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2005 PERC Proceedings

Conference Information

Dates: August 10-11, 2005
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Theme: Connecting Physics Education Research (PER) to Teacher Education at All Levels: K-20

Proceedings Information

Editors: Paula Heron, Laura McCullough, and Jeffrey Marx
Published: February 14, 2006
AIP URL: AIP Conference Proceedings 818
Info: Single book; 178 pages; 8.5 X 11 inches, double column
ISBN: 0-7354-0311-2
ISSN (Print): 0094-243X
ISSN (Online): 1551-7616

The 2005 Physics Education Research Conference covered a broad spectrum of current research directions including student learning of specific topics, student attitudes, and the effectiveness of various teaching methods. The emphasis was on undergraduate instruction. The theme of this conference was "Connecting Physics Education Research Teacher Education at All Levels: K-20."

Readership: Physics education researchers (faculty, post-doctoral students, and graduate students); physics faculty at undergraduate and graduate levels; high school physics teachers

Table of Contents

Front Matter
Invited Papers (8)
Peer-reviewed Papers (30)
Back Matter

INVITED MANUSCRIPTS (8)

First Author Index

Finkelstein · Singh · Escalada · Adrian · Malina · Lindell · Urquhart · Cervenec

Invited Papers

Evaluating a model of research-based practices for teacher preparation in a physics department: Colorado PhysTEC
Noah D. Finkelstein, Chandra Turpen, Steven J. Pollock, Michael Dubson, Steve Iona, C. J. Keller, and Valerie K. Otero
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 3-6, doi:10.1063/1.2177009
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We describe and evaluate the first year efforts of the Colorado Physics Teacher Education Coalition (Colorado PhysTEC), which is designed to increase the number and quality of preparation of future pre-college physics teachers. The Colorado PhysTEC program partners the Department of Physics, the School of Education, and other University of Colorado programs (particularly STEM-Colorado), with local schools and K-12 physics teachers. We report on efforts to engage students in transformed teaching practices, programs to create educational partnerships among all of the participants, and research that documents local educational practices and larger features of sustainable and scalable educational transformations.

N. D. Finkelstein, C. Turpen, S. J. Pollock, M. Dubson, S. Iona, C. J. Keller, and V. K. Otero, Evaluating a model of research-based practices for teacher preparation in a physics department: Colorado PhysTEC, 2005 PERC Proceedings [Salt Lake City, UT, August 10-11, 2005], edited by P. L. Heron, L. McCullough, and J. Marx [AIP Conf. Proc. 818, 3-6 (2006)], doi:10.1063/1.2177009.

Increasing interest and awareness about teaching in science undergraduates
Chandralekha Singh, Laura J. Moin, and Christian D. Schunn
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 7-10, doi:10.1063/1.2177010
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We discuss the development, implementation, and assessment of a course for science undergraduates designed to help them develop an awareness and a deeper appreciation of the intellectual demands of physics teaching. The course focused on increasing student enthusiasm and confidence in teaching by providing well supported teaching opportunities and exposure to physics education research. The course assessment methods include 1) pre/post-test measures of attitude and expectations about science teaching, 2) self and peer evaluation of student teaching, 3) content-based pre/post-tests given to students who received instruction from the student teachers, and 4) audio-taped focus group discussions in the absence of the instructor and TA to evaluate student perspective on different aspects of the course and its impact.

C. Singh, L. J. Moin, and C. D. Schunn, Increasing interest and awareness about teaching in science undergraduates, 2005 PERC Proceedings [Salt Lake City, UT, August 10-11, 2005], edited by P. L. Heron, L. McCullough, and J. Marx [AIP Conf. Proc. 818, 7-10 (2006)], doi:10.1063/1.2177010.

The Challenges of Designing and Implementing Effective Professional Development for Out-of-Field High School Physics Teachers
Lawrence T. Escalada and Julia Moeller
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 11-14, doi:10.1063/1.2177011
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With the existing shortage of qualified high school physics teachers and the current mandate of the No Child Left Behind Act requiring teachers to be "highly qualified" in all subjects they teach, university physics departments must offer content courses and programs that would allow out-of-field high school physics teachers to meet this requirement. This paper will identify how the University of Northern Iowa Physics Department is attempting to address the needs of the high school physics teacher through its course offerings and professional development programs for teachers. The effectiveness of one such physics professional development program, the UNI Physics Institute (UNI-PI), on secondary science teachers' and their students' conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics, and the teachers' instructional practices was investigated. Twenty-one Iowa out-of-field high school physics teachers participating in the program were able to complete the physics coursework required to obtain the State of Iowa 7–12 Grade Physics Teaching endorsement. Twelve of the participants completed a two-year program during the 2002 and 2003 summers. Background information, pre- and post-test physics conceptual assessments and other data was collected from participants throughout the Institute. Participants collected pre and post-test conceptual assessment data from their students during the 2002–2003 and 2003–2004 academic years. This comprehensive assessment data revealed the Institute's influence on participants' and students' conceptual understanding of Newtonian Mechanics. The results of this investigation, the insights we have gained, and possible future directions for professional development will be shared.

L. T. Escalada and J. Moeller, The Challenges of Designing and Implementing Effective Professional Development for Out-of-Field High School Physics Teachers, 2005 PERC Proceedings [Salt Lake City, UT, August 10-11, 2005], edited by P. L. Heron, L. McCullough, and J. Marx [AIP Conf. Proc. 818, 11-14 (2006)], doi:10.1063/1.2177011.

Pathway: Using a State-of-the-Art Digital Video Database for Research and Development in Teacher Education
Brian W. Adrian, Dean A. Zollman, and Scott M. Stevens
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 15-18, doi:10.1063/1.2177012
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To demonstrate how state-of-the-art video databases can address issues related to the lack of preparation of many physics teachers, we have created the prototype Physics Teaching Web Advisory (Pathway). Pathway's Synthetic Interviews and related video materials are beginning to provide pre-service and out-of-field in-service teachers with much-needed professional development and well-prepared teachers with new perspectives on teaching physics. The prototype was limited to a demonstration of the systems. Now, with an additional grant we will extend the system and conduct research and evaluation on its effectiveness. This project will provide virtual expert help on issues of pedagogy and content. In particular, the system will convey, by example and explanation, contemporary ideas about the teaching of physics and applications of physics education research. The research effort will focus on the value of contemporary technology to address the continuing education of teachers who are teaching in a field in which they have not been trained.

B. W. Adrian, D. A. Zollman, and S. M. Stevens, Pathway: Using a State-of-the-Art Digital Video Database for Research and Development in Teacher Education, 2005 PERC Proceedings [Salt Lake City, UT, August 10-11, 2005], edited by P. L. Heron, L. McCullough, and J. Marx [AIP Conf. Proc. 818, 15-18 (2006)], doi:10.1063/1.2177012.

Development Of A Standards-Based Integrated Science Course For Elementary Teachers
Eric Malina, Denise Plunk, and Rebecca S. Lindell
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 19-22, doi:10.1063/1.2177013
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With the national mandates that science be an integral component of all levels of education, the importance of having courses for future elementary teachers designed to meet state and national standards is critical. This paper describes how three SIUE faculty, one from biology, chemistry, and physics, initiated, coordinated, and implemented curricular changes to our Foundations of Science course. The goals of this project were 1) to enhance the current content curriculum, 2) to revise current curricular modules and develop new modules to be inquiry-based, 3) to improve and expand upon the use of technology, and 4) to further articulate the interrelatedness of the sciences in the curriculum. Meeting these goals required the complete revision or creation of 25 hands-on inquiry-based modules. Evaluation of the project involved 1) determining the impact of the modules on student learning, 2) gathering student perspectives of the modules, and 3) collecting faculty feedback. This paper outlines the developed modules and presents our initial findings related to the student perspectives of the modules and their impact on student learning.

E. Malina, D. Plunk, and R. S. Lindell, Development Of A Standards-Based Integrated Science Course For Elementary Teachers, 2005 PERC Proceedings [Salt Lake City, UT, August 10-11, 2005], edited by P. L. Heron, L. McCullough, and J. Marx [AIP Conf. Proc. 818, 19-22 (2006)], doi:10.1063/1.2177013.

Meeting the Needs of Our Future and In-Service Teachers: The Development and Implementation of a PER-Based Course to Teach Instructional Strategies in Astronomy
Rebecca S. Lindell, Douglas Franke, Elizabeth Peak, Thomas Withee, and Thomas M. Foster
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 23-26, doi:10.1063/1.2177014
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In the last five years the State of Illinois radically changed its Science certification programs. This change resulted in the creation of a new certification in Earth and Space Science. To meet the requirements of this new program, the SIUE Department of Physics and Office of Science and Mathematics Education created a new course entitled "Instructional Techniques in Astronomy". Required for all students seeking Earth and Space Science certification, it is also ideal for meeting the needs of in-service teachers, who need additional astronomy courses to become "well-qualified". This paper reports on this unique course, which combines content and pedagogy along with both teacher-participant and instructor views on the effectiveness of this new course.

R. S. Lindell, D. Franke, E. Peak, T. Withee, and T. M. Foster, Meeting the Needs of Our Future and In-Service Teachers: The Development and Implementation of a PER-Based Course to Teach Instructional Strategies in Astronomy, 2005 PERC Proceedings [Salt Lake City, UT, August 10-11, 2005], edited by P. L. Heron, L. McCullough, and J. Marx [AIP Conf. Proc. 818, 23-26 (2006)], doi:10.1063/1.2177014.

The Impact of Teacher Quality Grants on Long-Term Professional Development of Physical Science Teachers
Mary Urquhart and Kendra M. Bober
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 27-30, doi:10.1063/1.2177015
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The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Teacher Quality Grants, supported through No Child Left Behind, are intended to ensure that secondary teachers of specific subjects are "highly qualified". Now in their third year, these grants have done much to shape long-term professional development for teachers in the physical sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD). The grants have also created a suite of challenges and benefits for the UTD Science Education M.A.T. program. Teacher Quality Grants are based on the No Child Left Behind framework that requires teachers to be "highly qualified" as defined by the state. Recruitment is required to be targeted at teachers who are uncertified or teach one or more classes out of their content area and who work in high needs local school districts. Many of the students brought into our program through these grants have incoming content knowledge in physics similar to that typical of undergraduate non-majors, and a large percentage are uncomfortable with basic mathematics as well. How and what we teach has been dramatically impacted by the Teacher Quality Grants, as have our assessments and evaluations. An ongoing challenge has been to implement a Physics Education Research (PER)-based course design while meeting the specific requirements of the Teacher Quality Grant program. The Teacher Quality Grants have also provided a great deal of opportunity to new and existing teachers in our program. A barrier to our teachers, rising tuition costs, has been removed and as a result a mandate has become a doorway of opportunity for physical science teachers.

M. Urquhart and K. M. Bober, The Impact of Teacher Quality Grants on Long-Term Professional Development of Physical Science Teachers, 2005 PERC Proceedings [Salt Lake City, UT, August 10-11, 2005], edited by P. L. Heron, L. McCullough, and J. Marx [AIP Conf. Proc. 818, 27-30 (2006)], doi:10.1063/1.2177015.

Ohio Teacher Professional Development in the Physical Sciences
Jason Cervenec and Kathleen A. Harper
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 31-34, doi:10.1063/1.2177016
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An in-service teacher program held during the summers of 2004 and 2005 is described. This program, sponsored with state funds, drew a varied group of participants to learn Modeling Instruction in physics. The workshop leaders used the state science proficiency standards and physics education research (PER) results to guide many of the workshop's activities. In 2004, the participants experienced the Modeling mechanics curriculum while pretending to be students; in 2005, the teachers worked in small teams to develop Modeling-consistent units in other areas, often utilizing PER-based materials. Indications are that the experience was valuable to the teachers and that the workshop series should be offered for a new cohort.

J. Cervenec and K. A. Harper, Ohio Teacher Professional Development in the Physical Sciences, 2005 PERC Proceedings [Salt Lake City, UT, August 10-11, 2005], edited by P. L. Heron, L. McCullough, and J. Marx [AIP Conf. Proc. 818, 31-34 (2006)], doi:10.1063/1.2177016.

PEER REVIEWED MANUSCRIPTS (30)

First Author Index

Cui · Warnakulasooriya · De Leone · Rosengrant · Harlow · Brookes · Sadaghiani · McKagan · Singh · Morgan · Thompson · Bucy · Ashcraft · Endorf · Kohl · Etkina · Lin · Demaree · Keller · Aubrecht II · Kim · Hrepic · Withee · Rebello · Marx · Perkins · Pollock · Omasits · Henderson · Dancy

Peer-reviewed Papers

College Students' Transfer from Calculus to Physics
Lili Cui, N. Sanjay Rebello, and Andrew G. Bennett
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 37-40, doi:10.1063/1.2177017
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Evidence of Problem-Solving Transfer in Web-Based Socratic Tutor
Rasil Warnakulasooriya, David J. Palazzo, and David E. Pritchard
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 41-44, doi:10.1063/1.2177018
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Is Instructional Emphasis on the Use of Non-Mathematical Representations Worth the Effort?
Charles J. De Leone and Elizabeth Gire
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 45-48, doi:10.1063/1.2177019
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Case Study: Students' Use of Multiple Representations in Problem Solving
David Rosengrant, Alan Van Heuvelen, and Eugenia Etkina
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 49-52, doi:10.1063/1.2177020
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Talking to Learn Physics and Learning to Talk Physics
Danielle B. Harlow and Valerie K. Otero
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 53-56, doi:10.1063/1.2177021
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Do Our Words Really Matter? Case Studies from Quantum Mechanics
David T. Brookes and Eugenia Etkina
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 57-60, doi:10.1063/1.2177022
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Student Difficulties in Understanding Probability in Quantum Mechanics
Homeyra R. Sadaghiani and Lei Bao
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 61-64, doi:10.1063/1.2177023
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Exploring Student Understanding of Energy through the Quantum Mechanics Conceptual Survey
Sam B. McKagan and Carl E. Wieman
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 65-68, doi:10.1063/1.2177024
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Assessing and improving student understanding of quantum mechanics
Chandralekha Singh
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 69-72, doi:10.1063/1.2177025
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Examining the Evolution of Student Ideas About Quantum Tunneling
Jeffrey T. Morgan and Michael C. Wittmann
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 73-76, doi:10.1063/1.2177026
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Assessing Student Understanding of Partial Derivatives in Thermodynamics
John R. Thompson, Brandon Bucy, and Donald B. Mountcastle
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 77-80, doi:10.1063/1.2177027
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What Is Entropy? Advanced Undergraduate Performance Comparing Ideal Gas Processes
Brandon Bucy, John R. Thompson, and Donald B. Mountcastle
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 81-84, doi:10.1063/1.2177028
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A Comparison of Student Understanding of Seasons Using Inquiry and Didactic Teaching Methods
Paul Ashcraft
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 85-88, doi:10.1063/1.2177029
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A Preliminary Study of the Effectiveness of Different Recitation Teaching Methods
Robert J. Endorf, Kathleen M. Koenig, and Gregory A. Braun
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 89-92, doi:10.1063/1.2177030
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Student Representational Competence and the Role of Instructional Environment in Introductory Physics
Patrick B. Kohl and Noah D. Finkelstein
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 93-96, doi:10.1063/1.2177031
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Design labs: Students' expectations and reality
Eugenia Etkina and Sahana Murthy
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 97-100, doi:10.1063/1.2177032
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Student Assessment Of Laboratory In Introductory Physics Courses: A Q-sort Approach
Yuhfen Lin, Dedra Demaree, Xueli Zou, and Gordon J. Aubrecht, II
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 101-104, doi:10.1063/1.2177033
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Assessing ISLE Labs as an Enhancement to Traditional Large-Lecture Courses at the Ohio State University
Dedra Demaree and Yuhfen Lin
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 105-108, doi:10.1063/1.2177034
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Assessing the Effectiveness of a Computer Simulation in Conjunction with Tutorials in Introductory Physics in Undergraduate Physics Recitations
C. J. Keller, Noah D. Finkelstein, Katherine Perkins, and Steven J. Pollock
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 109-112, doi:10.1063/1.2177035
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Student Perceptions of Physics by Inquiry at Ohio State
Gordon J. Aubrecht, II, Yuhfen Lin, Dedra Demaree, David T. Brookes, and Xueli Zou
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 113-116, doi:10.1063/1.2177036
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Students' Cognitive Conflict and Conceptual Change in a Physics by Inquiry Class
Yeounsoo Kim, Lei Bao, and Omer Acar
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 117-120, doi:10.1063/1.2177037
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Developing an Inquiry-Based Physical Science Course For Preservice Elementary Teachers
Zdeslav Hrepic, Paul Adams, Jason Zeller, Nancy Talbott, Germaine Taggart, and Lanee Young
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 121-124, doi:10.1063/1.2177038
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Different Views on Inquiry: A Survey of Science and Mathematics Methods Instructors
Thomas Withee and Rebecca S. Lindell
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 125-128, doi:10.1063/1.2177039
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Teacher-Researcher Professional Development: Case Study at Kansas State University
N. Sanjay Rebello and P. R. Fletcher
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 129-132, doi:10.1063/1.2177040
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Helping Students Connect Science Coursework to the "Real World"
Jeffrey Marx and William Knouse
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 133-136, doi:10.1063/1.2177041
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Towards characterizing the relationship between students' interest in and their beliefs about physics
Katherine Perkins, M. Gratny, Wendy K. Adams, Noah D. Finkelstein, and Carl E. Wieman
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 137-140, doi:10.1063/1.2177042
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Transferring Transformations: Learning Gains, Student Attitudes, and the Impacts of Multiple Instructors in Large Lecture Courses
Steven J. Pollock
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 141-144, doi:10.1063/1.2177043
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Investigating the Validity of the MPEX Survey
Christopher J. Omasits and Doris J. Wagner
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 145-148, doi:10.1063/1.2177044
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Physics Faculty and Educational Researchers: Divergent Expectations as Barriers to the Diffusion of Innovations
Charles R. Henderson and Melissa H. Dancy
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 149-152, doi:10.1063/1.2177045
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New Directions for Physics Education Research: A Broad Perspective Analysis
Melissa H. Dancy and Charles R. Henderson
AIP Conf. Proc. 818, pp. 153-156, doi:10.1063/1.2177046
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