Reflection and Self-Monitoring in Quantum Mechanics
written by
Andrew J. Mason and Chandralekha Singh
An assumed attribute of expert physicists is that they learn readily from their own mistakes. Experts are unlikely to make the same mistakes when asked to solve a problem a second time, especially if they have had access to a correct solution. Here, we discuss a case study in which fourteen advanced undergraduate physics students taking an honors-level quantum mechanics course were given the same four problems in both a midterm and final exam. The solutions to the midterm problems were provided to students. The performance on the final exam shows that while some advanced students performed equally well or improved compared to their performance on the midterm exam on the questions administered a second time, a comparable number performed less well on the final exam than on the midterm exam. The wide distribution of students' performance on problems administered a second time suggests that most advanced students do not automatically exploit their mistakes as an opportunity for learning, and for repairing, extending, and organizing their knowledge structure. Interviews with a subset of students revealed attitudes towards problem-solving and gave insight into their approach to learning.
Physics Education Research Conference 2009
Part of the PER Conference series
Ann Arbor, Michigan: July 29-30, 2009
Volume 1179, Pages 197-200
PERC 2009, approach to learning, attitude, case study, problem solving, problem solving, quantum mechanics, reflection, reflection, upper-level undergraduate students
Record Cloner:
Metadata instance created October 8, 2009
by Alea Smith
<a href="https://www.per-central.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=9483">Mason, Andrew, and Chandralekha Singh. "Reflection and Self-Monitoring in Quantum Mechanics." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 29-30, 2009.</a>
A. Mason and C. Singh, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2009, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9483&DocID=1355).
A. Mason and C. Singh, Reflection and Self-Monitoring in Quantum Mechanics, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2009, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9483&DocID=1355>.
Mason, A., & Singh, C. (2009, July 29-30). Reflection and Self-Monitoring in Quantum Mechanics. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Retrieved May 9, 2025, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9483&DocID=1355
Mason, Andrew, and Chandralekha Singh. "Reflection and Self-Monitoring in Quantum Mechanics." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 29-30, 2009. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9483&DocID=1355 (accessed 9 May 2025).
Mason, Andrew, and Chandralekha Singh. "Reflection and Self-Monitoring in Quantum Mechanics." Physics Education Research Conference 2009. Ann Arbor, Michigan: 2009. 197-200 Vol. 1179 of PER Conference. 9 May 2025 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9483&DocID=1355>.
%0 Conference Proceedings %A Mason, Andrew %A Singh, Chandralekha %D July 29-30 2009 %T Reflection and Self-Monitoring in Quantum Mechanics %B Physics Education Research Conference 2009 %C Ann Arbor, Michigan %V 1179 %P 197-200 %S PER Conference %8 July 29-30 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9483&DocID=1355
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