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Investigating student ability to draw conclusions from measurement data
written by Tong Wan and Joshua M. Mickelsen
In this study, we surveyed students from a calculus-based and an algebra-based introductory physics course at a liberal arts college about their ability to draw conclusions from measurement data. Both courses are taught in a studio mode and use the Workshop Physics curriculum. The survey questions were adapted from Kok et al. (2019), who found that an increase in the number of decimal places hinders students' ability to compare data sets. We administered the survey online before and after instruction on measurement uncertainty. On the survey, students considered two experiments that differ only by one setup. Students were first asked to make predictions about the experimental outcomes as to whether or not the outcomes agree, and then were given data to analyze and draw conclusions. The survey had two versions where the measurement data had either two or four decimal places. We used the framework of point and set paradigms to characterize student reasoning. The set paradigm emphasizes a measurement distribution rather than a single measurement; it is considered more expert-like. The results show that students tended to switch from a correct to an incorrect answer after analyzing the data. The number of decimal places did not seem to correlate with the switch in student answers. We also found that after instruction on measurement uncertainty, student reasoning tended to shift from the point paradigm toward set paradigm as many students included the standard deviation or standard deviation of the mean in the analysis. However, many students did not seem to recognize how the uncertainty could inform the conclusion as to whether or not the data sets agree; most students appeared to rely only on the comparison of the means. We discuss implications for instruction as well as future research areas.
Physics Education Research Conference 2021
Part of the PER Conference series
Virtual Conference: August 4-5, 2021
Pages 432-437
Subjects Levels Resource Types
Education - Applied Research
- Instructional Material Design
= Activity
Education - Basic Research
- Assessment
= Conceptual Assessment
- Student Characteristics
= Skills
- Lower Undergraduate
- Reference Material
= Research study
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Format:
application/pdf
Mirror:
https://doi.org/10.1119/perc.2021…
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This material is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the published article's author(s), title, proceedings citation, and DOI.
Rights Holder:
American Association of Physics Teachers
DOI:
10.1119/perc.2021.pr.Wan
Keyword:
PERC 2021
Record Creator:
Metadata instance created October 4, 2021 by Lyle Barbato
Record Updated:
October 7, 2021 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update
when Cataloged:
October 10, 2021
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AIP Format
T. Wan and J. Mickelsen, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2021, Virtual Conference, 2021, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15793&DocID=5522).
AJP/PRST-PER
T. Wan and J. Mickelsen, Investigating student ability to draw conclusions from measurement data, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2021, Virtual Conference, 2021, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15793&DocID=5522>.
APA Format
Wan, T., & Mickelsen, J. (2021, August 4-5). Investigating student ability to draw conclusions from measurement data. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2021, Virtual Conference. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15793&DocID=5522
Chicago Format
Wan, Tong, and Joshua M. Mickelsen. "Investigating student ability to draw conclusions from measurement data." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2021, Virtual Conference, August 4-5, 2021. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15793&DocID=5522 (accessed 3 December 2024).
MLA Format
Wan, Tong, and Joshua M. Mickelsen. "Investigating student ability to draw conclusions from measurement data." Physics Education Research Conference 2021. Virtual Conference: 2021. 432-437 of PER Conference. 3 Dec. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15793&DocID=5522>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{ Author = "Tong Wan and Joshua M. Mickelsen", Title = {Investigating student ability to draw conclusions from measurement data}, BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2021}, Pages = {432-437}, Address = {Virtual Conference}, Series = {PER Conference}, Month = {August 4-5}, Year = {2021} }
Refer Export Format

%A Tong Wan %A Joshua M. Mickelsen %T Investigating student ability to draw conclusions from measurement data %S PER Conference %D August 4-5 2021 %P 432-437 %C Virtual Conference %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15793&DocID=5522 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2021 %O August 4-5 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Wan, Tong %A Mickelsen, Joshua M. %D August 4-5 2021 %T Investigating student ability to draw conclusions from measurement data %B Physics Education Research Conference 2021 %C Virtual Conference %P 432-437 %S PER Conference %8 August 4-5 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=15793&DocID=5522


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