of three students working with tools, although results from a study where the unit of analysis was the single student are also used.

V. K. Otero, Conceptual Development and Context: How Do They Relate?, 2002 PERC Proceedings [Boise, ID, August 7-8, 2002], edited by S. Franklin, K. Cummings, and J. Marx, doi:10.1119/perc.2002.corrected.001.