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Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment
Physics education often omits students whose cultural experiences are not reflected in traditional instruction and assessment practices. Limited research has explored how students use their cultural resources to make sense of physics concepts. This pilot study examines how students in a general physics 2 class respond to qualitative, open-ended formative assessments designed to elicit culturally grounded explanations related to capacitance, electric field, and power. We examined (1) what cultural resources students draw upon and (2) how these resources support their epistemologies and physics sensemaking. Findings revealed students frequently drew on everyday analogies, personal narratives, and cultural tools to explain phenomena. Their reasoning reflected diverse epistemologies, including experiential, relational, and narrative modes. This study demonstrates the potential of developing formative assessments to reveal the full range of students' intellectual resources. Implications include new directions for enhancing assessment approaches in physics education that center on broadening learners' and value students' cultural knowledge.
Physics Education Research Conference 2025
Part of the PER Conference series Washington, DC: August 6-7, 2025 Pages 264-269
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=17151">Mathis, C, H. Assi, I. Neuhart, J. Kelly, and S. Azam. "Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, August 6-7, 2025.</a>
AIP Format
C. Mathis, H. Assi, I. Neuhart, J. Kelly, and S. Azam, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, 2025, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17151&DocID=6079).
AJP/PRST-PER
C. Mathis, H. Assi, I. Neuhart, J. Kelly, and S. Azam, Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, 2025, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17151&DocID=6079>.
APA Format
Mathis, C., Assi, H., Neuhart, I., Kelly, J., & Azam, S. (2025, August 6-7). Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17151&DocID=6079
Chicago Format
Mathis, C, H. Assi, I. Neuhart, J. Kelly, and S. Azam. "Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2025, Washington, DC, August 6-7, 2025. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17151&DocID=6079 (accessed 14 February 2026).
MLA Format
Mathis, Clausell, Hiba Assi, Ian Neuhart, John Kelly, and Syed Hassaan Azam. "Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment." Physics Education Research Conference 2025. Washington, DC: 2025. 264-269 of PER Conference. 14 Feb. 2026 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17151&DocID=6079>.
BibTeX Export Format
@inproceedings{
Author = "Clausell Mathis and Hiba Assi and Ian Neuhart and John Kelly and Syed Hassaan Azam",
Title = {Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment},
BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2025},
Pages = {264-269},
Address = {Washington, DC},
Series = {PER Conference},
Month = {August 6-7},
Year = {2025}
}
Refer Export Format
%A Clausell Mathis %A Hiba Assi %A Ian Neuhart %A John Kelly %A Syed Hassaan Azam %T Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment %S PER Conference %D August 6-7 2025 %P 264-269 %C Washington, DC %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17151&DocID=6079 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2025 %O August 6-7 %O application/pdf
EndNote Export Format
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Mathis, Clausell %A Assi, Hiba %A Neuhart, Ian %A Kelly, John %A Azam, Syed Hassaan %D August 6-7 2025 %T Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment %B Physics Education Research Conference 2025 %C Washington, DC %P 264-269 %S PER Conference %8 August 6-7 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=17151&DocID=6079 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. Cultural resources in physics sensemaking: what students reveal through formative assessment:Know of another related resource? Login to relate this resource to it. |
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