More than 25 years ago, Boyer [1] called for an expanded definition of the term scholarship to "... break out of the tired old teaching versus research debate and define, in more creative ways, what it means to be a scholar." It is tempting to reread Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professorate within the context of the growth in recent years of what has become known as discipline-based educational research (DBER). For the sake of argument, we will define DBER in terms of three critical elements: (1) a well-articulated set of guiding research questions, (2) an explicit choice of theoretical framework on which the study can be based, and (3) a choice of methodology that is appropriate for probing these research questions. This paper will discuss these three elements of a good educational research study, look at several theoretical frameworks we have used for our chemical education research, examine a model of five domains of project evaluation, and provide an introduction to Action Research as a framework upon which to build a tightly coupled implementation and evaluation design for curriculum reform projects.

G. M. Bodner, Changing how data are collected can change what we learn from discipline-based educational research, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.plenary.001.

In recent years a number of researchers within the PER community have started using network analysis as a new methodology to extend our understanding of teaching and learning physics by viewing these as complex systems. In this paper, I give examples of social, cognitive, and action mapping networks and how they can be analyzed. In so doing I show how a network can be methodologically described as a set of relations between a set of entities, and how a network can be characterized and analyzed as a mathematical object. Then, as an illustrative example, I discuss a relatively new example of using networks to create insightful maps of learning discussions. To conclude, I argue that conceptual blending is a powerful framework for constructing "mixed methods" methodologies that may integrate diverse theories and other methodologies with network methodologies.

J. Bruun, Networks as integrated in research methodologies in PER, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.plenary.002.

In the decade after completing my doctoral degree in theoretical nuclear physics, my professional interests changed from how elementary particles interact with nuclei to how students learn physics. To use an optical metaphor, my physics lenses helped me focus on some aspects of how students learn the discipline of physics. Identifying isolated systems, looking for causal mechanisms, and adapting models of interactions are examples of physics approaches that guided my journey of understanding this new field. Yet my physics lenses left other aspects out of focus and even out of my field of view. To notice and pay attention to these aspects, I needed other lenses. Examples of these are the philosophy of education with respect to teaching and learning, the history of science with respect to how disciplines advance, and cognitive psychology with respect to the role of students' knowledge in learning. I use my own experiences in moving from physics into the practice of science education to illustrate the interaction of physics with science education research.

P. W. Hewson, On the interaction of physics with science education research, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.plenary.003.

We investigated the effect of sensorimotor (or embodied) experience on people’s understanding of the concept of center of gravity (CoG). To create an embodied experience, we developed a set of balancing activities using a meter stick and a set of disks. Participants in the embodied group balanced systems of objects directly on their hands. Participants in the hands-on group used a fulcrum to balance the systems of objects but did not directly experience the feeling of balancing a system of objects. Participants in both groups performed better on questions in which: (1) objects are symmetric compared to asymmetric, (2) the system CoG is at the same location as the object CoG compared to when these locations are different, and (3) a yes/no response based on the definition of CoG is required compared to when the CoG location must be explicitly or implicitly located. Participants in both the hands-on and embodied groups showed an improvement in overall accuracy on questions that tested their understanding of concepts related to CoG compared to participants who did not do any balancing activities. The greatest improvement was found on the more challenging questions in which the extended objects are asymmetric, the object CoG is at a different location than the system CoG, and a location related to CoG is explicitly requested.

E. Agra, J. Sattizahn, M. Mikota, S. L. Beilock, and S. M. Fischer, Influence of Sensorimotor Experience on Understanding Center of Gravity, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.001.

Physics Education Research frequently investigates what students studying physics do on small time scales (e.g. single courses, observations within single courses), or post-education time scales (e.g., what jobs do physics majors get?) but there is little research into how students get from the beginning to the end of a physics degree. Our work attempts to visualize students paths through the physics major, and quantitatively describe the students who take physics courses, receive physics degrees, and change degree paths into and out of the physics program at Michigan State University.

J. M. Aiken and M. D. Caballero, Methods for analyzing pathways through a physics major, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.002.

In the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership (MainePSP), we have observed that students improve the way they analyze thermal energy after instruction. Still, many of them continue to use the idea that “coldness” transfers. Past researchers have identified that “cold” is commonly perceived as a separate heat energy. Nevertheless, we have not found specific activities to address this idea. We present analysis of students' conceptual understanding of energy transfer and how the use of coldness as an entity plays a role in it. We explore how both ideas interact with each other using two different multiple choice items. To illustrate the difficulty of addressing student difficulties with coldness, we analyze a collaborative session among K-12 teachers who modeled energy transfers in scenarios similar to the student items and had to work to reconcile the conflict between the two models. Our study shows how the concept of coldness as an energy entity can co-exist and be in conflict with the idea of thermal energy, even after instruction.

C. Alvarado, M. C. Wittmann, A. Z. Rogers, and L. A. Millay, Problematizing "cold" with K12 Science Teachers, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.003.

"Cookbook" style introductory physics laboratories are convenient for large-enrollment courses, but evidence indicates that this style of instruction provides little benefit to students. At the University of Illinois, we have piloted a design-based laboratory format in an introductory calculus-based mechanics course. This format emphasizes scientific skills training over conceptual instruction, following the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) framework. Students in this laboratory pilot were assigned dorm room prelab experiments to be done and submitted online, and worked on design experiments in class. In this paper, we describe the new laboratory format and present preliminary results indicating that this format of instruction improved attitudes toward laboratory classes without impacting overall exam scores.

K. Ansell and M. Selen, Student attitudes in a new hybrid design-based introductory physics laboratory, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.004.

This paper reports on characteristics of a class that consistently supports free-choice transfer - transfer "where the application of prior learning is possible but is not required" (Pugh, 2011). We review literature that hypothesizes instructional supports for such transfer - TTES, accountable authoring, expansive framing, and expansive learning - and demonstrate how these are, or are not, instantiated in this physics course.

L. Atkins Elliott, Classroom features supporting free-choice transfer, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.005.

The Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism is an assessment tool widely used in the Physics Education Research community. Although it has been some time since its publication, there is no study to evaluate the test by analyzing its items in detail. This contribution aims to do that by performing three item-focused statistical tests: difficulty index, discrimination index, and point biserial coefficient. We use data from an American public university and a Mexican private university. We analyze two items (14 & 20) with the most critical index values in both populations. In both items we found that the main problematic aspect is that the required reasoning process to answer them is quite elaborate, and in item 14 we also found some misleading features of the wording and the figure. The results and discussion may be useful for researchers using the test as an assessment tool and for a possible future version of the test.

P. Barniol, E. Campos, and G. Zavala, Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism: Analysis of the items and recommendations for improvement, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.006.

We study how graduate student teaching fellows (TFs) and undergraduate learning assistants (LAs) view their roles and responsibilities as educators in undergraduate classrooms. We present results from a survey of 35 physics TFs and LAs across a range of physics classes, measuring their expectations of their teaching mission with regard to such factors as classroom authority, student interaction time, responsibility for student learning, and helpfulness to students. We further analyze their answers based on the classroom format they have taught in. We find that the perceptions TFs and LAs express in the survey regarding their roles in the classroom are similar; however, we find differences when looking at the questions surrounding teacher-student interactions.

A. P. Becker, B. Goldberg, and M. Jariwala, Self-Perception of Teaching Fellows and Learning Assistants in Introductory Physics Classes, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.007.

Most of the research surrounding development of scientific abilities among introductory physics students has been conducted at the college level. A shift in the high school science culture encouraged by NGSS has changed the focus of K-12 physics education making similar work necessary at the K-12 level. This paper describes how high school students in a first-year physics course developed assumption-associated abilities during the six months they studied mechanics. Using their written laboratory reports, we found that repeated exposure helped students gain competence identifying and evaluating assumptions. While it took high school students longer to demonstrate proficiency than college students, by the end of the mechanics portion of the curriculum, 90-95% of students achieved proficiency or partial proficiency.

D. Buggé and E. Etkina, Reading between the lines: lab reports help high school students develop abilities to identify and evaluate assumptions, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.008.

A recent study of calculus-based introductory physics students found that they performed significantly better on vector addition and subtraction tasks when the questions were given using the i jk representation instead of an “arrows-on-a-grid” representation, and also presented evidence that working knowledge of the i jk format was necessary to correctly perform vector operations in the arrow representation. A subsequent study found that algebra-based physics students also performed significantly better in the i jk representation than the arrow representation in both one- and two-dimensional problems, even though no explicit i jk instruction was given in the course. In this follow-up investigation we asked algebra-based physics students to reason physically about their answers, in order to assess if the higher performance on i jk questions indicates physical understanding or is the result of algorithmic "plug-and-chug" thinking. While students using i jk were more successful in computing the correct answer, their use of physical reasoning in justifying their answers was not significantly different than those using the arrow format. However, the higher number of students both correctly calculating and reasoning in the i jk format suggests that these students may benefit from i jk instruction.

J. B. Buncher, Algebra-Based Students & Vectors: Assessing Physical Understanding in Arrow vs ijk, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.009.

Interactive instruction make measurable gains in concept learning, but problem-solving skills and development of a scientific mindset are often missed in the large lecture environment of introductory physics courses. We describe an implementation of the Cooperative Problem Solving model (Heller & Heller 2010) for over 400 students in an Introductory Mechanics course for Life Science Majors at UC San Diego, aimed at improving problem-solving, relevance and student collaboration in learning. We describe our flipped-model approach with 25 hours of video lectures, problem-solving skill development through training worksheets and strategy scaffolds, and bi-weekly team projects combining physical and life science topics. Nine sections of this course were conducted alongside a large lecture control, all taught by the same instructor. We discuss comparisons in student performance on exams and the Force Concepts Inventory, and demonstrate clear gains in persistence in this and subsequent Physics courses. We also examine students’ use of the video lectures.

A. J. Burgasser, M. A. Lopez, I. Rodrigues, and J. Campbell, Relevance and responsibility: preliminary results from implementation of a cooperative problem solving model in a large introductory physics course, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.010.

In this study, we explore students' discussions during active learning strategies of Peer Instruction and Tutorial-like activities in a SCALE-UP environment. Discussions were recorded in one of the tables of a student-centered learning room in Mexico, and analyzed through a qualitative approach using Toulmin's argumentation pattern as a framework of reference. We found that the circular table functions as a learning community in the SCALE-UP environment, however, the dynamics of argumentation of the table are different while implementing each learning strategy. During Tutorial-like activities, students center their discussions on each small team, while during peer instruction students center their discussion around the whole table. These findings provide an insight into the kind of competencies that we mean to develop in our students by engaging them in active learning strategies in student centered learning environments.

E. Campos, L. Silva, S. Tecpan, and G. Zavala, Argumentation during active learning strategies in a SCALE-UP environment, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.011.

In a scholarship program created to recruit and better prepare secondary physical science teachers, undergraduate physics majors had an opportunity to participate in an innovative classroom-based field experience. These field experiences took place in the unique classroom contexts of two STEM-focused academies within traditional public K-12 schools. In this exploratory case study, I examined the opportunities the undergraduates had to observe and participate in high-leverage science teaching practices (HLPs) during the field experience. I also examined the HLPs the undergraduates attended to in their discussions of effective science teaching before and after the experience. The types of HLPs the undergraduates had opportunities to observe and/or participate in during the experience were consistent across the two academy contexts. In particular, undergraduates were most often exposed to the HLP of facilitating classroom talk. Further, undergraduates tended to add HLPs to their visions of effective science teaching after participating. This study provides evidence that STEM academy classrooms as sites for early field experiences can expose potential physics teachers to reform-based teaching.

S. L. Carpenter, Classroom-Based Field Experiences in High School STEM Academies: Opportunities to Observe and Participate in High-Leverage Science Teaching Practices, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.012.

This paper describes the current evaluation of the Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop (NFW) as a case-study in evaluation of professional development workshops. We describe a Theory of Action (ToA) for the workshop, and the evaluation methods and measures. The evaluation suggests that the ToA of the workshop is only partially fulfilled: workshop experiences are positive, and participants gain knowledge of active learning, but participants have room for additional growth in skill, self-efficacy and social support in their use of active learning. We discuss the implications of these results for the NFW program and evaluation.

S. V. Chasteen, R. Chattergoon, E. E. Prather, and R. Hilborn, Evaluation Methodology and Results for the New Faculty Workshops, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.013.

Physics faculty at three two-year colleges (TYCs) and a public, comprehensive four-year university (FYU) have been collaborating for over five years. The collaboration began with the implementation and refinement of novel instructional tools for use with diverse student populations and now includes a Learning Assistant program. To improve the collaboration, illuminate elements of TYC/FYU partnerships, and develop successful strategies for this type of collaboration, a qualitative self-study was conducted using a lens of structure and agency. The focus of this paper is the intersection between whether the partners are consumers or producers within the partnership and if the focus of the partnership is specific curricular products or the process of collaboration. The study has implications for methods of initiation and continued development of TYC/FYU partnerships.

G. L. Cochran, A. G. Van Duzor, M. S. Sabella, and B. Geiss, Engaging in self-study to support collaboration between two-year colleges and universities, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.014.

Preparing graduate teaching assistants (TAs) and undergraduate learning assistants (LAs) to teach in physics classrooms is a topic of great interest in physics education research. We investigate the use of role-play performances to prepare TAs and LAs to teach students in introductory physics tutorials, labs, and SCALE-UP classes. Each role-play addressed specific pedagogical knowledge and specific disciplinary content. We find that our role-plays helped TAs and LAs to express their ideas about discursive teaching methods and fostered productive discussions about teaching physics.

M. K. Cook and J. S. Von Korff, Role-plays for preparing physics teaching assistants and learning assistants, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.015.

Participants of the Workshop for New Physics and Astronomy Faculty (NFW) are likely to try evidence-based teaching practices, but they often face barriers to innovation that cause them to revert to traditional instruction. It is known that in-person Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) can support faculty to successfully change their instruction. However, with NFW participants spread across the country, in-person FLCs are not possible. Faculty Online Learning Communities (FOLCs) are year-long, virtual communities that provide cohorts of NFW participants with a community of peers and ongoing support to help them overcome these barriers. One important FOLC communication channel is a private, Facebook-like platform that allows participants to share their struggles, ask questions, and support each other’s growth as teachers. We analyze one cohort’s interactions on this platform to better understand how it contributes to the achievement of the goals of the FOLC. We conclude that it is possible to create successful FLC interactions in an online environment.

J. C. Corbo, A. Rundquist, C. R. Henderson, and M. H. Dancy, Using asynchronous communication to support virtual faculty learning communities, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.016.

In a typical introductory college calculus-based physics course for future scientists and engineers, the makeup of the classroom resembles the physics community: few women and even fewer underrepresented minorities. This lack of representation is well known, but is rarely an explicit topic of conversation in physics courses. In an introductory physics course at Seattle Pacific University, we facilitated activities aimed to raise student awareness about demographic disparity between the physics community and the general population. Students had the opportunity to discuss and reflect about what it means to do physics, who does it, and why particular groups of people are not proportionally represented in the field. In this presentation, we share a portion of these activities and our preliminary findings about the impact of and response to these activities.

A. R. Daane and V. Sawtelle, Student discourse about equity in an introductory college physics course, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.017.

We report on an analysis of interviews with 112 STEM majors and 49 students who started but dropped a STEM major. Interviewees are diverse across both race and gender. Students were asked about the level of interactivity in their college science courses and if they preferred a different emphasis. They were also asked if they thought their professors cared about them and their learning. Analysis indicates all demographics prefer more interactivity than they experienced and that women may be disproportionately discouraged by lecture-based teaching. Those who dropped a STEM major and minority women report the lowest levels of care from their professors. Additionally, as levels of classroom interactivity increased students reported increased levels of feeling that their professors cared about their learning.

M. H. Dancy, K. D. Rainey, R. Mickelson, E. Stearns, and S. Moller, Influences of teaching style and perceived care of instructor on retention of underrepresented groups in STEM, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.018.

Many geographically related two- and four-year institutions share a large percentage of their students. However, physics- or STEM-specific linkages between the institutions are often weak, despite the benefits of such linkages to the students. We have been engaged in a multi-year effort to strengthen the partnership between the physics and other STEM programs at two regional institutions, California State University San Marcos and Palomar College, with the goal of creating more coherent STEM pathways for students. Through steps such as building personal relationships among faculty and administrators across campuses, creating coherent academic support services, and establishing formal pathways for students, the partnership improved outcomes for students, including increases in the number of two-year students prepared in STEM domains, number of transfers, and the success of transfers within CSUSM STEM programs. In describing this process, we identify critical elements such as mutual respect, shared goals, aligned institutional missions, and the catalyst of external funding.

C. J. De Leone, E. Price, D. DeRoma, C. Turpen, and D. Sourbeer, Successful STEM Student Pathways: A two- and four-year partnership, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.019.

The ability to troubleshoot is an important learning outcome for undergraduate physics laboratory courses. To better understand the role of troubleshooting in electronics laboratory courses, we interviewed 20 electronics instructors from multiple institution types about their beliefs and teaching practices related to troubleshooting. In these interviews, instructors articulated the idea that nothing works the first time in multiple contexts pertaining to troubleshooting. We argue that this idea is an expert epistemology and show how it informs instructors' beliefs that (i) students need to know how to troubleshoot, (ii) students should expect to troubleshoot, (iii) all circuit-building lab activities provide opportunities for students to troubleshoot, and (iv) students' ability to construct functional circuits can be a proxy for their ability to troubleshoot malfunctioning circuits. Moreover, we discuss implications for instruction and assessment of troubleshooting in electronics courses.

D. R. Dounas-Frazer and H. J. Lewandowski, Nothing works the first time: An expert experimental physics epistemology, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.020.

For the past three years, I have used the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS) to monitor how an advanced lab course with a significant student-driven project impacts student attitudes about experimental work. During that time period, I have increased the use of metacognitive activities that ask students to reflect on their approaches to making decisions and handling problems they encounter in the lab. Here I report on the correlation between the introduction of metacognitive activities and changes in some responses on the E-CLASS survey, as well as providing a qualitative overview of the students' metacognitive reflections.

M. Eblen-Zayas, The impact of metacognitive activities on student attitudes towards experimental physics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.021.

Students often get stuck in problem solving, ignoring their physical intuition in favor of plug-and-chug or pattern-matching approaches. We suggest that examining the extreme cases is a useful way of moving students towards more expert-like problem solving. Based on a case study, we show that novice students can quickly learn to use extreme cases productively in problem-solving. In reasoning about extreme cases, students blend conceptual and mathematical cognitive resources. At the same time, they can generate new and creative uses for extreme-case reasoning, here recasting it from a tool for evaluating answers to one for generating them. Extreme case reasoning may prove a valuable instructional goal at the introductory level.

M. Eichenlaub, D. Hemingway, and E. F. Redish, Drawing physical insight from mathematics via extreme case reasoning, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.022.

As part of a broad investigation of student understanding in physics, we have examined student ability with superposition throughout introductory and upper-division courses in physics. This research has focused on examining student ability to add and subtract vector quantities and the wave functions associated with quantum physics. We present results from a series of research tasks designed to probe student understanding of superposition in each of these contexts at various points in undergraduate instruction. In addition, we describe and discuss certain patterns in student reasoning that have been identified across the different tasks, contexts, and courses.

P. J. Emigh, G. Passante, and P. S. Shaffer, Student Understanding of Superposition: Vectors and Wave Functions, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.023.

We have proposed a conceptual framework aimed at providing a better understanding and possible improvement of the process of physics teacher formation. Existing literature on teacher preparation suggests that pre-service teachers (PSTs) learn best when they are immersed in a community, which shares a common vision of what good teaching entails, and helps PSTs develop requisite knowledge, skills, and dispositions consistent with that vision. However, the time pressures and complexities of the teaching profession are such that a teacher cannot afford multiple considerations and deliberations with oneself before every decision. We therefore suggest that good teacher preparation programs should, in addition to the requisite knowledge, skills and dispositions, strive to develop in PSTs productive habits (spontaneous responses to situational cues). In this paper, we propose a research agenda for testing the proposed framework in the context of physics teacher preparation. The agenda revolves around examples of teaching habits that illustrate the unique character of physics teaching.

E. Etkina, B. Gregorcic, and S. Vokos, A theory-guided research agenda for physics teacher education, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.024.

The effectiveness of scaffolded, research-based instruction in physics has been extensively documented in the literature. However, much less is known about the development of students' reasoning skills in these research-based instructional environments. As part of a larger collaborative project, we have been designing and implementing tasks to assess the extent to which introductory physics students are able to logically follow and interact with hypothetical student reasoning chains in a variety of physics contexts. In this paper, we report preliminary results from a “Follow Reasoning” task in which students are asked to infer the conclusions that would be drawn from different lines of reasoning articulated by hypothetical students and provide justification for that inference.

W. N. Ferm Jr., J. C. Speirs, M. R. Stetzer, and B. A. Lindsey, Investigating student ability to follow and interact with reasoning chains, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.025.

Substantial resources are directed toward public engagement by the physics community, but there is still much to understand about physicists' initial motivation for involvement, their experiences and their reasons for sustained participation. We use motivation theory as a lens to investigate the factors that contribute to physics students’ decisions to participate in informal science programs. We conducted surveys and interviews with university students that volunteered in an afterschool physics program for K-12 students. Interviews were analyzed using content analysis. Findings indicate that previous participation in informal activities, attitudes towards engaging with the community, and recognition from peers are common themes in university students' initial reasons for involvement. The emergent themes of a positive experience and the enjoyment of sharing physics are related to students’ persistence in the program.

C. Fracchiolla, S. Hyater-Adams, N. D. Finkelstein, and K. A. Hinko, University physics students’ motivations and experiences in informal physics programs, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.026.

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) promote a model of energy that includes the ideas that energy is conserved, that energy can be tracked as a flow through a system, that energy transfer occurs through a variety of mechanisms, and other ideas. The NGSS also promotes the practice of developing and using representations of scientific concepts such as energy. We articulate the NGSS model of mechanical energy and translate it into a rubric for assessing energy diagrams. We assess the alignment of both professional and learner energy diagrams with the NGSS, and assess a class’s increased facility with NGSS-aligned energy diagrams. The purpose of this research is to develop a tool for assessing students’ ideas about energy and the effectiveness of energy instruction.

K. E. Gray and R. E. Scherr, Drawing energy: Evidence of Next Generation Science Standards for energy in diagrams, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.027.

Data from the FMCE suggest that there may be inconsistencies in students' understanding of forces when various types of motion are presented. These inconsistencies are highly evident when testing for students' understanding using graphs. In the current study we assume that measurements of student understanding of a particular topic depend both on the student and on the instrument used to make the measurement. Multiple measurements are needed to build a more complete picture of what the student believes to be true. We compare individual student responses to 12 questions from three FMCE question clusters. Using various visualizations of the data including model analysis plots, contingency tables of student responses, and consistency plots, we identify trends that are not evident from traditional normalized-gain-based analyses. Statistical results from the Χ² test of independence and one-way analysis of variance provide support for our findings.

I. T. Griffin, K. J. Louis, R. Moyer, N. J. Wright, and T. I. Smith, A Multi-faceted Approach to Measuring Student Understanding, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.028.

Eighth grade students in an engineering course designed and tested prosthetic bones for use in a movie. Bone design required physics content to be integrated with knowledge of math, engineering, and technology. Specifically, students used a 3D printer and associated design software to design, fabricate, and test a prosthetic fibula for a stuntman's use in a movie. This paper explains how the project motivated students' use of physics content and further required students to use their knowledge of physics (e.g., force, motion, and pressure) in coordination with other content knowledge.

A. K. Hansen and D. B. Harlow, Making and Breaking Bones: Learning Physics through Engineering Design, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.029.

Physics graduate teaching assistants (TAs) are often responsible for grading. Physics education research suggests that grading practices that place the burden of proof for explicating the problem solving process on students can help them develop problem solving skills and learn physics. However, TAs may not have developed effective grading practices and may grade student solutions in introductory and advanced courses differently. In the context of a TA professional development course, we asked TAs to grade student solutions to introductory physics and quantum mechanics problems and explain why their grading approaches were different or similar in the two contexts. TAs expected and rewarded reasoning more frequently in the QM context. Our findings suggest that these differences may at least partly be due to the TAs not realizing that grading can serve as a formative assessment tool and also not thinking about the difficulty of an introductory physics problem from an introductory physics student's perspective.

C. R. Henderson, E. Marshman, R. Sayer, C. Singh, and E. Yerushalmi, Graduate teaching assistants use different criteria when grading introductory physics vs. quantum mechanics problems, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.030.

At an optimal learning moment (OLM) a student experiences balanced and high levels of challenge, interest and skill at the same time. The frequency of these experiences was recorded at university physics tutorial sessions using an adaptation of the experience sampling method. The method proved to be a practical way to collect data on students' feelings during physics learning. Students who experienced optimal learning moments more often got better scores in the final exam, which shows that pursuing OLMs is worthwhile. Frequency of OLMs also seems to be connected with having favorable attitudes towards physics. These initial results imply that measuring OLMs could be used as a tool to recognize and support effective physics learning.

I. Hendolin, Exploring optimal learning moments at tutorial sessions, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.031.

We have examined the relationship between exam performance and participation in the lecture, recitation, laboratory and online homework components of large enrollment introductory mechanics courses populated mainly by first-year engineering students, one very large (1600 students) on a residential campus and one smaller (150 students) on a commuter campus. In both, we find a strong correlation between exam performance and recitation attendance tracked by clicker questions that begin and end each recitation session. This is encouraging since the recitations are designed to engage students in active learning by solving multipart problems that highlight essential concepts. We also find correlations between exam performance and student engagement in the lecture, laboratory and online homework components of these courses. We argue that the nature of the latter correlation offers an opportunity for action to improve course DFW rates since online homework data flows in steadily from the very beginning of each semester.

A. S. Hirsch, M. P. Haugan, R. S. Lindell, and A. Gavrin, Exploring the relationship between exam performance and student participation/engagement in introductory mechanics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.032.

We demonstrate that Fauconnier and Turner's theory of conceptual blending, originally a theory of the mind that focuses on the individual, can be used as a tool for analysis of group discourse processes. Building on sociocultural theories that consider cognition a social process, we propose blending theory as a descriptive and analytic tool for use in examining the processes of collective reasoning. We present data from focus groups at University of Colorado Boulder in which Modern Physics students engage in reasoning about quantum phenomena and negotiate ontological conceptions of quantum entities such as electrons and photons (i.e. negotiating what kind of a thing an electron or photon is). We present a conceptual blending analysis of group discourse within this context, and show how conceptual blending theory can be used to describe both collectively constructed blends and more traditional individual blends.

J. R. Hoehn, N. D. Finkelstein, and A. Gupta, Conceptual blending as a tool for analyzing group discourse, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.033.

Recent work has demonstrated the affordances of novel instructional design in physics labs to develop critical thinking skills. To guide broad institutional change, however, there is a need for efficient and validated assessment methods. In this paper, we present preliminary work on developing and validating a closed-response assessment of critical thinking skills, which focuses on how students reason with experimental data and test the validity of scientific models. The assessment asks students to reason about the methods, data, and analysis of two hypothetical case studies of students experimentally testing a model of Hooke’s law. We describe the development and refinement of the cases and questions, and present preliminary results of validation studies.

N. G. Holmes and C. E. Wieman, Preliminary development and validation of a diagnostic of critical thinking for introductory physics labs, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.034.

While constructing their understanding in various science areas, students go through transitional phases that may involve richly developed and consistently used mental models. These transitional models are unique and coherent cognitive structures composed of the elements of both scientifically accepted models and the commonly used initial alternative models. Such models have been previously referred to as hybrid models or blend models. We discuss the nature of model blending in the context of sound propagation and suggest several solutions to methodological issues that surface in their qualitative and quantitative eliciting, such as linking answer choices across multiple questions, which we called Linked Item Model Analysis, LIMA.

Z. Hrepic, D. A. Zollman, and N. S. Rebello, Methodological issues in eliciting blend mental models: The context of sound propagation, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.035.

While there are programmatic efforts to support representation of students from underrepresented groups, as well as studies on student identity, little has been done to link the two. We utilize a framework that combines a racialized identity framework and a physics identity framework [2], in order to understand how identity in physics is impacted by cultural and racial identities. In particular we focus on two dimensions: relational resources, which are the relationships that increase one’s connection to a practice, and recognition, which is recognition as being a good physics student. We operationalize these concepts by analyzing interviews with physicists at the undergraduate student level and beyond. We demonstrate that the constructs of recognition and relational resources overlap through the careful examination of the experiences of two physicists, one who is a black woman and one who is a white man. We discuss early findings that suggest key differences in the role that identity plays in the experiences of physicists of different backgrounds.

S. Hyater-Adams, C. Fracchiolla, N. D. Finkelstein, and K. A. Hinko, Understanding connections between physics and racial identities through recognition and relational resources, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.036.

We report a study on students' approaches to quantitative synthesis problems with varying mathematical complexities. Synthesis problems involve multiple concepts typically taught in different chapters. In this study, mathematical complexity is determined by the number and the type of equations that must be simultaneously solved. Students from a second year calculus-based physics course were randomly assigned to solve one of three synthesis problems varying in mathematical complexity: simple, medium, or complex. Results from extended written and interview responses revealed four major problem-solving approaches used by the students: trial-and-error, flawed reasoning, knowledgeable, and expert-like approach. Students solving the simple problem used all the four approaches, whereas those solving the other two mainly used the "trial-and-error" or "flawed reasoning" approaches. A common phenomenon is that many students could identify the appropriate concepts but failed to correctly apply them. Additionally, the students made similar mistakes on all the three problems.

B. Ibrahim, L. Ding, D. R. White, R. Badeau, and A. F. Heckler, Synthesis problems: role of mathematical complexity in students' problem solving strategies, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.037.

In this study we coded, for individual student participation on each question, the video of twenty-seven groups interacting in the group phase of a variety of two-phase exams. We found that maximum group participation occurred on questions where at least one person in the group had answered that question incorrectly during the solo phase of the exam. We also observed that those students that were correct on a question during the solo phase have higher participation than those that were incorrect. Finally we observed that, from a participation standpoint, the higher-scoring (lower-scoring) students seem to benefit the most (least) from heterogeneous groups, while homogeneous groups do not seem to favor students of any particular performance level.

J. Ives, M. d. J. Van Lier, N. K. Sumah, and J. B. Stang, Examining student participation in two-phase collaborative exams through video analysis, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.038.

This study investigates differences in student responses to in-class and online administrations of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). Close to 700 physics students from 12 sections of three different courses were instructed to complete the concept inventory relevant to their course, either the FCI or CSEM, and the CLASS. Each student was randomly assigned to take one of the surveys in class and the other survey online using the LA Supported Student Outcomes (LASSO) system hosted by the Learning Assistant Alliance (LAA). We examine how testing environments and instructor practices affect participation rates and identify best practices for future use.

M. Jariwala, J. S. White, B. Van Dusen, and E. W. Close, In-class vs. Online Administration of Concept Inventories and Attitudinal Assessments, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.039.

Physics Education Research has for a long time primarily been concerned with helping students to learn physics and to "think like a physicist." This paper explores the emerging subfield where students' identity development is analyzed to examine processes of "becoming a physicist" in a wider sense. Drawing on sociocultural theories and methodologies, and specifically analyzing identity and discourse, I focus on what happens when students with differing outlooks on physics encounter advanced physics courses. A discourse analytical framework allows one to inquire into the messages about "who one should be as a physicist" communicated to students during courses. This enables a discussion of what physicist identities are made possible for physics students. In this way, a discourse perspective can be one way of analyzing identities in physics without taking the norms of the discipline for granted.

A. Johansson, Analyzing discourse and identity in physics education: Methodological considerations, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.040.

We discuss an investigation of student difficulties with degenerate perturbation theory (DPT) carried out in advanced quantum mechanics courses by administering free-response and multiple-choice questions and conducting individual interviews with students. We find that students share many common difficulties related to this topic. We used the difficulties found via research as resources to develop and evaluate a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) which strives to help students develop a functional understanding of DPT. We discuss the development of the DPT QuILT and its preliminary evaluation in the undergraduate and graduate courses.

C. Keebaugh, E. Marshman, and C. Singh, Developing and evaluating an interactive tutorial on degenerate perturbation theory, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.041.

Placing educational data in the hands of faculty and allowing them to explore these data has been of interest for many stakeholders in the past few years, with the hopes that faculty will use these data to improve the educational experience for students. Although these data have the potential to be powerful for improving STEM education, data are only as good as their analyses and application. Using 14 interviews conducted at one institution, we studied what compels faculty to seek out university-collected educational data, what challenges they face, and suggestions they have for improving data usage. Our sample consisted primarily of those already involved with education reform and were using learning analytics data to inform those projects. Challenges included unfamiliarity with quantitative education data and unawareness of the possibilities for learning analytics. We recommend that strategic, thoughtful advertising and already-existing resources be used to help mitigate challenges.

A. V. Knaub, B. Koester, C. R. Henderson, and T. McKay, Supporting faculty and staff to make better use of learning analytics data, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.042.

Problem-solving strategies that physics undergraduates learn should prepare them for real-world contexts as they transition from novices to experts. Yet, graduate students in physics-intensive research face problems that go beyond "problem sets" they experienced as undergraduates and are solved by different strategies than are typically emphasized in undergraduate coursework. We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten graduate students to determine problem-solving strategies they found useful in their research. We coded these interviews using emergent and grounded theory approaches. Our findings explore problem-solving strategies (e.g., planning ahead, breaking down problems, evaluating options), contexts (e.g., designing software and troubleshooting equipment), and characteristics of successful problem-solvers (e.g., initiative, persistence, and motivation). Graduate students also relied on problem representations such as test cases, approximations, and simulations in their problem-solving process. Understanding problem-solving strategies, contexts, and characteristics has implications for how we approach problem-solving in undergraduate physics and physics education research.

A. E. Leak, J. Olivera, B. M. Zwickl, J. Vosburg, and K. N. Martin, Contextualizing problem-solving strategies in physics-intensive PhD research, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.043.

Although dimensional analysis is a fundamental skill in physics, very few studies examine how instructors teach it or how they expect their students to do it. In this phenomenographic study, we interviewed eight faculty from Oregon State University with diverse teaching and research backgrounds to better understand how they think about using and teaching dimensional analysis. The faculty identified the term "dimensional analysis" as referring to two different processes - using dimensions to derive equations or using units/dimensions to check for errors. The latter process is also referred to as "unit checking". The faculty expect students at all levels to be able to check units/dimensions. The faculty primarily demonstrate dimensional analysis to students but they do not explicitly teach how to perform dimensional analysis (for generating or checking equations) or require students to practice dimensional analysis in course assignments.

M. Lenz and E. Gire, Faculty views of and expectations for dimensional analysis, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.044.

Calculus-based introductory physics service courses tend to be on the top twenty most difficult or killer course lists at many colleges and universities. At University of New Mexico (UNM), with a large minority-enrollment, physics faculty developed a parachute course to address this high failure rate and to improve student retention. Students not doing well in Physics 1 can switch into this course mid-semester when it begins and the original course is dropped from their records. The course has two goals: help students maintain their GPA to keep their scholarships and help them learn skills and knowledge needed to be successful on their next attempt at Physics I. Although the course was successful in helping students maintain their GPA; it seemed to do little to reduce the overall failure rate. Students retaking Physics I after the parachute course did no better than students retaking Physics I who did not take it.

R. S. Lindell, P. Coulombe, and J. Saul, Using a parachute course to retain students in introductory physics courses, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.045.

Mindset is a well-studied area of the psychology literature with a straightforward proposition: if you believe it's possible to grow your intelligence, you are more likely to improve in school. The proposed mechanism behind this link is that students with growth mindset exhibit "mastery-oriented behaviors" in response to challenges, such as embracing hard work and strategizing how to improve. Mindset is typically studied through large-N survey measures with context-general Likert scale items measuring beliefs about the nature of talent and intelligence. We argue that such context-general survey measures are limited in application, particularly in the context of introductory college STEM courses. We describe a novel mindset coding scheme for interview data and apply it to a set of exploratory interviews toward examining how mindset may exhibit some context-dependence.

A. Little, V. Sawtelle, and B. Humphrey, Mindset in Context: Developing New Methodologies to Study Mindset in Interview Data, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.046.

Biological and health care majors comprise one of the largest populations of students enrolled in physics courses each year. Because of this, there is a growing interest within the physics and biology communities to restructure the introductory physics courses for life science majors to better support the needs of these students. In this context, computational modeling could prove to be an accessible and compelling tool for exploring biologically and medically relevant phenomena within in the physics course. As a first step, we conducted an exploratory study to help us learn about life-science majors' attitudes towards programming. Our observations suggest that while these students held an apprehension towards programming, they appeared to be more receptive towards spreadsheets, suggesting that this tool could provide an accessible way to scaffold more rigorous computational modeling tasks in the classroom.

B. R. Lunk and R. J. Beichner, Attitudes of Life Science Majors Towards Computational Modeling in Introductory Physics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.047.

The ability to flexibly transform between different representations (e.g., from mathematical to graphical representations) of the same concept is a hallmark of expertise. Prior research suggests that many introductory physics students show lack of representational consistency, e.g., they may construct two representations of the same concept in the same situation that are inconsistent with one another. In this case study, we asked students to construct two representations for the electric field for a situation involving Gauss's law with spherical symmetry (charged conducting sphere surrounded by charged conducting spherical shell). Prior research also suggests that this type of problem results in many students constructing representations that are not consistent with one another. Here we present findings from individual interviews with three students about this problem which suggest that students' lack of representational consistency may partly be attributed to the type of knowledge that the graphical and mathematical representations trigger. In the epistemic games framework terminology, the two representations students are asked to construct (mathematical vs. graphical) in the problem may lead them to play two different epistemic games. We discuss how students' epistemological framing may contribute to their lack of representational consistency.

A. Maries, S. Lin, and C. Singh, The impact of students' epistemological framing on a task requiring representational consistency, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.048.

Dirac notation is used commonly in quantum mechanics. However, many upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in physics have difficulties with representations of quantum operators corresponding to observables especially when using Dirac notation. To investigate these difficulties, we administered free-response and multiple-choice questions and conducted individual interviews with students in advanced quantum mechanics courses. We discuss the analysis of data on the common difficulties found.

E. Marshman and C. Singh, Student difficulties with representations of quantum operators corresponding to observables, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.049.

Interdisciplinary thinking and reconciliation is integral to developing a coherent understanding of science. Projects like NEXUS are significant advancements in this regard and have created a need for new assessment tools. This paper discusses the development of an empirically grounded framework to assess the interdisciplinarity of students' explanations of everyday phenomena. As a preliminary analysis, we examine interview transcripts from two undergraduate students explaining the solidification of liquid egg white upon boiling. The extent to which students invoke different disciplines is considered as a criterion to assess the interdisciplinarity of their explanations. We carry this out by mapping the vocabulary and knowledge elements involved in student explanations to content presentations in introductory level physics, chemistry and biology textbooks.

K. K. Mashood, V. Sawtelle, C. W. Anderson, R. L. Matz, E. E. Scott, and S. M. Underwood, Developing an empirically grounded framework to assess interdisciplinarity of student explanations of everyday phenomena, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.050.

Current investigations into pedagogical goals of introductory algebra-based physics students at the University of Central Arkansas, by learning orientation towards an in-class metacognitive group problem solving task, seek to determine possible relationships with attitudinal shifts and course performance. Students thus far have been untreated with known group-based learning pedagogies, so as to establish trends of common group habits, and ultimately to properly inform implementation of group-based pedagogies in reaction to these trends. However, students’ group dynamics and learning orientations prove difficult to map to group-based measurements; an estimate of group learning orientation and preferred working group dynamic is here explored as a potential means of interpreting students’ use of problem solving strategies. A means of "sampling" audiovisual data in a live classroom of several simultaneous groups is also presented as a way to estimate the frequency of chosen strategies to this end.

A. J. Mason and C. A. Bertram, Potential relationship of epistemic games to group dynamics and learning orientations towards physics problem solving, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.051.

Previous studies about career outcome expectations, or what students hope to achieve in their careers, have revealed strong relationships between outcome expectations and STEM career choice. Drawing from a US national survey with responses from 15,847 students in mandatory College English courses (Outreach Programs and Science Career Intentions, NSF # 1161052), we examined the relationship between students outcome expectations and physics identity. It has previously been found that students with certain outcome expectations are more likely to develop a physics identity. Expanding beyond prior work, we focus on how outcome expectations are related to physics identity for students grouped by: (i) medical and engineering career aspirations, and (ii) female and male self-identification. The results provide a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between outcome expectations and physics identity for different students.

C. Monsalve, Z. Hazari, D. R. McPadden, G. Sonnert, and P. M. Sadler, Examining the Relationship between Career Outcome Expectations and Physics Identity, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.052.

The PhET Interactive Simulations project has begun an initiative to increase the accessibility of its suite of science simulations. In this work, we focus on use of the PhET sim Capacitor Lab: Basics by two visually impaired learners. Comparing responses to pre and posttest questions about capacitance and circuits, our results indicate that after using the simulation with new accessibility features, both learners better understood the relationship between plate separation, area, and capacitance. Additionally, while only one learner connected the charged capacitor to the light bulb in the simulation during use, both answered that the light bulb will be illuminated in posttest questions. These findings indicate that visually impaired students can master the learning goals of a PhET sim with well-designed accessibility features. Findings from this research contribute to understanding how to develop physics education resources capable of supporting diverse students, including students with disabilities.

E. C. Morgan and E. B. Moore, Investigating Student Learning with Accessible Interactive Physics Simulations, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.053.

Research into student understanding of quantum mechanics has primarily focused on the identification of student difficulties and the development of curriculum that can help improve student learning. Most of this work has been performed in courses using a position-first instructional paradigm. Recently, there has been increase in the number of instructors choosing to present material in an alternate order: spins-first. In this work, we makes steps towards answering the question of whether or not the instructional paradigm has an impact on student thinking about energy measurement. We use a resources lens to analyze the different tools and methods students are using to solve questions.

G. Passante, Energy measurement resources in spins-first and position-first quantum mechanics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.054.

Students who successfully engage in self-regulated learning, are able to plan their own studying, monitoring their progress and make any necessary adjustments based upon the data and feedback they gather. In order to promote this type of independent learning, a recent introductory mechanics course was modified such that the homework and tests emphasized the planning, monitoring and adjusting of self-regulated learning. Students were able to choose many of their own out-of-class learning activities. Rather than collecting daily or weekly problem set solutions, assignments were mostly progress reports where students reported which activities they had attempted, self-assessment of their progress and plans for their next study session. While many students only engaged superficially in the independent aspects of the course, some did demonstrate evidence of self-regulation. Despite this lack of engagement, students performed as well as comparable student populations on course exam and better on the Force Concept Inventory.

J. A. Phillips, Student Self-Assessment and Reflection in a Learner Controlled Environment, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.055.

This study examined student difficulties related to the potential in the hydrogen atom, and the corresponding ground state, with special attention paid to the role of the Jacobian. The study focused on a population of graduate students at The Ohio State University, and their ability to (1) sketch the approximate potential and radial part of the ground state wavefunction in hydrogen, and (2) their ability to relate this prerequisite knowledge to another relevant quantity: the Bohr radius. Student responses to a sequence of three questions were obtained at the beginning and end of the students’ final semester of graduate quantum mechanics. Several prevalent difficulties were identified that persisted to the end of the course, including an inability to sketch the above-mentioned basic features of hydrogen, and a lack of understanding of the Bohr radius.

C. D. Porter, A. M. Bogdan, and A. F. Heckler, Student understanding of potential, wavefunctions and the Jacobian in hydrogen in graduate-level quantum mechanics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.056.

Making is a design-based, participant-driven endeavor based on a philosophy of "learning by doing." Formal and informal educators at science museums, libraries, and universities see Making as a way to engage youth in authentic experiences involving science and technology. However, there is a lack of ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic diversity among Makers. Drawing on research-based principles for engaging underserved communities, we have designed and implemented Mobile Making, a program that operates in afterschool programs at four nearby middle schools. Teams of highly qualified and ethnically diverse undergraduate science and math majors lead weekly sessions that introduce participants to a variety of authentic Making activities. Program objectives target increases in the participants’ interest and self-efficacy related to Making and STEM, as well as their perception of the relevance of STEM/Making in everyday life. Observations, focus groups, and surveys have documented positive impacts on the participants and the undergraduate facilitators.

E. Price, C. J. De Leone, D. DeRoma, and J. Marshall, Mobile Making: A program to broaden participation in Making, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.057.

Ford (2015) argues for viewing "scientific practice" not as a list of particular skills, but rather, more holistically as "sets of regularities of behaviors and social interactions" among scientists. This conceptualization of scientific practices foregrounds how they meaningfully connect to one another and are purposefully employed in order to explain nature. We apply this framework in the context of undergraduate research experiences (UREs) to understand the early forms of student engagement in scientific practices, and how these specific forms of engagement may be consequential for students’ future participation. Using video from interviews with students and research mentors, we argue that this “practice” lens affords new insights into understanding students’ experience of UREs. We also use this data to illustrate how coming to engage in scientific practices might look in early stages of participation.

G. M. Quan, C. Turpen, and A. Elby, Attending to Scientific Practices within Undergraduate Research Experiences, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.058.

Prior physics education studies have established a positive influence in learning when students use research-based strategies (mainly Tutorials) and instructional technologies in physics courses. This contribution studies learning outcomes and behavior when combining a research-based strategy that promotes collecting data, RealTime Physics (RTP), with different instructional technologies: 1) RTP using probes and computers (original version), 2) RTP with probes and a graphing calculator, and 3) RTP with PhET simulations. Participants in this study were 271 engineering students enrolled in a private Mexican university who are familiar with the use of Tutorials in the physics lab. The experiment was conducted in the circuits unit of an Electricity and Magnetism course. This qualitative study uses a research-based open-ended test and systematic lab observations. Results show that student learning and behavior are related to the type of instructional technology used in combination with RTP in the lab activities.

M. Quezada-Espinoza, A. Dominguez, and G. Zavala, Using RealTime Physics with different instructional technologies in a circuits lab, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.059.

We interviewed a college freshman engineering student, "Marya," after she completed her first semester in a reformed introductory physics course. We found that she experienced a drastic shift in her feelings and approach to learning physics. In particular, she first felt anxious about not knowing the right answer, but as she came to see physics as a sense-making pursuit, she felt at ease and eventually excited to approach a new and unknown challenge. In this paper, we introduce the construct of meta-affective learning, and illustrate it using data from Marya's interview and coursework. Finally, we argue that meta-affective learning was an important part of Marya's physics learning that persisted long past her completion of the course.

J. Radoff, L. Z. Jaber, and D. Hammer, Meta-affective learning in an introductory physics course, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.060.

Women and minority students are largely underrepresented in the physical sciences. Here we describe a faculty-, student-, and staff-led group, called a Departmental Action Team (DAT), created to study the recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented minorities in one physical sciences department. As a result of the DAT’s work, the department has created a new standing committee to improve outreach and support for students from underrepresented groups. We describe how the efforts of the DAT created a departmental context that was able to leverage a campus-level diversity initiative to support meaningful, department-wide discussions and a plan for improving diversity and equity in the major. As such, we present an example of departmental change that could serve as a model for other physical science departments seeking to create similar change.

K. D. Rainey, J. C. Corbo, D. L. Reinholz, and M. Betterton, Improving representation in physical sciences using a Departmental Action Team, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.061.

Scientific argumentation has been highlighted in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as one of the key science and engineering practices. While there have been relatively few studies on student argumentation in undergraduate physics, research has shown that the use of argumentation prompts can potentially improve not just the argumentation quality, but also the conceptual quality of student responses to written conceptual physics problems. In this study we extend previous research to look more closely at the impact of construct and evaluate argumentation prompts on the resources students bring to bear on conceptual physics problems. We examine the kinds of conceptual resources used by future elementary teachers when justifying their claim and also when they constructed a rebuttal to a counterargument.

C. M. Rebello, Argumentation Prompts Mediating Student Resource Use on Conceptual Problems, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.062.

In this paper, we begin to explore the role of content knowledge in responsive teaching (RT), using in situ data to draw out and speak to a latent disagreement within the RT literature. We claim that one role that content knowledge plays in RT is to support teachers in eliciting, seeing, and then pursuing disciplinary connections within their students' thinking. We suggest implications for teacher preparation.

A. D. Robertson and L. M. Goodhew, Exploring the Role of Content Knowledge in Responsive Teaching, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.063.

We report on studies showing large differences in student ability to use, and reason with, certain data. Many students incorrectly assume there must be dependence between the axes of any graph irrespective of whether the data suggests a relation. Additionally, students have difficulty with variables and their role in the experiment. A majority of the errors are consistent with failure to control variables or illogical reasoning from the data. We developed and tested two different one-hour group activities to improve student understanding. One activity was laboratory-based and focused on control of variables and experimentation. The other was recitation-based and focused on logical reasoning and data manipulation. Both activities improved student ability to draw conclusions and answer questions about the data in graph or pictorial form. The relative effectiveness of the activities suggests that both logical reasoning and control of variables are important for students working with this data.

R. Rosenblatt and J. Perrone, Comparing Two Activities’ Effectiveness Improving Reasoning with Multiple-Variable Information, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.064.

We examined students' responses on the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) and their homework within a freshman physics course. The homeworks were designed to elicit detailed responses and sense-making. Students completed the CLASS prior to the start of the course. Student responses on the first two homeworks of the semester were coded for instances of evidence of sense-making, such as checking if an answer is reasonable and providing multiple explanations. We had matched CLASS responses and homeworks for 26 students. Our results show that evidence of sense-making on the homework assignments may be uncorrelated with percent favorable response on the CLASS and weakly correlated with percent unfavorable response. These results suggest that students’ formal beliefs about physics, as measured by the CLASS, may be only weakly related to how students engage in solving physics problems. Given the small sample size of our work, further study is needed.

G. Rowe and A. M. Phillips, A comparison of students' written explanations and CLASS responses, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.065.

The CURrENT (Colorado UppeR-division ElectrodyNamics Test) was designed as an open-ended assessment to investigate student reasoning and learning, as well as assessing course transformations in upper-division electrodynamics. The assessment has been given at multiple universities over the past five years, but hand-grading the open-ended questions limits the scalability and usability of the instrument. For this reason, we are creating a multiple-response version of the assessment, using the database that consists of many student responses to the free-response CURrENT along with research on student difficulties. Our goal is to explore the logistical advantages of this objectively gradable format while preserving insights about student reasoning provided by the free-response format. Here we discuss development of the multiple-response CURrENT and present a comparison study between the multiple-response version and the free-response version. Some preliminary measures of the multiple-response CURrENT such as the test’s validity, reliability and discrimination using classical test theory are also included.

Q. X. Ryan, C. Baily, and S. J. Pollock, Multiple-Response Assessment for Upper-division Electrodynamics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.066.

A key component to the success of the Learning Assistant (LA) Model is the relationship that forms between LAs and faculty members. These relationships can enhance the effectiveness of the model by leveraging the expertise of the LAs and placing LAs in leadership roles where they can co-think and co-design activities and lessons with faculty, as well as provide insights to faculty about the students in the class and the learning environment. Interviews with LAs and faculty members, in addition to video from weekly preparation sessions, illustrate the different types of partnerships that can evolve between LAs and faculty and help us understand the roles different factors play in these partnerships. We contrast three different types of partnerships between LAs and faculty that exist along a continuum: mentor-mentee, faculty-driven collaboration, and collaborative. This data highlights the importance and the benefits of being attentive to these partnerships in developing a robust and effective LA Program.

M. S. Sabella, A. G. Van Duzor, and F. Davenport, Leveraging the expertise of the urban STEM student in developing an effective LA Program: LA and Instructor Partnerships, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.067.

As part of ongoing research in teaching and learning quantum mechanics, we are investigating student learning of basic introductory quantum concepts in two different paradigms. In one paradigm, students are introduced to the postulates of quantum mechanics by discrete bases of Spin-half (Spin First) before being introduced to Schrödinger’s equation. In the second paradigm, continuous bases of position probability wave functions (Position First) are the context within which students first encounter quantum mechanical phenomena. In this paper, we compare student learning of basic introductory quantum ideas in two sections of a sophomore level modern physics course at Cal Poly Pomona that were taught using these two approaches by means of their performances on a research-based concept posttest. Based on our results, the students who were taught using Spin First outperformed their peers in Position First group with average score of 53±3% vs. 34±5% in Quantum Mechanics Concept Assessment (QMCA), suggesting that the Spin First approach might improve some aspects of student learning of quantum mechanics.

H. R. Sadaghiani, Spin First vs. Position First instructional approaches to teaching introductory quantum mechanics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.068.

As classrooms transition from traditional to cooperative learning environments, questions about the details of these environments effectiveness are posed. Does this model equally benefit all students? How do nontraditional (NT) students’ gains in conceptual knowledge compare to those of traditional (Trad) students in these classrooms? Do NT students’ social differences (i.e. age, employment status, family life, etc.) affect the amount of learning they do in the course or their tendency to form collaborative ties with other students? In three sections of SCALE-UP introductory calculus-based physics, we collected social network survey data about student connections and used the Force Concept Inventory as a pre- and post-course conceptual knowledge diagnostic. Several centrality measures were calculated for the networks and NT and Trad student data were compared to look for significant differences between the two groups’ results. We found that NT students are connected to fewer peers but are closer to the inner workings of the network in larger courses.

E. Sandt and A. L. Traxler, Non-traditional students' conceptual scores and network centrality in SCALE-UP classrooms, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.069.

One of teachers' greatest tools in the classroom is questioning. It has long been theorized that higher-level questioning leads to students developing a better understanding of the material but no one has examined the types of questions asked in physics classrooms in great detail. We used Bloom’s revised taxonomy to classify the questions asked by a high school physics instructor and surveyed him on what he believes his questioning patterns to be. By analyzing the distribution of question types and the teacher’s self-perceived questioning patterns we take a first step to better understanding the use of questioning in physics classrooms.

B. Santangelo and A. Richards, Characterizing teacher-asked questions in a high school physics classroom, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.070.

In this case study, we investigated the effectiveness of peer interaction on responses to in-class clicker questions in an upper-level quantum mechanics course. We analyzed student performance on clicker questions answered individually and then again after interaction with peers. We also analyzed student performance by topic. In general, the performance on the clicker questions improved after interaction with peers following individual clicker responses. We also find evidence of co-construction of knowledge in that students who did not answer the clicker questions individually were able to answer them correctly after discussion with peers. Finally, we discuss the trends in the percentage of students present in class who responded to the clicker questions in the allotted time as the semester progressed.

R. Sayer, E. Marshman, and C. Singh, The impact of peer interaction on the responses to clicker questions in an upper-level quantum mechanics course, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.071.

A qualitative investigation was conducted of the epistemological resources employed by introductory physics students while solving physics problems in groups. The purpose of this study was to identify the resources employed by introductory physics students and the associated usage patterns of these resources. The epistemological resources were identified using emergent coding and by implementing an operationalized coding scheme from Jones (2015). 25 distinct epistemological resources were identified such as Peer Cognitive Awareness, Mathematical Reasoning, Invoking Authority, and If It’s Given It Must Be Used. Students were categorized into groups based on their previous number of mathematics and physics courses completed. Future research will focus on teasing apart the source of the group differences as well as the effect of the different physics problems on student resource usage.

E. M. Scanlon, Introductory Physics Students’ Epistemological Resources, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.072.

As part of an effort to examine students’ understanding of the structure of non-Cartesian coordinate systems and the differential vector elements associated with these systems, students in junior-level electricity and magnetism (E&M) were interviewed in pairs. Students constructed differential length and volume elements for an unconventional spherical coordinate system. A symbolic forms analysis found that students invoked known as well as novel symbolic forms when building these vector expressions. Further analysis suggests that student difficulties were primarily conceptual rather than symbolic.

B. P. Schermerhorn and J. R. Thompson, Students’ use of symbolic forms when constructing differential length elements, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.073.

Metaphor is a means by which we use our literal physical and social experiences (such as containers and conflicts) to understand other, more abstract experiences (such as knowledge and teaching). Metaphors may shape our perceptions and our behavior without our necessarily noticing them, becoming "metaphors we live by" [1]. Influential papers in physics education research use metaphors that have likely shaped thinking in physics education research. Examples of such metaphors include learning is movement, learning is building, teaching is a battle, a class is an amplifier, the mind is a computer, and the mind is a factory.

R. E. Scherr and P. R. L. Heron, Education Metaphors We Live By, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.074.

The expectation value of an observable is an important concept in quantum mechanics. However, upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in physics have both conceptual and procedural difficulties when determining the expectation value of physical observables, especially when using Dirac notation. To investigate these difficulties, we administered free-response and multiple-choice questions and conducted individual interviews with students. Here, we discuss the analysis of data on student difficulties when determining the expectation value.

C. Singh and E. Marshman, Student difficulties with determining expectation values in quantum mechanics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.075.

We focus on a student Chad's sense-making with representations (inscriptions) of both standard forms found in quantum textbooks and emergently constructed non-standard forms. Through fine-timescale analysis of video from a clinical interview, we document the different ways in which the inscription becomes embedded in the student's reasoning. Our findings show that the inscriptional system generated by Chad shapes, and is shaped by, his sense-making and causal reasoning, and that the standard forms recruited can provide a space for action, beyond that of simple read-out. We briefly touch on some guiding instructional design choices and directions of future research.

E. R. Sohr, A. Gupta, A. Elby, and B. W. Dreyfus, Sense-making with Inscriptions in Quantum Mechanics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.076.

Students are often asked to construct qualitative reasoning chains during scaffolded, research-based physics instruction. As part of a multi-institutional effort to investigate and assess the development of student reasoning skills in physics, we have been designing tasks that probe the extent to which students can create and evaluate reasoning chains. In one task, students are provided with correct reasoning elements (i.e., true statements about the physical situation as well as correct concepts and mathematical relationships) and are asked to assemble them into an argument that they can use to answer a specified physics problem. In this paper, the task is described in detail and preliminary results are presented.

J. C. Speirs, W. N. Ferm Jr., M. R. Stetzer, and B. A. Lindsey, Probing Student Ability to Construct Reasoning Chains: A New Methodology, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.077.

Pre-class reading assignments help prepare students for active classes by providing a first exposure to the terms and concepts to be used during class. We investigate if the use of inquiry-oriented PhET-based activities in conjunction with pre-class reading assignments can improve both the preparation of students for in-class learning and student attitudes towards and engagement with pre-class assignments. Over three course modules covering different topics, students were assigned randomly to complete either a textbook-only pre-class assignment or both a textbook pre-class assignment and a PhET-based activity. The assignments helped prepare students for class, as measured by performance on the pre-class quiz relative to a beginning-of-semester pretest, but no evidence for increased learning due the PhET activity was observed. Students rated the assignments which included PhET as more enjoyable and, for the topic latest in the semester, reported spending more time on the assignments when PhET was included.

J. B. Stang, M. Barker, S. Perez, J. Ives, and I. Roll, Active learning in pre-class assignments: Exploring the use of interactive simulations to enhance reading assignments, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.078.

The development of students' sense of ownership of their work is recognized by many lab instructors to be an important outcome of lab courses. However, the way ownership manifests, as well as how it is developed, has not been a focus of study within the physics education research community. As a first step toward understanding what ownership looks like in this context, we are studying students' ownership of their projects in two upper-division optics courses, in which ownership is an explicit learning goal. We utilized data from the Project Ownership Survey (POS), as well as student interviews that focus on their interests, challenges, and memorable moments. The results of the POS were conflicted-one portion of the survey indicated high ownership while those questions pertaining to student affect indicated otherwise. However, analysis of our interviews corroborated that students were experiencing several aspects of ownership, but the nature of their affective response was complex and dynamic.

J. T. Stanley, D. R. Dounas-Frazer, L. Kiepura, and H. J. Lewandowski, Investigating student ownership of projects in an upper-division physics lab course, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.079.

A goal of many university physics courses is that students increase their appreciation of physics as an evidence-based way of understanding the world, and that they begin to develop their self-identity as scientists. Discouragingly, studies have found that students attitudes about science are very difficult to affect positively. In our “structured quantitative inquiry” first-year physics lab course (SQILab) at the University of British Columbia, we have introduced weekly reflection activities specifically targeting students’ beliefs about the nature of science and their self-identification as scientists. We measure student attitudes using the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS). Our preliminary results indicate that the SQILabs curriculum with these activities does not produce significantly better outcomes for student attitudes than SQILabs without these activities, but that student attitudes do increase in all SQILabs courses on the portion of the E-CLASS that targets central SQILabs learning goals.

L. E. Strubbe, J. Ives, N. G. Holmes, D. A. Bonn, and N. K. Sumah, Developing student attitudes in the first-year physics laboratory, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.080.

Student success in large enrollment undergraduate science courses which utilize "active learning" and Learning Assistant (LA) support is a complex phenomenon. It is often ill-defined, is likely impacted by many factors, and regularly interacts with a variety of treatments or interventions. Defining, measuring, and modeling student success as a factor of multiple inputs is the focus of our work. Because this endeavor is complex and multifaceted, there is a need for strong theoretical framing. Without such explicit framing, we argue that our findings would be uninterpretable. In this paper we describe our efforts to define that theoretical framework, present the framework, and describe how it defines our methodological approach, analyses, and future work.

R. M. Talbot III, L. Doughty, A. Nasim, L. Hartley, P. Le, L. H. Kramer, H. Kornreich-Leshem, and J. Boyer, Theoretically Framing a Complex Phenomenon: Student Success in Large Enrollment Active Learning Courses, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.081.

In this paper we discuss a methodology incorporating spaced recall to emphasize long-term retrieval of worked example problems. We believe that the structure of this activity will help students understand the utility of expert practices such as translating between representations, and reasoning through a problem rather than just memorizing every detail. We collected data from 4 interviews, and from the written work of 11 students in introductory physics. Most students found the exercise useful, but we believe that it could be improved by improving the quality of the feedback.

E. Torigoe and D. Licata, Emphasizing expert practice with spaced recall, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.082.

Large introductory science courses are isolating for many students, and reducing this isolation is an important factor for student retention in college. Active learning courses often build community among students as an explicit goal, but many commuter or non-traditional students have limited on-campus time. Online discussion forums provide one tool for engaging students with each other outside of class time. This study uses social network analysis with forum data from an introductory physics course to examine students’ positions in the class discussion network and link it to their final course grades. We find that, contrary to expectations, there is no strong correlation between forum network centrality and class outcomes. Possible reasons for this mismatch and future refinements to the model are discussed.

A. L. Traxler, A. Gavrin, and R. S. Lindell, CourseNetworking and community: Linking online discussion networks and course success, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.083.

Faculty often become motivated to try research-based instructional strategies after attending professional development (PD) workshops, but are often underprepared to wisely adapt these strategies both to their local contexts and to specific situations they encounter with their students. We used our workshop observation tool to select a rare session from the Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop where faculty are analyzing instruction within a large group open discussion. We analyze video-recordings of this session to understand what it can look like for faculty to learn how to reason about instruction in ways that would support their flexible response to students’ reasoning and engagement in the moment. Our analysis identifies features of pedagogical sense-making and considers what might support its emergence in this situation.

C. Turpen, A. R. Olmstead, and H. Jardine, A case of physics faculty engaging in pedagogical sense-making, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.084.

This study investigates how Learning Assistants (LAs) and related course features are associated with inequities in student learning in introductory university physics courses. 2,868 physics students’ paired pre- and post-test scores on concept inventories from 67 classes in 16 LA Alliance member institutions are examined in this investigation. The concept inventories included the Force Concept Inventory, Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation, and the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism. Our analyses include a multiple linear regression model that examines the impact of student (e.g. gender and race) and course level variables (e.g. presence of LAs and Concept Inventory used) on student learning outcomes (Cohen’s d effect size) across classroom contexts. The presence of LAs was found to either remove or invert the traditional learning gaps between students from dominant and non-dominant populations. Significant differences in student performance were also found across the concept inventories.

B. Van Dusen, J. S. White, and E. A. Roualdes, The Impact of Learning Assistants on Inequities in Physics Student Outcomes, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.085.

In upper division physics courses students are required to work with various coordinate systems. This skill becomes particularly important when learning Electricity and Magnetism, where the most appropriate coordinate system will often depend on the geometry and symmetry of a problem. This study aims to identify and describe “resources” used by students when answering physics questions regarding unit vectors in non-Cartesian coordinate systems, specifically polar coordinates. Data were collected in the form of written responses and interviews in upper division physics courses at two universities. After deeper analysis we identified several resources that students use in ways that can be productive and unproductive.

M. Vega, W. M. Christensen, B. Farlow, G. Passante, and M. E. Loverude, Student understanding of unit vectors and coordinate systems beyond cartesian coordinates in upper division physics courses, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.086.

Physics education researchers have successfully employed the epistemic games framework as a descriptive framework for episodes of physics problem solving. Researchers have used this framework to analyze behaviors and activities at a variety of grain sizes. We conduct an analysis of layers of epistemic games of different grain size in student reasoning and behavior during a group interview of upper-division physics students plotting a 2D vector field. In our analysis, we propose three new epistemic games: Pick, Plug, and Plot; Plotting; and Answer Making with Sensemaking. We discuss how analyzing the interview with each of these games provides insight into the students' reasoning and how considering these games together in a multi-layered analysis yields additional insights.

M. Vignal and E. Gire, Epistemic Games: A Multi-Layered Task Analysis, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.087.

Physics tutorials are worksheets that guide students to answer conceptual questions. Two well-known sets of physics tutorials, the Tutorials in Introductory Physics (TIP) and Open Source Tutorials (OST), are reported to emerge from distinct conceptual change principles. For example, TIP is often associated with "elicit-confront-resolve", while OST is connected with "refining intuitions." Based on the analysis of interviews with tutorial authors and of the tutorials themselves, we looked for similarities between the tutorials. We identified a pattern that is common to both sets of tutorials, which we call the "revisiting" strategy: students are asked to return to a problem they have already examined. Elicit-confront-resolve and refining intuitions can both be examples of revisiting, suggesting that revisiting is an important and general technique that illuminates the similarity between the two sets of tutorials.

J. S. Von Korff, A. B. Barooni, H. Pamplin, and J. J. Chini, The "revisiting" strategy in physics tutorials, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.088.

For common multiple-choice assessments, we can investigate progress in student understanding by creating simple transition matrices that identify the percentage of students who select each possible pre-/post-test answer combination on each question of a diagnostic exam such as the Force Concept Inventory. In order to create a transition matrix, we first rank answer choices from worst to best using item response curves. This allows us to determine changes in understanding of concepts and misconceptions even when students do not get the correct answer on the post-test. Our work outlines the utility of transition matrices and the availability of a new tool for adoption by high school and college level physics teachers who use a common assessment. We then construct transition probabilities matrices and find that students who chose an incorrect answer to a question on the pre-test are equally likely to choose the correct answer on the post-test regardless of which wrong answer she or he selected on the pre-test.

P. J. Walter and G. A. Morris, Assessing Student Learning and Improving Instruction with Transition Matrices, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.089.

Time dependence is an important concept in quantum mechanics that has been shown to be difficult for many students. In trying to understand the problems that students encounter, the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington is examining student ability to reason about the period of quantum states. As part of this investigation, we have begun to probe student understanding of period in other contexts (e.g., phasors and circular motion). Results from analogous written tasks administered in introductory and sophomore-level courses reveal related difficulties. The findings have implications for instruction and are guiding the design of curriculum (Tutorials in Physics: Quantum Mechanics) that is intended to improve student understanding of time dependence in quantum mechanics.

T. Wan, P. J. Emigh, G. Passante, and P. S. Shaffer, Student Understanding of Period in Introductory and Quantum Physics Courses, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.090.

This study investigated whether and how Learning Assistant (LA) support is linked to student outcomes in Physics courses nationwide. Paired student concept inventory scores were collected over three semesters from 3,753 students, representing 69 courses, and 40 instructors, from 17 LA Alliance member institutions. Each participating student completed an online concept inventory at the beginning (pre) and end (post) of each term. The physics concept inventories tested included the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), Force and Motion Concept Evaluation (FMCE) and the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA). Across instruments, Cohen’s d effect sizes were 1.4 times higher, on average, for courses supported by LAs compared to courses without LA support. Preliminary findings indicate that physics students' outcomes may be most effective when LA support is utilized in laboratory settings (1.9 times higher than no LA support) in comparison to lecture (1.4 times higher), recitations (1.5 times higher), or unknown uses (1.3 times higher). Additional research will inform LA-implementation best practices across disciplines.

J. S. White, B. Van Dusen, and E. A. Roualdes, The impacts of learning assistants on student learning of physics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.091.

Student learning in undergraduate physics laboratory courses has garnered increased attention within the PER community. Considerable work has been done to develop curricular materials and pedagogical techniques designed to enhance student learning within laboratory learning environments. Examples of these transformation efforts include the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE), Modeling Instruction, and integrated lab/lecture environments (e.g., studio physics). In addition to improving students' understanding of the physics content, lab courses often have an implicit or explicit goal of increasing students' understanding and appreciation of the nature of experimental physics. We examine students' responses to a laboratory-focused epistemological assessment - the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS) - to explore whether courses using transformed curricula or pedagogy show more expert-like student epistemologies relative to courses using traditional guided labs, as well as how this trend varies based on student major or gender. Data for this study are drawn from an existing data set of responses to the E-CLASS from multiple courses and institutions.

B. R. Wilcox and H. J. Lewandowski, Impact of instructional approach on students' epistemologies about experimental physics, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.092.

An increasing number of institutions are adopting a collaborative student-centered studio approach for their introductory physics classes, although there is considerable variation in their deployments and a wide range of success in these different cases. Using a modified version of the TDOP observational protocol, we observed and coded 13 instructors teaching SCALE-UP (one studio implementation method) physics classes at two universities to characterize each studio class. We coded different types of instructor dialogue, class discussion, and students’ group and individual work, as well as technology used in the classroom. We identified both similarities and differences among the various classes. Here, we report the percentage of intervals in which certain codes were observed, highlighting the most prevalent codes and noting common code combinations. This is the beginning of work to characterize different studio physics classes to determine effective practices.

M. Wilcox, G. Feldman, J. S. Von Korff, N. Klinger, O. Sengul, and J. J. Chini, Characterizing Studio Physics Instruction Across Instructors and Institutions, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.093.

In a teacher professional development meeting, teachers were asked a question about potential energy and then to discuss why students might give a particular response to it. Working together in a large group, they came up with responses and explanations that touched on multiple ways of thinking about energy and how these might affect student responses. We observed that teachers were aware of common metaphors for thinking about energy (like energy-as-a-substance) and that they gave multiple explanations for how students might have difficulties in applying these metaphors (e.g., energy is “used up” because of travel time, travel distance, or the effort exerted during travel). Additional explanations showed that teachers recognized how students might bring these ideas to the classroom. We discuss the need for teachers to respond to multiple grain sizes of student thinking, including the metaphors they use and the different facets of each. Assessments that help with this will be of greater value to teachers than the assessment we present.

M. C. Wittmann, C. Alvarado, and L. A. Millay, Teachers' explanations of student difficulties with gravitational potential energy, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.094.

As our classrooms become more active and collaborative, we need to consider ways that our assessments can take on the same active and collaborative spirit that our classes have. One way that we can accomplish this goal is through the use of group exams. In exams at Texas State University and East Carolina University, we have utilized a two-phase exam format allowing open collaboration—that is, allowing students to form their own groups. We have analyzed self-reported collaboration data and find that the room influences how students will associate with each other. We have also compared collaboration patterns evident in student responses for students in open collaboration settings to students in closed collaboration settings.

S. F. Wolf, C. Blakeney, and H. G. Close, Group Formation on Physics Exams, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.095.

Over the past several years, the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington has been developing tutorial worksheets for small-group sections for junior-level electrodynamics courses. We have observed that most of our students enter these courses with a working knowledge of static electric and magnetic fields in simple systems. However, many students have significant difficulties in transferring this knowledge to other vector fields. We first attempted to address these difficulties by having students draw analogies from basic static fields to new vector fields, but this strategy proved to be challenging for many students. Our subsequent attempt focused on familiarizing students with how the divergence and curl of a vector field defines that vector field. This approach is proving successful in enabling students to then relate this knowledge of general vector fields to understand newly introduced vector fields.

B. C. Xue, R. L. C. Hazelton, P. S. Shaffer, and P. R. L. Heron, Improving Student Understanding of Vector Fields in Junior-Level E&M, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.096.

Explication and reflection on expert vs. novice considerations within the problem-solving process characterize a cognitive apprenticeship approach for the development of expert-like problem solving practices. In the context of grading, a cognitive apprenticeship approach requires that instructors place the burden of proof on students, namely, that they require explanations of reasoning and explication of problem-solving processes. However, prior research on instructors’ considerations when grading revealed their reluctance to use such a grading approach, motivated by a perception of teaching that places the burden of proof on the instructor. This study focuses on physics graduate teaching assistants (TAs) who play a central role in grading. A short professional development activity was designed that involved eliciting TAs’ perceptions regarding grading, presenting a cognitive apprenticeship-inspired grading rubric, followed by a discussion of the dilemma between placing the burden of proof on the instructor vs. the student. In this context, we examined TAs’ grading considerations and approaches towards grading and the effect of the short professional development grading activity on them.

E. Yerushalmi, R. Sayer, E. Marshman, C. R. Henderson, and C. Singh, Physics graduate teaching assistants' beliefs about a grading rubric: Lessons learned, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.097.

Problem-solving in the undergraduate curriculum typically occurs in content-focused courses that emphasize applying a conceptual and mathematical understanding of key physics principles to given situations. This project expands the notion of problem-solving by characterizing the breadth of problem-solving activities carried out by graduate students in physics-intensive research. In 10 in-depth interviews, PhD students were asked to describe routine, difficult, and important problems they engage in. A grounded theory analysis resulted in a framework with three dimensions: problem context (e.g., experiments, software, or math), activity (e.g., design or troubleshooting), and feature that made the problem hard (e.g., complexity or insufficient resources). Problem contexts usually extended beyond theory and mathematics (e.g., experiments, data analysis, and computation). Important problem contexts blended soft and technical skills (e.g., communication and collaboration). Routine problem activities tended to be well-defined (e.g., troubleshooting) while important ones were more open-ended and had multiple solution paths (e.g., evaluating options). The results can inform curriculum development and PER with an expanded view of problem-solving.

B. M. Zwickl, A. E. Leak, J. Olivera, J. Vosburg, and K. N. Martin, Characterizing problem types and features in physics-intensive PhD research, 2016 PERC Proceedings [Sacramento, CA, July 20-21, 2016], edited by D. L. Jones, L. Ding, and A. Traxler, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.098.