Journal Article Detail Page
Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science
written by
Benjamin D. Geller, Julia Svoboda Gouvea, Benjamin W. Dreyfus, Vashti Sawtelle, and Edward F. Redish
Students in one discipline often receive their scientific training from faculty in other disciplines. As a result of tacit disciplinary differences, especially as implemented in courses at the introductory college level, such students can have difficulty in understanding the nature of the knowledge they are learning in a discipline that they do not identify as their own. We developed a course in introductory physics for life science (IPLS) students that attempts to help them cross disciplinary boundaries. By analyzing student reasoning during recitation sections and interviews, we identified three broad ways in which students in our course meaningfully crossed boundaries: (i) by unpacking biochemical heuristics in terms of underlying physical interactions, (ii) by locating both biochemical and physical concepts within a mathematical bridging expression, and (iii) by coordinating functional and mechanistic explanations for the same biological phenomenon. Drawing on episodes from case-study interviews and in-class problem-solving sessions, we illustrate how each of these types of boundary crossing involves the coordination of students' conceptual and epistemological resources from physics, chemistry, and biology in distinct but complementary ways. Together, these boundary crossing categories form a theoretical framework for classifying student coherence seeking. We explore how the IPLS course helps our life science students fill in the gaps that exist between traditional introductory courses, by finding and exploring questions that might otherwise fall through disciplinary cracks. By identifying these types of explanatory coherence, we hope to suggest ways of inviting life science students to participate in physics and see physics as a tool for making sense of the living world.
Physical Review Physics Education Research: Volume 15, Issue 2, Pages 020142
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=15420">Geller, B, J. Gouvea, B. Dreyfus, V. Sawtelle, and E. Redish. "Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15, no. 2, (November 12, 2019): 020142.</a>
AIP Format
B. Geller, J. Gouvea, B. Dreyfus, V. Sawtelle, and E. Redish, , Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15 (2), 020142 (2019), WWW Document, (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.020142).
AJP/PRST-PER
B. Geller, J. Gouvea, B. Dreyfus, V. Sawtelle, and E. Redish, Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15 (2), 020142 (2019), <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.020142>.
APA Format
Geller, B., Gouvea, J., Dreyfus, B., Sawtelle, V., & Redish, E. (2019, November 12). Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science. Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res., 15(2), 020142. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.020142
Chicago Format
Geller, B, J. Gouvea, B. Dreyfus, V. Sawtelle, and E. Redish. "Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15, no. 2, (November 12, 2019): 020142, https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.020142 (accessed 4 November 2024).
MLA Format
Geller, Benjamin, Julia Svoboda Gouvea, Benjamin Dreyfus, Vashti Sawtelle, and Edward F. Redish. "Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science." Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15.2 (2019): 020142. 4 Nov. 2024 <https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.020142>.
BibTeX Export Format
@article{
Author = "Benjamin Geller and Julia Svoboda Gouvea and Benjamin Dreyfus and Vashti Sawtelle and Edward F. Redish",
Title = {Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science},
Journal = {Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.},
Volume = {15},
Number = {2},
Pages = {020142},
Month = {November},
Year = {2019}
}
Refer Export Format
%A Benjamin Geller %A Julia Svoboda Gouvea %A Benjamin Dreyfus %A Vashti Sawtelle %A Edward F. Redish %T Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 15 %N 2 %D November 12, 2019 %P 020142 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.020142 %O application/pdf
EndNote Export Format
%0 Journal Article %A Geller, Benjamin %A Gouvea, Julia Svoboda %A Dreyfus, Benjamin %A Sawtelle, Vashti %A Redish, Edward F. %D November 12, 2019 %T Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science %J Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. %V 15 %N 2 %P 020142 %8 November 12, 2019 %U https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.15.020142 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. |
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