Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics
written by
Anna McLean Phillips and Caroline J. Merighi
Students often take introductory physics concurrently with calculus, and the two disciplines are deeply intertwined. While students' epistemological beliefs in physics have been studied extensively, less work has examined their beliefs in calculus. Even less is known about how students' epistemological beliefs in physics and calculus may relate, interact, and shift together or separately. We report on results of two independent studies: one including interviews of calculus students and one of introductory physics students. Across both studies, we found that students made statements consistent with an algorithmic view of calculus while also expressing a view of physics as about sense-making. Through close analysis of one physics student, we also show that it is possible for a student to shift from a novice-like view of physics to an expert-like one while maintaining a algorithmic view of calculus.
Physics Education Research Conference 2017
Part of the PER Conference series
Cincinnati, OH: July 26-27, 2017
Pages 300-303
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Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the published article's author(s), title, proceedings citation, and DOI.
<a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=14630">Phillips, Anna McLean, and Caroline J. Merighi. "Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2017, Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017.</a>
A. Phillips and C. Merighi, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2017, Cincinnati, OH, 2017, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14630&DocID=4807).
A. Phillips and C. Merighi, Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2017, Cincinnati, OH, 2017, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14630&DocID=4807>.
Phillips, A., & Merighi, C. (2017, July 26-27). Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2017, Cincinnati, OH. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14630&DocID=4807
Phillips, Anna McLean, and Caroline J. Merighi. "Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2017, Cincinnati, OH, July 26-27, 2017. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14630&DocID=4807 (accessed 1 May 2025).
Phillips, Anna McLean, and Caroline J. Merighi. "Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics." Physics Education Research Conference 2017. Cincinnati, OH: 2017. 300-303 of PER Conference. 1 May 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14630&DocID=4807>.
@inproceedings{
Author = "Anna McLean Phillips and Caroline J. Merighi",
Title = {Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2017},
Pages = {300-303},
Address = {Cincinnati, OH},
Series = {PER Conference},
Month = {July 26-27},
Year = {2017}
}
%A Anna McLean Phillips %A Caroline J. Merighi %T Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics %S PER Conference %D July 26-27 2017 %P 300-303 %C Cincinnati, OH %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14630&DocID=4807 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2017 %O July 26-27 %O application/pdf
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Phillips, Anna McLean %A Merighi, Caroline J. %D July 26-27 2017 %T Students' epistemological beliefs from two studies of calculus and physics %B Physics Education Research Conference 2017 %C Cincinnati, OH %P 300-303 %S PER Conference %8 July 26-27 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=14630&DocID=4807
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