Conference Proceedings Detail Page
Students’ Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective
written by
Philip Southey, Saalih Allie, and Dedra Demaree
Density is an important, multifaceted concept that occurs at many levels of physics education. Previous research has shown that a primary instantiation of the concept, mass density, is not well understood by high school or university students. This study seeks to determine how students understand the broad concept of density, and whether particular aspects of their understanding are helpful in structuring the concept of charge density. Qualitative data were gathered in the form of questionnaires distributed to 172 freshmen comprising three different academic groups. Broad, open ended questions prompted for responses involving free writing and drawn diagrams. The data were analyzed by an approach suggested by Grounded Theory. Using the theoretical lens of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, six underlying (foothold) concepts were identified in terms of which density was conceptualized: 'filled container'; 'packing'; 'weight/heaviness'; 'intensive property'; 'floating/sinking'; 'impenetrability/solidity'. The foothold concept of 'packing' proved to be the most productive for conceptualizing 'charge density'.
Physics Education Research Conference 2012
Part of the PER Conference series Philadelphia, PA: August 1-2, 2012 Volume 1513, Pages 390-393
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=12860">Southey, P, S. Allie, and D. Demaree. "Students’ Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, August 1-2, 2012.</a>
AIP Format
P. Southey, S. Allie, and D. Demaree, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12860&DocID=3392).
AJP/PRST-PER
P. Southey, S. Allie, and D. Demaree, Students’ Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12860&DocID=3392>.
APA Format
Southey, P., Allie, S., & Demaree, D. (2012, August 1-2). Students’ Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved December 10, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12860&DocID=3392
Chicago Format
Southey, P, S. Allie, and D. Demaree. "Students’ Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, August 1-2, 2012. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12860&DocID=3392 (accessed 10 December 2024).
MLA Format
Southey, Philip, Saalih Allie, and Dedra Demaree. "Students’ Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective." Physics Education Research Conference 2012. Philadelphia, PA: 2012. 390-393 Vol. 1513 of PER Conference. 10 Dec. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12860&DocID=3392>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{
Author = "Philip Southey and Saalih Allie and Dedra Demaree",
Title = {Students’ Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2012},
Pages = {390-393},
Address = {Philadelphia, PA},
Series = {PER Conference},
Volume = {1513},
Month = {August 1-2},
Year = {2012}
}
Refer Export Format
%A Philip Southey %A Saalih Allie %A Dedra Demaree %T Students' Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective %S PER Conference %V 1513 %D August 1-2 2012 %P 390-393 %C Philadelphia, PA %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12860&DocID=3392 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2012 %O August 1-2 %O application/pdf
EndNote Export Format
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Southey, Philip %A Allie, Saalih %A Demaree, Dedra %D August 1-2 2012 %T Students' Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective %B Physics Education Research Conference 2012 %C Philadelphia, PA %V 1513 %P 390-393 %S PER Conference %8 August 1-2 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=12860&DocID=3392 Disclaimer: ComPADRE offers citation styles as a guide only. We cannot offer interpretations about citations as this is an automated procedure. Please refer to the style manuals in the Citation Source Information area for clarifications.
Citation Source Information
The AIP Style presented is based on information from the AIP Style Manual. The AJP/PRST-PER presented is based on the AIP Style with the addition of journal article titles and conference proceeding article titles. The APA Style presented is based on information from APA Style.org: Electronic References. The Chicago Style presented is based on information from Examples of Chicago-Style Documentation. The MLA Style presented is based on information from the MLA FAQ. Students’ Understanding of Density: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective:Know of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
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